Dinarchus
The last of the Attic orators
c. 361 BC – c. 291 BC
Dinarchus was born around 361 BC, probably in Corinth, and moved to Athens where he established himself as a logographer — a professional speechwriter. He could not speak in the Athenian assembly himself, as he was not a citizen, but he wrote speeches for others to deliver, becoming one of the busiest advocates of his generation.
His career peaked during the Harpalus affair of 323 BC, when Alexander the Great's fugitive treasurer arrived in Athens with a vast sum of embezzled money. When the money went missing, several prominent Athenians were prosecuted, and Dinarchus wrote speeches for the prosecution against Demosthenes, Aristogeiton, and Philocles. All three survive.
Ancient critics were not kind to Dinarchus. He was called a 'rustic Demosthenes' — competent but unoriginal, imitating the styles of Lysias, Hyperides, and Demosthenes without achieving the distinctive voice of any of them. The assessment is harsh but not entirely unfair. His speeches are workmanlike rather than brilliant. But they provide valuable evidence for one of the most dramatic episodes in late fourth-century Athenian politics.
A prosecution of Demosthenes in the Harpalus affair. Dinarchus piles on the charges with more vehemence than subtlety.
A prosecution of Philocles, a general, for accepting bribes from Harpalus.