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The Authenticity of Demosthenes 13, Again

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Sing, RJ 

Abstract

The deliberative speech known by us as On Organization (Περὶ συντάξεως) focusses on financial organization and political economy more than any other speech in the Demosthenic corpus. The assembly is to decide the fate of an unspecified sum of money (1). The speaker, who later identifies himself as Demosthenes (12), proposes that, instead of distributing the money as theoric subsidies, all citizens can instead be satisfied by embarking upon a scheme of τοῦ συνταχθῆναι καὶ παρασκευασθῆναι τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ‘organization and equipment for war’ (3). This scheme will distribute revenues amongst all as pay for useful service (1–5, 9). The speaker urges that this must be done if the city is once again to act as the arbiter of Greek affairs, and if the Athenian dēmos itself is to break the power of self-interested orators and resume its proper control of the polis (13–36).

Description

Keywords

43 History, Heritage and Archaeology, 47 Language, Communication and Culture, 4303 Historical Studies, 4705 Literary Studies

Journal Title

Classical Quarterly

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0009-8388
1471-6844

Volume Title

67

Publisher

Cambridge University Press