worldhistoryfacts: A fragment of Demosthenes’ most famous oration, “On the Crown.&r
worldhistoryfacts: A fragment of Demosthenes’ most famous oration, “On the Crown.” The speech was given in 330 BCE; the fragment is from the first century BCE. Demosthenes, who had led the unsuccessful attempt to keep Athens independent of Alexander the Great’s empire, was offered a golden crown by grateful Athenians. Demosthenes’ opponents pushed back against this. In the speech, Demosthenes made a stirring plea that Athens’ attempt to preserve its liberty was worth it, even though the Athenians failed. The speech is seen as one of the greatest political speeches of all time.{WHF} {HTE} {Medium} -- source link