author
Demosthenes
-384–-322
A fierce voice of ancient Athens, he turned political speech into an art form and became the best-known opponent of Macedonian expansion. His surviving orations still offer a vivid window into the drama, ambition, and public life of fourth-century BCE Greece.
4 Audiobooks
The Public Orations of Demosthenes, volume 1
by Demosthenes
The Public Orations of Demosthenes, volume 2
by Demosthenes
Puhe kunniaseppeleestä
by Demosthenes
About the author
Born in 384 BCE, Demosthenes was an Athenian statesman and orator whose speeches became some of the most famous works of classical Greece. Ancient sources and later tradition often emphasize how hard he worked to master public speaking, and that effort became central to his legend.
He rose to prominence in Athenian politics as a determined critic of Philip II of Macedon. His speeches, especially the Philippics, urged Athens to resist Macedonian power, and they helped define his reputation as a passionate defender of the city's independence.
Demosthenes died in 322 BCE, but his influence lasted far beyond his lifetime. Later readers treated him as a model of eloquence, and his speeches remain important not only for their rhetoric but also for what they reveal about the politics and ideals of ancient Athens.