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ALCIDAMAS

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 523 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ALCIDAMAS , of Elaea, in See also:

Aeolis, See also:Greek sophist and rhetorician, flourished in the 4th See also:century B.C. He was the See also:pupil and successor of See also:Gorgias and taught at See also:Athens at the same See also:time as Isocrates, whose See also:rival and opponent he was. We possess two dedamations under his name: IIepr Moc/nav2V, directed against Isocrates and setting forth the superiority of extempore over written speeches (a recently discovered fragment of another speech against Isocrates is probably of later date); 'Macro-6s, in which See also:Odysseus accuses See also:Palamedes of treachery during the See also:siege of See also:Troy (this is generally considered See also:spurious). According to Alcidamas, the highest aim of the orator was the See also:power of speaking extempore on every conceivable subject. See also:Aristotle (Rhet. iii. 3) criticizes his writings as characterized by pomposity of See also:style and an extravagant use of poetical epithets and compounds and far-fetched metaphors. Of other See also:works only fragments and the titles have survived: McQVnv1a,bs, advocating the freedom of the Messenians and containing the sentiment that " all are by nature See also:free "; a Eulogy of See also:Death, in See also:consideration of the wide extent of human sufferings; a TEXun or instruction-See also:book in the See also:art of See also:rhetoric; and a 4vTLKOS Xbyos. Lastly, his Movae"iov (a word of doubtful meaning) contained the narrative of the contest between See also:Homer and See also:Hesiod, two fragments of which are found in the 'Aythv 'Oµilpov Kai 'Holb ov, the See also:work of a grammarian in the time of See also:Hadrian. A 3rd-century See also:papyrus (See also:Flinders See also:Petrie, Papyri, ed. See also:Mahaffy, 1891, pl. See also:xxv.) probably contains the actual remains of a description by Alcidamas. See the edition by See also:Blass, 1881; fragments in See also:Muller, Oratores Attici, ii.

(1858); Vahlen, Der Rhetor Alkidamas (1864); Blass, See also:

Die attische Beredsamkeit.

End of Article: ALCIDAMAS

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