The "First Philippic" was delivered by the
Athenian
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
statesman and orator
Demosthenes
Demosthenes (; el, Δημοσθένης, translit=Dēmosthénēs; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual pr ...
between 351 BC-350 BC. It constitutes the first speech of the prominent politician against
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king ('' basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...
.
Historical framework
Since 357 BC, when Philip seized
Amphipolis
Amphipolis ( ell, Αμφίπολη, translit=Amfipoli; grc, Ἀμφίπολις, translit=Amphipolis) is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is Rodolivos. It was an important ancient Gr ...
, after agreeing in part to trade it for
Pydna, Athens was formally in a state of war against the
King of Macedon
Macedonia (also known as Macedon) was an ancient kingdom centered on the present-day region of Macedonia in northern Greece, inhabited by the Ancient Macedonians. At various points in its history the kingdom proper encompassed parts of the pres ...
. In 352 BC, Demosthenes characterised Philip as the very worst enemy of his city,
[Demosthenes, ''Against Aristocrates'']
121
and a year later he criticized fiercely those dismissing Philip as a person of no account and warned them that he is as dangerous as the King of Persia.
[Demosthenes, ''For the Liberty of the Rhodians'']
24
In 352 BC, the Athenian troops opposed Philip successfully at
Thermopylae
Thermopylae (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: (''Thermopylai'') , Demotic Greek (Greek): , (''Thermopyles'') ; "hot gates") is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur ...
,
[Demosthenes, ''On the False Embassy'']
319
but the same year the Macedonian army campaigned in
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
and won a decisive victory over the
Phocians in Thessaly, an event that shook the orator. At the same period that the King of Macedon launched his first attack against the federation of the
Chalcidice
Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region ...
and seized
Stageira.
Content of the oration
The theme of the First Philippic was preparedness. In his rousing call for resistance, Demosthenes urged the Athenians to be ready for war and called for a great outpouring of effort. He even proposed a reform of the theoric fund ("theorika"), a mainstay of Eubulus' policy.
[J. De Romilly, ''A Short History of Greek Literature'', 116-117.] "Theorika" were allowances paid by the state to poor Athenians to enable them to watch dramatic festivals. Eubulus passed a law making it difficult to divert public funds, including "theorika", for minor military operations. Demosthenes encouraged his countrymen, trying to convince them that the defeats they suffered were due to their mistakes and to Philip's competence. The orator opposed the use of mercenaries in the Athenian army and proposed the creation of a flexible military force, which would remain in Macedon and harass Philip's army. Despite the passionate style of the orator, it seems that the
Ecclesia of Athens did not espouse his views and insisted in the ensuing military preparations, obliging Demosthenes to repeat the same argumentation in the
Olynthiacs The Olynthiacs were three political speeches, all delivered by the Athenian statesman and orator Demosthenes. In 349 BC, Philip II of Macedon attacked Olynthus, which at the time was an ally of Athens. In the Olynthiacs, delivered in 349 BC, Demosth ...
.
[''The Helios''.]
See also
*
Philippic A philippic ()http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/English/philippic is a fiery, damning speech, or tirade, delivered to condemn a particular political actor. The term is most famously associated with two noted orators of the ancient world: ...
*
Second Philippic The "Second Philippic" is an oration that was delivered by the Athenian statesman and orator Demosthenes between 344–343 BC. The speech constitutes the second of the four philippics the orator is said to have delivered.
Historical background
In ...
*
Third Philippic
References
External links
Text of the speech at the Perseus Digital Library
{{Authority control
Philippic A philippic ()http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/English/philippic is a fiery, damning speech, or tirade, delivered to condemn a particular political actor. The term is most famously associated with two noted orators of the ancient world: ...
351 BC
Ancient Greek orations