The Athenian Origin of the Demosthenic Corpus

Abstract

This chapter reconsiders the date and context of the first collection of Demosthenes’ corpus. It argues that the initial formation of the corpus occurred in Athens between Demosthenes’ death and the early third century bce, rather than in a later milieu. The case rests on several philological observations. First, Demosthenes did not assemble a unified corpus during his lifetime, and authorial revision of speeches was exceptional rather than systematic. Second, the chapter examines manuscript stichometry, especially as preserved in the earliest witnesses underlying modern editions, and the inclusion of documents such as laws and decrees. Although some of these documents are later forgeries, others conform to early stichometry and align closely with contemporary Athenian institutions. Their insertion is best explained by a philo-Demosthenic milieu in early Hellenistic Athens, likely connected with Demochares.