Source edition
Antiphon. Minor Attic Orators, Vol. 1. Maidment, Kenneth John, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1941 (printing); 1960 (reprint).
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a collection of mock speeches (a tetralogy) representing the prosecution and the defense in an imaginary murder case from classical Greece. In the opening speech, the prosecution argues for the defendant's guilt based on motive and circumstantial probability (eikos), warning that failing to punish the killer will bring pollution (miasma) upon the entire city. In response, the defendant asserts his innocence, offering alternative possibilities such as a robbery gone wrong, and highlights his past civic contributions to appeal to the jury. As the debate intensifies, the prosecution refutes these claims one by one, urging a guilty verdict by warning of the anger of the deceased. Finally, the defendant counters the remaining suspicions, offering his own slaves for torture to prove his alibi and pleading for a just acquittal. No final verdict is reached, leaving the focus on the intricate logical and rhetorical battle between the two sides.