Lysias, Isocrates and the Trierarchs of Aegospotami

Abstract

Isocr. 18 could have hired Isocrates, and the speaker of Lys. 21 and Eryximachus could have hired Lysias as speechwriters for their rhetorical skills. However, it is probable that Isocrates’ choice to criticize the former colleagues of Isocr. 18 in his speech could have led the other two trierarchs to ask for Lysias’ help. This fact highlights the tensions between the elite when Athens was defeated in the Peloponnesian War. This antagonism between the trierarchs could be the beginning of the logographic competition between Lysias and Isocrates.

Keywords

• aegospotami
• eryximachus
• isocrates
• lysias
• rhetorical tactic
• trierarchs
• egospotami
• erisimaco
• isocrate
• lisia
• tattica retorica
• trierarchi