Démétrios de Phalère

Démétrios de Phalère (in Greek old Δημήτριος Φαληρεύς/ Dêmêtrios Phalêreús ), died in 282 av. J. - C.), Athenian speaker and statesman, raises Aristote and friend of Théophraste.

Life

Born with Phalère, in Attic, he was the son of a slave of Timothée and Conon according to his detractors, but it is more probable than it belonged to this upper middle-class of Athens whose wire belonged to this young jet set which followed the lessons of the philosophers to cultivate itself, but also to make their training of the political life to which they were dedicated. It was made soon know for its talents of speaker, and had to flee Athens when Antipater invades it after the death of Alexandre Large the and that Athens in full democratic revival in 318 condemns it to dead for its convictions pro-Macedonian. Governor of Athens under Cassandre (317 - 307 av. J. - C.), it was very popular. Under its government Athens knows a certain prosperity and a certain stability, the foreign policy of Athens being subordinated to that of Cassandre. Its measurements clearly carry the mark of the teaching of the school of Aristote. Athenaeum note however that he lived in the luxury, whereas he prescribed the austerity with his fellow-citizens.

Exiled in Egypt after the catch of Athens by Antigone One-eyed the and Démétrios I {{er}} Poliorcète, it founded, says one, the library and the museum of Alexandria, with the benevolence of Ptolémée I {{er}}. He wanted to persuade this last to choose as heir a son to its first bed (probably Ptolémée Kéraunos). Nevertheless, the Pharaon chooses finally the future Ptolémée II Philadelphe, which exiled it in High-Egypt.

It had composed of the harangues and the stories of which one has nothing any more today.

It remains us under his name a Traité elocution Style '', published for the first time without scientific name of editor nor of printer in 1542, by Piero Vettori at Giunti of Florence. Vettori again republished it in 1552 then in 1562, by accompanying it by a translation and a comment. The humanistic Florentin fixed cutting in paragraphs of work. This treaty, very read in XVIe century, appears to be the work of Démétrius of Alexandria, grammairien.

Pierre Nicolas Bonamy gave an essay on the Vie and the writings of Démétrius (Mém. Academy of the Inscriptions).

Modern edition

Of the style , ED. P. Chiron, Paris, Beautiful Letters, CUF, 1993.

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