This is the second volume in the Oratory of Classical Greece series. Planned for publication over several years, the series will present all of the surviving speeches from the late fifth and fourth centuries B.C. in new translations prepared by classical scholars who are at the forefront of the discipline. These translations are especially designed for the needs and interests of today's undergraduates, Greekless scholars in other disciplines, and the general public.

Classical oratory is an invaluable resource for the study of ancient Greek life and culture. The speeches offer evidence on Greek moral views, social and economic conditions, political and social ideology, and other aspects of Athenian culture that have been largely ignored: women and family life, slavery, and religion, to name just a few.

This volume contains all the complete works and eleven of the largest fragments attributed to Lysias, the leading speechwriter of the generation (403-380 B.C.) after the Peloponnesian War, who was also one of the finest and most deceptive storytellers of all time. As a noncitizen resident in Athens, Lysias could take no direct part in politics, but his speeches, written for clients to deliver in court, paint vivid pictures of various private and public disputes: one speaker defends himself on a charge of murdering his wife's lover, while another is accused of having caused the deaths of democratic activists under the short-lived oligarchy of the Thirty (404/3), despite his claim to be protected by the amnesty that accompanied the restoration of democracy in 403.

This volume contains all the complete works and eleven of the largest fragments attributed to Lysias, the leading speechwriter of the generation (403-380 B.C.) after the Peloponnesian War

About the Author
Lysias' speeches are introduced and translated by Stephen Todd, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Keele in England.

Reviews
"A highly readable and nicely produced translation of the corpus of Lysias ...Todd's translation possesses many of the virtues of Lysias' own style. It is consistently lucid in its language, appealing in its tone, and persuasive by the apparent effortlessness of its art. He provides a reliable and readable translation of the whole corpus of Lysias, with the necessary minimum of explanatory notes and introductions, for Greekless readers. Readers already familiar with these speeches may not find too much that is new, but they still gain a worthy modern translation which includes the most substantial fragments, some recent bibliography, and a wonderful tool with which to introduce others to Lysias. For all students of Greek history and oratory, this volume, as well as this whole series, is a most welcome and well conceived project." Bryn Mawr Classical Review



Book Information
ISBN 9780292781665
Author S. C. Todd
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint University of Texas Press
Publisher University of Texas Press
Weight(grams) 513g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 25mm