Demosthenes (Encyclopedia of the Ancient World)
Life
Demosthenes (dih-MAHS-thuh-neez) is the most famous of ten authors whom Alexandrian critics included in the canon of Attic orators. Orphaned in childhood, he supposedly developed his skills as a writer and speaker to sue trustees who mismanaged his estate. Despite a weak voice and physique, he trained himself and studied until he won his lawsuit. He then became a leading politician at Athens from about 351 b.c.e. until his death.
The issue of the day was whether Athens and other city-states should resist the expansion of Macedonia under Philip II and Alexander the...
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