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Aristogeiton (orator)

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Aristogeiton (in Greek Aριστογείτων; lived 4th century BC) was an Athenian orator and adversary of Demosthenes and Dinarchus. His father, Scydimus, died in prison, as he was a debtor of the state and unable to pay: his son, Aristogeiton, who inherited the debt, was likewise imprisoned for some time. He is called a demagogue and a sycophant, and his eloquence is described as of a coarse and vehement character.¹ His impudence drew upon him the surname of "the dog." He was often accused by Demosthenes and others, and defended himself in a number of orations which are lost. Among the extant speeches of Demosthenes there are two against Aristogeiton, and among those of Dinarchus there is one. the Suda² mentions seven orations of Aristogeiton³, and an eighth against Phryne is mentioned by Athenaeus.⁴ Aristogeiton died in prison.⁵

Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Aristogeiton", Boston, (1867)

¹ Hermogenes of Tarsus, De Formis Oratoriis, i; Photius, Bibliotheca, cod. 268; Plutarch, Parallel Lives, "Phocion", 10; Quintilian, Institutio oratoria, xii. 10

² Suda, "Aristogeiton (1)", "Aristogeiton (2)"

³ Photius, cod. 265; Harpocration, Lexicon of the Ten Orators, s.v. "Autokleides"

⁴ Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae, xiii. 60

⁵ Plutarch, Moralia, "Sayings of kings and commanders" p. 188

At Perseus can be found the three surviving orations against Aristogeiton (both Greek text and English translation):
- Dinarchus, Against Aristogiton
- Demosthenes, Against Aristogeiton 1
- Demosthenes, Against Aristogeiton 2

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith (1867).