Antioch And Athenian Democracy

In the second half of the fifth century BC,the whole of Greece,especially Athens,is full of innovation and excitement of knowledge,including poetry,philosophy,medicine,religion,history,and others.The intellectuals experimented with a new way of verbal communication at a public meeting,and a new communication medium —writing,with a result,producing the speeches and the orators.Antiphon was the first of the Attica's ten orators and the first “logographos”.For the surviving works of Antiphon are various,including: speeches,philosophy,and even a work about “dream interpretation”—“On the Interpretation of Dreams”.What's more,they hold different styles,so the academic community has always been questioned about his identity.This article only studies the definitive one,who wrote the speeches and attended the oligarchic coup of 411 BC.Discussing his three different identities: the oligarchic politician,the noble,and the orator,discussing the relationship between the aristocratic identity and democracy,speeches and democracy,trying to construct a different Antiphon.The first chapter: On the basis of describing the oligarchic coup of 411 BC briefly,analyzing the role that Antiphon played in this coup: the organization of oligarchy clubs,the real plotter of the conspiracy.Analyzing the speech defensed by himself after the failure of the coup,interpreting views of Antiphon about the coup.Explaining the purpose,nature of the coup again: the coup is a “good scam".The second chapter: Recounting the status of the aristocrat provided how many convenient conditions for Antiphon to become a politician: money,contacts,family ties,education opportunities.For the material is insufficient,supplemented by the case of Alcibiades.From the 5th century BC,the phenomenon that the people rejected the aristocrat,questioning the elite,becoming more and more serious.The mass believed that the aristocracy must be anti-democratic and oligarchic,and the conflict between the aristocrat and the public intensified.This is also one of the incentives that induced two oligarchic coups in 411 BC and 407 BC years.Combining this situation,resolving the reasons of the opposition between the mass and the aristocrat,the dialectical relationship between the aristocracy and the democracy.The third chapter: Focus on the analysis of his three speech those preserved completely: “Prosecution of the Stepmother for Poisoning” ? “On the Murder of Herodes”?“On the Choreutes ”.Analyzing the difference among he ways ofdemonstration,the layout of arguments,the emotional appeal and other aspects,in order to analyze the talent and style of Antiphon as an orator.As the first "logographos",presuming the reasons why he choose to write speeches for the client instead of giving speeches personally,.Explaining why Antiphon could become the leader of oligarchy through the speech,in order to analyze the position of speech in the democracy : the orator can influence political decision.At this point,we can see a more plentiful image of Antiphon.As an orator,he should have been the most active citizen under democracy.For a variety of reasons:unwillingness,inappropriately political ambiguity,untrustworthiness,etc.,he did not participate in political life until his later years.No matter the aristocrats,the orators or the oligarchic politicians,they are all closely related to democracy.Through representing the life of Antiphon,you can find a different democracy.