Keeping to the Point in Athenian Forensic Oratory - (New Approaches to Ancient Greek Institutional History) by Edward M Harris & Alberto Esu

About the Book

The first volume to connect legal institutions and court arguments in a series of close readings of selected speeches from the Attic Orators

Book Synopsis

When a litigant initiated a lawsuit in Classical Athens, he submitted a written plaint to the relevant magistrate. This document contained his name, the name of the defendant, the legal procedure employed, and the specific violations of part of the law. If the magistrate accepted the plaint, the legal charges were read to the court before and after the litigants spoke, and the judges swore in their oath to vote only about the charges in the plaint, that is, whether the defendant had violated a specific law or not. In private suits, litigants took an oath to 'keep to the point', that is, discuss only the legal charges. In public cases litigants were under the same obligation. This volume examines several Athenian court speeches and show that litigants paid close attention to legal relevance in court. Consequently, the essays in this volume make the case for integrated approach to rhetoric and law emphasizing an institutional understanding of Athenian forensic oratory.

Review Quotes

This is an important book. By bridging the gap between law and rhetoric, it provides new methodological insights into the question of consistency in the legal arguments deployed by the Attic orators. Keeping to the point is a milestone in the debate on the rule of law in classical Athens.--Michele Faraguna, University of Milan

A well-documented, clear and comprehensive analysis of the institutional aspect of Athenian forensic oratory, highlighting the relevance of legal arguments in Classical Athens. An essential reading for the study of Athenian forensic oratory, emphasising its inherently legal character and advocating for a balanced historical perspective, without the pitfall of comparing ancient Athenian practices to modern legal ideals. --Athina A. Dimopoulou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens