The Epitaphios, Erotikos, Prooimia, and Letters

Chapter 30 examines Demosthenes’ Funeral Oration (Epitaphios), Erotikos or Erotic Essay, prologues (prooimia) or rhetorical openings of political speeches, and six letters—works that have often been relegated to the sidelines of Demosthenic studies because of the orator’s longer and more famous speeches, but offer crucial insights into the history, society, and politics of ancient Greece as well as Demosthenes’ rhetorical style. The content and context of these works and their authenticity are discussed. It shows that almost all of the six letters found in Demosthenes’ corpus were written during his period of exile in the aftermath of the Harpalus affair, and that the authorship of the prooimia is almost certainly Demosthenic since some of them match openings of his extant speeches.