| Abstract |
This work concerns the oration Against Aristogeiton I of the Demosthenic corpus. This is one of the three surviving prosecution speeches against Aristogeiton, a political figure of the 4th century B.C., who is unanimously described in negative terms by our sources. The oration constitutes a vehement attack on Aristogeiton’s character, as it focuses on his private life and public actions and only by chance refers to the legal issues.
The first section contains the case of the speech and the description of the facts leading to the trial. It also includes the question of dating, which is related to the historical circumstances in which the speech was composed and delivered. This section is followed by a detailed presentation of the structure of the text.
The next section analyzes the legal background of the trial. Due to its incomplete and fragmentary examination by the speaker, some problems arise in understanding the use of certain legal procedures. However, this is probably the result of our own ignorance rather than the ignorance of the speaker, as claimed by those who dispute the authenticity of the speech. Despite the occasional reference to the legal framework, however, the legal procedures mentioned are quite numerous and they all fall within the sycophantic activity of Aristogeiton.
The fourth section focuses on the arguments used by the plaintiff in order to discredit Aristogeiton’s morality and present him as a wild beast that has no place in a society governed by laws. The effort to isolate him and expel him from society is methodically organized throughout the speech, while, through the use of narratives that center on the private life of the defendant, it is possible to have a vivid description of behaviors and actions that are inconsistent with the laws and social norms of classical Athens.
The fifth and final section discusses the problem of the author of the speech. Its authenticity and credibility have been questioned since antiquity, and thus a list is provided here of all the ancient sources in which this oration is cited, with an analysis of the reasons that have led several scholars to consider it a forgery. However, it is noted that there is no compelling evidence proving either that the speech was not written by Demosthenes or that it was not delivered in court. Therefore, it is assumed that this is a genuine speech by the orator, written for delivery under actual court circumstances. This is also deduced from the analysis of its style, which is compatible with that of other speeches of Demosthenes, which are definitely considered genuine.
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Νόμος, ρητορική και δικανικές αφηγήσεις στον Κατά Αριστογείτονος Α΄
