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In A Commentary on Selected Speeches of Isaios, Brenda Griffith-Williams offers a fresh insight, accessible to non-Greek readers, into four disputed inheritance cases from the Athenian courts in the 4th century B.C. The only comprehensive English language commentary on Isaios (Wyse, 1904) reflects a negative view of the Athenian legal system as one in which the judges, who had no legal training, could be easily outwitted by an unscrupulous speechwriter with no regard for the truth. By addressing the complex interplay of factual, legal, and rhetorical issues in the selected speeches, Brenda Griffith-Williams identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each speaker's case and presents a more balanced assessment of Isaios's work.
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A Commentary on Selected Speeches of Isaios
Mnemosyne Supplements Monographs on Greek and Latin Language and Literature Edited by
G.J. Boter, Free University Amsterdam A. Chaniotis, Oxford K.M. Coleman, Harvard I.J.F. de Jong, University of Amsterdam T. Reinhardt, Oxford
VOLUME 364
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/mns
A Commentary on Selected Speeches of Isaios By
Brenda Griffith-Williams
Leiden • boston 2013
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Isaeus, approximately 420 B.C.–approximately 350 B.C., author. A commentary on selected speeches of Isaios / by Brenda Griffith-Williams. pages cm. — (Mnemosyne, Supplements. Monographs on Greek and Latin Language and Literature, ISSN 0169-8958 ; 364) Revision of the author’s doctoral thesis, University of London—2009. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-25857-0 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-26018-4 (e-book) 1. Inheritance and succession (Greek law) 2. Inheritance and succession—Greece—Athens— History—To 1500. 3. Forensic orations—Greece—Athens—History—To 1500. 4. Isaeus, approximately 420 B.C.–approximately 350 B.C.—Translations into English. 5. Speeches, addresses, etc., Greek—Translations into English. I. Griffith-Williams, Brenda, writer of added commentary. II. Title. KL4196.I825 2013 340.5’38—dc23
2013026804
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. ISSN 0169-8958 ISBN 978-90-04-25857-0 (hardback) ISBN 978-90-04-26018-4 (e-book) Copyright 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper.
In loving memory of Jill Valerie Stanley (née Millard), 1934–2009.
Contents List of Diagrams ............................................................................................... xi Preface ................................................................................................................. xiii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................... xvii Abbreviations .................................................................................................... xix Gene