Demostene, "Contro Leptine"

The book provides a comprehensive study of Demosthenes' Against Leptines as a document for the reconstruction of Athenian fourth-century politics, law and public economy. The importance of the speech has been increasingly recognized in recent years, with research on Athenian lawmaking highlighting its centrality and the inadequacy of previous accounts, and work on honours for benefactors and on the liturgical system stressing its importance for understanding the development and conceptualization of euergetism. The speech is the earliest and only extensive ancient account of the ideological, theoretical and moral underpinnings of these institutions and developments. The introduction and commentary offer a comprehensive treatment of these aspects, providing historians with key insights into Athenians conceptions of public service, public honour and reciprocity. Other work has stressed the importance of the speech for the study of the Greek public economy, and the introduction and commentary make these aspects central. The Against Leptines stands at the crossroads of some of the liveliest and most important current discussions in Greek history, and this commentary aims to advance our historical understanding in these areas.

Mirko Canevaro, The University of Edinburgh, UK.