Antiphon

Summary

Antiphon was an Athenian orator and sophist, who was born around 480. In 411 he was one of the leaders of a coup that brought the oligarchy of the Four Hundred to power (pp. 130–131); when this government collapsed and democracy was restored, Antiphon was tried, convicted, and executed for treason. He was a popular legal adviser to others and his final speech in his own defense was much admired.

In addition to the speeches he composed for others to deliver, three of which survive complete, Antiphon wrote three Tetralogies for hypothetical homicide cases. Since these raise general rhetorical, legal, and philosophical issues, we translate them here. A common idea in the Tetralogies is that a killer suffered religious “pollution” or “defilement” (miasma) which could be transmitted to others. The concept of pollution is much less important in the speeches delivered in court and apparently did not play a significant role in Athenian law.

In Athenian law a homicide case could normally be prosecuted only by a relative of the victim. Each side spoke twice, first the plaintiff and then the defendant.

The main “sophistic” works of Antiphon were Truth, in two books, and Concord; the latter addresses more mundane issues and may have been intended for a less specialized audience. Less well attested are a collection of Proems, or typical introductory remarks for speeches in lawsuits, and an Art of Rhetoric.