Isaeus’ On the Estate of Pyrrhus (Oration 3)

Book excerpt: This book offers an edition of the third speech of the fourth-century BCE orator Isaeus. It contains a new Greek text, based on a full collation of the manuscript evidence, an English translation, an extensive introduction, and a detailed commentary on the textual, linguistic, legal, rhetorical, stylistic, and historical issues encountered in the speech. The book demonstrates the high level of oratorical skill possessed by the under-appreciated orator Isaeus, and casts light on some exceedingly complex aspects of Athenian family law and society in the fourth century. It is accessible to readers without knowledge of ancient Greek, and is essential reading for anyone interested in Attic oratory, rhetoric, and Athenian law.