Until 1901, most scholars regarded Demosthenes' last extant political speech in 341 B.C. either as not genuine or at best as an amalgam put together by a later editor. For this reason, it played a less important role in schools than later Demosthenian orations and fewer commentaries were written on it. The present study therefore meets the need for a critical commentary which examines linguistic, rhetorical and historical aspects. It also sheds light on the political situation on the eve of the decisive battle between Athens and the Macedon King Philip II.

The author is a Research Fellow in the Commission for the Publication of theThesaurus Linguae Latinae at the Bavarian Academy.