An Historical Commentary on Demosthenes 8, 'On the Khersonnese'

Abstract

Demosthenes 8 is a crucial speech which has long been neglected and rarely given the attention it deserves. The speech focuses on Athenian relations with Philip in this crucial northern region and why Philip is a threat to Athenian interests in the area. Demosthenes seeks to paint Philip as the one who broke the terms of the Peace of Philokrates, even though the historical narrative is not supportive of this claim. The thesis seeks to provide the historical background to the speech and explain the historical significance and veracity of all aspects relevant to the Khersonnese, an area that it was crucial for both Philip and Athens to control. The speech is a study of the historical aspects raised in the speech only and does not engage in a philological discussion except where it is necessary to explain the history. The thesis demonstrates that Demosthenes is an skilled politician, able to depict Philip’s actions in the worst possible light and that the Khersonnese was indeed so critical to both that war was almost inevitable. The study finds that this speech is a masterpiece of Demosthenic rhetoric, demonstrating all of Demosthenes’ considerable skill and reflecting the themes raised in the corpus of Demosthenes’ sumbouleutic oratory.