The Olynthiacs and the Phillippics

Demosthenes was born in 384 BC. He learned rhetoric by studying how the previous great orators had written and delivered their speeches. His first judicial speeches were delivered at the age of 20, in which he argued that he should gain the remains of his inheritance from his guardians. During this period Demosthenes made his living as a professional logographer (speech-writer) and as a lawyer, writing the speeches to be used in private lawsuits. This work inspired him to take a more detailed in