Aristophon of Azenia
Encyclopedia
Aristophon was native of the deme
of Azenia
in Attica
. He lived about and after the end of the Peloponnesian war
. In 412 BC, Aristophon, Laespodias, and Melesias were sent to Sparta
as ambassadors by the oligarchical government of the Four Hundred.
In the archon
ship of Euclid, 404 BC, after Athens was delivered of the thirty Tyrants
, Aristophon proposed a law which, though said to be beneficial to the republic, yet caused great uneasiness and troubles in many families at Athens; for it ordained that no one should be regarded as a citizen of Athens whose mother was not a freeborn woman. He also proposed various other laws, by which he acquired great popularity and the full confidence of the people. Their great number may be inferred from his own statement that he was accused 75 times of having made illegal proposals, but that he had always come off victorious. His influence with the people is most manifest from his accusation of Iphicrates
and Timotheus
, two men to whom Athens was much indebted (354 BC). He charged them with having accepted bribes from the Chians
and Rhodians
, and the people condemned Timotheus on the mere assertion of Aristophon.
After this event, but still in 354 BC, he came forward in the assembly to defend the law of Leptines
against Demosthenes
. The latter, who often mentions him, treats the aged Aristophon with great respect, and reckons him among the most eloquent orators. This event is the last record of Arstophon, and he seems to have died soon after. No record of his orations has come down to us.
Deme
In Ancient Greece, a deme or demos was a subdivision of Attica, the region of Greece surrounding Athens. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century BC and earlier, but did not acquire particular significance until the reforms of Cleisthenes in...
of Azenia
Azenia
Azenia is a genus of moths of the Noctuidae family.-Species:* Azenia edentata * Azenia implora Grote, 1883* Azenia obtusa * Azenia perflava...
in Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
. He lived about and after the end of the Peloponnesian war
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
. In 412 BC, Aristophon, Laespodias, and Melesias were sent to Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
as ambassadors by the oligarchical government of the Four Hundred.
In the archon
Archon
Archon is a Greek word that means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy, and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In ancient Greece the...
ship of Euclid, 404 BC, after Athens was delivered of the thirty Tyrants
Thirty Tyrants
The Thirty Tyrants were a pro-Spartan oligarchy installed in Athens after its defeat in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. Contemporary Athenians referred to them simply as "the oligarchy" or "the Thirty" ; the expression "Thirty Tyrants" is due to later historians...
, Aristophon proposed a law which, though said to be beneficial to the republic, yet caused great uneasiness and troubles in many families at Athens; for it ordained that no one should be regarded as a citizen of Athens whose mother was not a freeborn woman. He also proposed various other laws, by which he acquired great popularity and the full confidence of the people. Their great number may be inferred from his own statement that he was accused 75 times of having made illegal proposals, but that he had always come off victorious. His influence with the people is most manifest from his accusation of Iphicrates
Iphicrates
Iphicrates was an Athenian general, the son of a shoemaker, who flourished in the earlier half of the 4th century BC....
and Timotheus
Timotheus (general)
Timotheus was a Greek statesman and general who sought to revive Athenian imperial ambitions by making Athens dominant in a second Athenian Empire. He was the son of the Athenian general, Conon...
, two men to whom Athens was much indebted (354 BC). He charged them with having accepted bribes from the Chians
Chios
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
and Rhodians
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, and the people condemned Timotheus on the mere assertion of Aristophon.
After this event, but still in 354 BC, he came forward in the assembly to defend the law of Leptines
Leptines
Leptines was an Athenian orator. He is known as the proposer of a law that no Athenian, whether citizen or resident alien , should be exempt from the public charges for the state festivals.The object was to provide funds for the festivals and public spectacles at a time when both the treasury and...
against Demosthenes
Demosthenes
Demosthenes was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide an insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. Demosthenes learned rhetoric by...
. The latter, who often mentions him, treats the aged Aristophon with great respect, and reckons him among the most eloquent orators. This event is the last record of Arstophon, and he seems to have died soon after. No record of his orations has come down to us.