Source edition
Lysias. Lamb, W.R.M., editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1930.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a courtroom speech that fiercely denounces the Athenian politician Andocides for his involvement in the profanation of the Eleusinian Mysteries and the mutilation of the Hermae, demanding severe punishment to preserve religious order. The speaker argues that Andocides has defiled Athens' sacred rites and laws, asserting that he must be strictly punished under unwritten laws (agraphos nomos). He enumerates Andocides' past impieties and portrays his subsequent wretched wanderings in exile as manifestation of divine retribution. Furthermore, the orator dismantles Andocides' expected defenses—such as his claims to amnesty and civic merit—by highlighting his complete lack of contribution to the military and civic life of the city. Ultimately, the speech urges the Athenian jurors to convict Andocides to avert divine wrath and cleanse the state of his pollutions.