Demosthenes, Speeches 1-17

3. THIRD OLYNTHIAC

introduction This is probably the third in order of writing of the three speeches that Demosthenes delivered in 349/8, arguing that Athens should send help to the northern Greek city of Olynthus, which was under attack from Philip of Macedon (see the Introduction to Dem. 1–3). The military situation had apparently deteriorated since Demosthenes delivered the first two Olynthiacs. Now the Athenians cannot effectively retaliate against Philip and are reduced to defending themselves and their allies (1–2), and their affairs are in an “utterly wretched state” (3). Although it is impossible to determine exactly when the speech was delivered, its solemn and anxious tone suggests that Philip’s campaign against Olynthus was well advanced. Whether the first Athenian relief force had yet sailed is unclear, but on balance it is unlikely; certainly Demosthenes makes no mention of it. The Athenians have let slip one opportunity (in the late 350s) (5) and cannot afford to do so again (6). Moreover, the situation in central Greece is now so disadvantageous to Athens that if Olynthus should be allowed to fall, there will be nothing to prevent Philip penetrating further into Greece (8; cf. similar fears at 1.12, 25). In addition to his familiar appeals for action, Demosthenes’ response to Athens’ situation in this speech is twofold. For the first theme, he argues forthrightly for the repeal of some of the laws regulating the theoric fund (11), with a view to transferring money from civilian to military use. In the First Olynthiac he had already touched on this subject (1.19), but in that speech he denies 3. THIRD OLYNTHIAC ⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠ 54 demosthenes that he is proposing the transfer of money to the military fund. Now, he claims that there is no alternative source of money (19). The theoric fund (ta theōrika) took its name from theōria, the Greek word for observing, and by extension for attendance as a spectator at a religious festival. The original purpose of the fund was to subsidize the attendance of poorer Athenian citizens at theatrical performances at the Dionysia and Lenaea festivals. It was instituted probably in the first half of the fourth century, although the evidence is contradictory.¹ By the middle of the century, however , the theoric fund was being used for other civilian purposes as well. The amount of money spent each year is unknown, but the fund had considerable ideological significance. For some, it was the “glue” that held Athenian democracy together.² For Demosthenes and his supporters, who advocated a vigorous and inevitably expensive military response to Philip, the theoric fund was a symbol of what was wrong with Athens: money that could have been used to help pay for the war was being squandered.³ It appears that the theoric fund was itself funded partly from an annual allocation and partly, during wartime, from the surplus of the city’s annual budget (see Dem. 59.4, which is, however, not entirely coherent). The administration of the theoric fund was regulated by one or more laws, which could be altered or overturned only by the establishment of a panel of Lawgivers (Nomothetai): see 10. Anyone who attempted to do so by other means would be immediately liable to prosecution by a graphē paranomōn (a public suit for making an illegal proposal). Libanius in his introduction to Dem. 1 claims that there was a clause imposing the death penalty on anyone who sought to divert money from the theoric to the military fund, and that this is why Demosthenes is so circumspect in that speech (1.19), and why here he tells the Athenians not to expect any politician to risk destruction (12).⁴ Such harsh penalty clauses are attested in¹See Harding 1985: no. 75 for the evidence.²The metaphor is attributed to the Athenian politician Demades by Plutarch (Moralia 1011b).³In 29 Demosthenes scornfully dismisses the spending of money on public works. ⁴See Libanius Introduction to Dem. 1 5. 3. third olynthiac 55 fourth-century Athens,⁵ but it may be that Libanius drew an erroneous inference from this passage and that the destruction Demosthenes fears at the hands of the Athenians is political ruin rather than death—what we might call political suicide. By proposing that those politicians who were responsible for the passing of the law should also propose its repeal, he is offering a gentleman ’s agreement that he and...