"On the Navy Boards" or "On the Symmories" () is the first surviving political oration of 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 ...

. A reference to the speech made in Demosthenes' later '' On the Liberty of the Rhodians'' proves that the speech was actually delivered to the Ecclesia, not just composed but never spoken. According to Dionysius of Hallicarnassus, the speech was delivered in 354/3 BC.D. M. McDowell, ''Demosthenes the Orator'', 143. ''On the Navy Boards'' is a speech of general interest, which provided Demosthenes an opportunity to be an advocate for common sense. The ecclesia had convened to consider a rumored threat against Athens by the Great King of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The orator espoused moderation and did not endeavor to rouse the hot-blooded ones of his audience against the

ns.K. Tsatsos, ''Demosthenes'', 88. He advocated avoiding any provocation, but he also proposed a well-organised preparation in case of war. For this reason he supported the reform of the "'' symmoriai''" (boards) through which the Athenian fleet was funded.I. Worthington, ''Demosthenes: Statesman and Orator'', 29. In his first political intervention the young politician did not accomplish his goals. ''On the Navy'' has been regarded as artistically inferior to his later political orations.

References

External links

Text of the speech at the Perseus Digital Library
{{Authority control Speeches by Demosthenes Navy of ancient Athens 354 BC