"On the Halonnesus" () is a political oration attributed to the prominent

Athenian Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

statesman and orator

Demosthenes Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...

. The speech constitutes an Athenian response to a letter of

Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...

, with which the King of Macedon proposed the amendment of the most important term of the

Peace of Philocrates Peace of Philocrates is the name of the peace treaty concluded in 346 BCE between Athens and Macedon under Philip II. Philocrates was the name of the main Athenian negotiator of the Treaty. Background Athens and Macedon had been at war since ...

("each side should keep the territory possessed at the moment of the official conclusion of the peace treaty"). In exchange he offered to the Athenians the island of

Halonnesus Agios Efstratios or Saint Eustratius (), colloquially Ai Stratis (), anciently Halonnesus or Halonnesos (), is a small Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea about southwest of Lemnos and northwest of Lesbos. The municipality has an area of 43. ...

. The orator rejects Philip's demands and proposes instead the mediation of arbitrator, in order to settle their differences.

Libanius Libanius (; ) was a teacher of rhetoric of the Sophist school in the Eastern Roman Empire. His prolific writings make him one of the best documented teachers of higher education in the ancient world and a critical source of history of the Greek ...

, who wrote 57 hypotheses or introductions to Demosthenes' orations predicates that ''On the Halonnesus'' does not belong to Demosthenes, but to Hegesippus, another prominent member of the anti-Macedonian faction. A. Galinos supports Libanius' position, pointing that this speech differs in terms of style and argumentation from the other orations of Demosthenes.A. Galinos, ''Comments on Demosthenes'', 347-349.

References

External links

Text of the speech at the Perseus Digital Library
{{Authority control Speeches by Demosthenes