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Demosthenes
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Demosthenes Demosthenes
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Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
Ancient Greece
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Demosthenes
Demosthenes Demosthenes, marble statue, detail of a Roman copy of a Greek original of c. 280 bce; in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen.

Demosthenes

Greek statesman and orator
Written by
James J. Murphy
Emeritus Professor of Rhetoric, University of California, Davis. Editor of Demosthenes' On the Crown: A Critical Case Study of a Masterpiece of Ancient Oratory.
James J. Murphy
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Demosthenes (born 384 bce, Athens [Greece]—died Oct. 12, 322, Calauria, Argolis) was an Athenian statesman, recognized as the greatest of ancient Greek orators, who roused Athens to oppose Philip of Macedon and, later, his son Alexander the Great. His speeches provide valuable information on the political, social, and economic life of 4th-century Athens. Demosthenes, a contemporary of Plato and Aristotle, was the son of a wealthy sword maker. His father died when he was seven,...

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