Demades (, BC) was an

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 ...

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14 ...

and

demagogue A demagogue (; ; ), or rabble-rouser, is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, especially through oratory that whips up the passions of crowds, Appeal to emotion, appealing to emo ...

Background and early life

Demades was born into a poor

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of ancient

Paeania Paeania or Paiania () were two demoi of ancient Attica, divided into Upper Paeania and Lower Paeania, that were situated on the eastern side of Hymettus, near the modern village of Liopesi renamed to Paiania. It was the deme of Demosthenes.Har ...

and was employed at one time as a common

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

, but he rose to a prominent position at Athens thanks to his eloquence as well as his unscrupulous character. He espoused the cause 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 ...

in the war against

Olynthus Olynthus ( ''Olynthos'') is an ancient city in present-day Chalcidice, Greece. It was built mostly on two flat-topped hills 30–40m in height, in a fertile plain at the head of the Gulf of Torone, near the neck of the peninsula of Pallene, Cha ...

, and was thus brought into bitter and lifelong enmity with

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 ...

, whom he at first supported.

Relations with Macedon

Demades fought against the

Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...

ians in the Battle of Chaeronea, and was taken

prisoner A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

. Having made a favourable impression upon Philip, he was released together with his fellow-captives, and was instrumental in bringing about a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

of peace between Macedonia and Athens. Demades continued to be a favourite of

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

, and, prompted by a

bribe Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrar ...

, saved Demosthenes and some other Athenian orators from his vengeance. It was also chiefly owing to him that Alexander, after the destruction of Thebes, treated Athens leniently. Demades' conduct in supporting the Macedonian cause, yet receiving any bribes that were offered by the opposite party, led him to be heavily fined more than once; he was finally deprived of his civil rights. He was reinstated (322 BC) on the approach of

Antipater Antipater (; ; 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general, regent and statesman under the successive kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collapse of the Argead house, his son Cassander ...

, to whom he was sent as ambassador. Before setting out he persuaded the citizens to pass sentence of death upon Demosthenes and his followers, who had fled from Athens. The result of his embassy was the conclusion of a peace considered to be greatly to the disadvantage of the Athenians. In 318 BC (or earlier), having been discovered involved in an intrigue with

Perdiccas Perdiccas (, ''Perdikkas''; 355BC – 320BC) was a Macedonian general, successor of Alexander the Great, and the regent of Alexander's empire after his death. When Alexander was dying, he entrusted his signet ring to Perdiccas. Initially ...

, Antipater's opponent, Demades was put to death by Antipater at

Pella Pella () is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. Currently, it is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella ...

, when entrusted with another mission by the Athenians. Demades was avaricious and unscrupulous, but he was a highly gifted and practised orator. According to Arrian, Demades was killed by Cassander, Antipater's son, after suffering the slaughtering of his child in his hands. Cassander justified his actions by accusing Demades that he had slandered Antipater in his letters to Perdiccas.

Legacy

It has been said of Demades that he was a master improviser. This may explain why practically none of his works have fully survived and only scattered fragments have been preserved. A fragment of a

speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

, bearing his name, in which he defends his conduct, is to be found in C Müller's ''Oratores Attici'', ii. 438, but its genuineness is considered to be doubtful. The saying that " Draco's laws were written with blood, not with ink" is attributed to Demades. He is also alleged Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. VI. (published 1927). Macedon, 401–301 B.C., Ch. 6 to have called the state largesse distributed by the Theoric Fund the "cement of democracy".

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

''Minor Attic Orators, II, Lycurgus. Dinarchus. Demades. Hyperides''

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

, Loeb Classical Library, 1954.
Demades – hero of an Aesopian fable
{{Authority control 4th-century BC Athenians 380s BC births 310s BC deaths People associated with Alexander the Great