Wittgenstein, Paul

Plutarch and the Persians

“…5 Events from the archaic or Classical periods were very popular as topics in oratorical presentations, as well as in the rhetorical schools. 6 Even the name later given by Philostratus (VS 481,507) to the phenomenon, in which these orators or "sophists" delivered popular public speeches, was the "Second Sophistic," following the "First" Sophistic of the Classical period. 7 Moreover, this fascination with the past was evidently introduced to compensate for Greece's current political weakness under the political dominance of Rome.…”

“…2. 6,19.7,. 61 This point is stressed through the comparison of Lysander and Callicratidas, who briefly succeeds him as the naval commander (Lys.…”