Demosthenes and the islands: On Organization 34

Journal article

In his Assembly speech "On Organization", Demosthenes uses the Siphnians and Cythnians – inhabitants of small Cycladic island states – as a negative double example to impress upon his Athenian listeners the importance of sustaining their traditional spirit of geopolitical enterprise. The example has frequently been assimilated to the rhetoric of Athenian disdain for small or weak states, but this paper reassesses it in its speech context, suggesting that Demosthenes is instead specifically using the Siphnians and Cythnians as examples of states which once had the resources to become a presence on the international stage but had no drive to make the most of them; Athens – which does traditionally possess such a drive – must therefore change her priorities so as not to lose it. Furthermore, the example can be seen as responding and contributing to the thematic directions of the whole speech, and not only the immediate argument.

Authors: Westwood, G

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers
• Journal: Mnemosyne
• Volume: 70
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 501-511
• Publication date: 2017-05-16
• Acceptance date: 2016-05-09
• DOI: 10.1163/1568525X-12342274
• EISSN: 1568-525X
• ISSN: 0026-7074