Dissertation on the Letters of Phalaris

work by Bentley

Also known as: “Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris”

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June 25, 2026

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The Dissertation on the Letters of Phalaris is a significant work by the British classical scholar Richard Bentley. Published in 1699, this dissertation challenged the authenticity of the widely circulated Letters of Phalaris. Bentley, known for his critical acumen and wide learning, meticulously applied his expertise in textual criticism to demonstrate that these letters, attributed to the cruel tyrant Phalaris of Acragas, were in fact forgeries. He proved they were written much later by a sophist or rhetorician, likely Adrianus of Tyre, rather than by Phalaris himself, who lived in the 6th century BC. Bentley's work was a landmark achievement in classical scholarship, showcasing his ability to restore ancient texts and advance new developments in textual analysis.12

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classical scholarship
The 18th century: the age of Bentley
…evidence above all in his Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris (expanded edition, 1699), the first important work of classical scholarship written in a modern language. His editions of Horace (1711), Terence (1726), and Manilius (1739) were all of masterly quality. He did remarkable work in collecting fragments of Menander…
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…evidence above all in his Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris (expanded edition, 1699), the first important work of classical scholarship written in a modern language. His editions of Horace (1711), Terence (1726), and Manilius (1739) were all of masterly quality. He did remarkable work in collecting fragments of Menander…
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forgery
Detection of literary forgeries
…by Richard Bentley in his Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris (1699), which proved that these letters, far from being written by Phalaris (a Sicilian tyrant of the 6th century bc), were in fact the work of a Greek sophist of the 2nd century ad.
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…by Richard Bentley in his Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris (1699), which proved that these letters, far from being written by Phalaris (a Sicilian tyrant of the 6th century bc), were in fact the work of a Greek sophist of the 2nd century ad.
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Richard Bentley
In 1699 he published his Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris, a work in which he attacked the authenticity of the epistles, bringing all his learning and critical powers to bear in proof of their spuriousness.
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In 1699 he published his Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris, a work in which he attacked the authenticity of the epistles, bringing all his learning and critical powers to bear in proof of their spuriousness.
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Phalaris
…scholar Richard Bentley, in his Dissertation on the Letters of Phalaris (1699), to have been written much later by a sophist or rhetorician, possibly Adrianus of Tyre (d. c. ad 193).
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…scholar Richard Bentley, in his Dissertation on the Letters of Phalaris (1699), to have been written much later by a sophist or rhetorician, possibly Adrianus of Tyre (d. c. ad 193).
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