Isaeus

Isaeus (Greek Ἰσαῖος, Latinized Isaeus; * end of the 5th century BC in Athens and Chalcis; † around the middle of the 4th century BC ) was an Athenian speech writer. He is considered one of the ten Attic orators. His exact survival data are unknown.

Life

Few information about Isaeus ' life have survived: the descriptions in pseudo - Plutarch, Harpocration, Photius I. and in the Suda used Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Kaikilios as sources.

His life data are not known, his earliest speech can, however, about 389 BC, date his latest v. to 343 BC. Since he has never held a political office in his career, it is assumed that he lived as a metic in Athens. Supposedly were Isocrates Lysias or his teachers, Isaeus itself should have taught Demosthenes. However, the veracity of this information is anyone's guess.

Work

Were Isaeus in antiquity 64 speeches attributed, of which 50 were considered to be genuine. 56 speeches today the title is known, only twelve have survived, one of them incomplete and another only fragmentary when Dionysius of Halicarnassus.

The twelve preserved speeches of Isaeus are:

All of the obtained speeches are written for inheritance processes, usually it comes to the validity of wills or the ranking of the heirs.

418273
de