Aeschines

Aeschines (* 390/389 BC, † 314 BC) was an orator and politician in Athens. His speech Against Ctesiphon ( 3 ) is the speech for Ctesiphon ( 18 wreath speech ), which held Demosthenes as a reply and has been highly valued long as the greatest speech of antiquity, oratorical power after barely.

Life

After the not necessarily trustworthy information of Demosthenes, he was active as a actor and minor writers.

346 BC, he was a member with Philocrates and Demosthenes the Athenians ten-member delegation, with Philip II completed a peace treaty in Pella. Later he was therefore accused by Demosthenes (1st and 2nd speech ). From Demosthenes ' opponents Aeschines was therefore not the most important thing. The actual leader of his party were Eubulus and later Demades and the strategist Phocion.

340 BC was Aeschines Pylagoros, ie Athenian representatives in the Council of the Delphic amphictyony. In this role he was responsible for the outbreak of the Fourth Holy War, which led to the defeat of Greece in the major battle of Chaeronea.

330 BC, he joined Demosthenes in a sensational trial against (3rd speech ), in which he his friend Ctesiphon, because of the allegedly unlawful application for receiving an honorary crown for Demosthenes accused. However, his indictment not even voted 1/5 of judges, so he had to pay a fine and left Athens. Aeschines is said to have gone to Rhodes and granted there rhetoric classes.

Works

From Aeschines three speeches have been preserved. Twelve traditional letters in his name are spurious. There are also several ancient biographies.

In his first attack on Aeschines because of the " illusion embassy " underwent Demosthenes in the selection of the claimant blunder. Aeschines succeeded in a countersuit with the address counter Timarchos ( 1) to convince the judge that this was a prostitute in his youth. This speech contains very interesting information about the half- world of ancient Athens. Last Demosthenes is attacked as a seducer of young men.

After failing Demosthenes had to lead the action against Aeschines himself. There are both speeches or speech draft obtained ( Parapresbeia speeches: Demosthenes 19 [ as probably published from the estate of unfinished draft ], Aeschines About the " illusion embassy " [ 2 ] )

Finally, the speech Against Ctesiphon ( 3 ), a magnificent reckoning with the policy of Demosthenes.