"On the Chersonese" is a political oration delivered by the Athenian 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 ...

in 341 BC. A short time later Demosthenes delivered one of his most famous speeches, the

Third Philippic The "Third Philippic" was delivered by the prominent Athenian statesman and orator, Demosthenes, in 341 BC. It constitutes the third of the four philippics. Historical background In 343 BC, the Macedonian arms were carried across Epirus and a year ...

Historical background

In 343 BC, the Macedonian arms were carried across

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...

and a year later

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 ...

turned his military activities toward

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 ...

.Demosthenes, ''Third Philippic''
17
/ref> He also imposed an amendment of the

Peace of Philocrates Peace of Philocrates is the name given to the peace treaty concluded in 346 BC between Classical Athens, Athens and Macedon under Philip II of Macedon, Philip II. Philocrates was the name of the main Athenian negotiator of the Treaty. Background ...

in his favour.Demosthenes, ''On Halonnesus''
18
/ref> The war in Thrace lasted more than three years, and was one of Philip's most difficult campaigns. When the Macedonian army approached the Chersonese, the Athenians became concerned about the future of this region. An Athenian general, Diopeithes, ravaged the maritime district of Thrace, which angered Philip. The King sent a letter of reprimand to Athens, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the Athenian troops from Cardia, which was occupied by the Macedonian army.Demosthenes, ''Third Philippic''
35
/ref> Because of this turbulence, Demosthenes delivered ''On the Chersonese'' during a meeting of the

assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

Content

With this speech Demosthenes exhorted, and finally convinced, his compatriots to support Diopeithes, although the general had previously committed certain injustices and was in exile. Demosthenes' only concern in this speech is to focus on Philip's wrongs towards Athens.

References

External links

Text of the speech at the Perseus Digital Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:On The Chersonese Works by Demosthenes Ancient Greek Thrace 341 BC History of the Gallipoli Peninsula Ancient Greek orations