"Against Timocrates" was a speech given by

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 ...

Athens 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 ...

in which he accused Timocrates of proposing an illegal decree. The speech provides our best evidence about the use of imprisonment as a punishment in Classical Athens. Timocrates' law would have allowed debtors to the state to go free on providing a

surety In finance, a surety , surety bond, or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a person or company (a ''sure ...

, rather than being imprisoned until they paid their debts. Demosthenes' speech criticises this law on the grounds that it would unfairly advantage wealthy citizens at the expense of the poor.

Historical background

The speech can be dated to the summer of 353 BC. A series of events led to the trial. Three Athenians in 355 BC, including

Androtion Androtion (; before 405after 346 BC), was a Greek orator, and one of the leading politicians of his time. He was born between 415 and 405 BC, the son of Andron, who was a member of the Four Hundred and an associate of Theramenes. Androtion was ...

, whilst sailing as ambassadors to

Mausolus Mausolus ( or , ''Mauśoλ'') was a ruler of Caria (377–353 Common Era, BCE) and a satrap of the Achaemenid Empire. He enjoyed the status of king or dynast by virtue of the powerful position created by his father Hecatomnus ( ), who was the fi ...

, the King of

Caria Caria (; from Greek language, Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; ) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Carians were described by Herodotus as being Anatolian main ...

, captured a merchant ship near

Naucratis Naucratis or Naukratis (Ancient Greek: , "Naval Command"; Egyptian: , , , Coptic: ) was a city and trading-post in ancient Egypt, located on the Canopic (western-most) branch of the Nile river, south-east of the Mediterranean sea and the city ...

, claiming lawful seizure of enemy property. The ambassadors held onto the plunder they received until a commission was appointed into the matter, moved by Euctemon and Diodorus. Euctemon and Diodorus gave information against the two

trierarch Trierarch () was the title of officers who commanded a trireme (''triēres'') in the classical Greek world. In Classical Athens, the title was associated with the trierarchy (τριηραρχία, ''triērarchia''), one of the public offices or ...

s who had been commanding the ambassadors' ship. The result was that the ambassadors admitted possession of the money, however Euctemon furthered his investigation and proposed a decree (which was passed) that the trierarchs should be responsible for recovering the money. Androtion and his supporters in retaliation proposed a '' graphe paranomon'' (the charge for proposing an unlawful decree) against Euctemon. Euctemon was acquitted, however Timocrates, a friend of the ambassadors, then proposed his law that any debtor of the state should remain at liberty until the ninth prytany on the condition that they provided a surety. This presumably would have enabled the ambassadors to escape with their plunder. The speech "Against Timocrates" details the ''graphe paranomon'' Euctemon and Diodorus brought against Timocrates in retaliation. Diodorus opens the speech. The action of the ''graphe paranomon'' suspended the effect of Timocrates' law, and the ambassadors were forced to pay the money. The action against Timocrates however was not halted but pursued.

References

External links

Text of the speech at the Perseus Digital Library
Speeches by Demosthenes {{AncientGreece-stub