Introduction

This introductory chapter explores a number of problems that have hindered scholarship in the field of Hellenistic oratory, namely the availability of evidence and the misplaced assumptions that once surrounded scholarly understanding of Hellenistic society. Yet advances in approaches to both topics mean that a new assessment of the nature, role, and impact of Hellenistic oratory is due. A preview of each chapter is also offered which simultaneously places its findings within the broader context of both the volume and current academic debate.

Archaeology · Context (archaeology) · Epistemology · Political science · Scholarship · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · History · Law · Philosophy