The Authenticity of Demosthenes 13, Again

Abstract

The deliberative speech known by us as On Organization (Περὶ συντάξεως) focusses on financial organization and political economy more than any other speech in the Demosthenic corpus. The assembly is to decide the fate of an unspecified sum of money (1). The speaker, who later identifies himself as Demosthenes (12), proposes that, instead of distributing the money as theoric subsidies, all citizens can instead be satisfied by embarking upon a scheme of τοῦ συνταχθῆναι καὶ παρασκευασθῆναι τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ‘organization and equipment for war’ (3). This scheme will distribute revenues amongst all as pay for useful service (1–5, 9). The speaker urges that this must be done if the city is once again to act as the arbiter of Greek affairs, and if the Athenian dēmos itself is to break the power of self-interested orators and resume its proper control of the polis (13–36).

Major Events in the Recent Past in Assembly Speeches and the Authenticity of [Andocides] On the Peace

“…Trevett 1994 argues that Dem. 13 is genuine, but the speech is omitted from the list of speeches in the Letter to Ammaeus by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; see also Sing 2017, who argues against authenticity. On the authenticity of Dem.…”