Editing Andocides (section)

==List of extant speeches==

=== [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Andoc.+1+1 On the Mysteries] ({{lang|grc|Περὶ τῶν μυστηρίων}} "''De Mysteriis''"). ===
Andocides made the speech "On the Mysteries" as a defense against the accusations made against him by Athens for attending the Eleusinian Mysteries without permission, as he was prohibited under Isotimides' order. The case's prosecutors had insisted that Andocides be put to death. His attendance at the Eleusinian Mysteries in Eleusis around 400 BCE was the main accusation made against him. Additionally, he was charged with unlawfully placing an olive branch on the altar of the Eleusinium at Athens during the Mysteries.<ref name=":1">Gagarin & MacDowell, Antiphon and Andocides, University of Texas Press, 1998. p.99</ref>

The speech can be split into two parts. In the first, Andocides asserted that the decree of Isotimides had no power to prevent him from attending the Eleusinian Mysteries because he was innocent of impiety and had not confessed to it. He would go on to declare that because of alterations made to the law in 403 BCE, the decree altogether was no longer legitimate.<ref name=":0" />

In the second part of the speech, he would move on to claim that his prosecutors, namely Cephisius, Meletus, Epichares and Agyrrhius, were not legitimate by making allegations against them.<ref name=":2">Gagarin & MacDowell, Antiphon and Andocides, University of Texas Press, 1998. p.100</ref> Andocides asserted that Cephisius, Meletus, and Epichares had also committed crimes prior to the legal revisions, exposing their hypocrisy in bringing charges against him since they would also be at risk of being prosecuted. Andocides asserts that Agyrrhius is ineligible to prosecute them for their private conflicts.<ref name=":2"/>

This speech was successful in persuading the jury, as Andocides was sentenced to be innocent. Gagarin and MacDowell commented on the oration, saying that while the speech itself is rather rough on its wording, it is a genuine speech of Andocides fighting for his life and was “sufficiently clear and logical”.<ref name=":0">Gagarin & MacDowell, Antiphon and Andocides, University of Texas Press, 1998. p.101</ref>

=== [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Andoc.+2+1 On His Return] ({{lang|grc|Περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καθόδου}} "''De Reditu''"). ===
“On His Return” was a speech made by Andocides in an attempt to be brought back to Athen after being [[exile]]d from the city-state in 415 BCE for impious acts.<ref name=":1" /> Despite commonly being considered as the second work in Andocides’ orations, “On His Return” precedes "On the Mysteries” in date. Andocides tries to return to the [[city-state]] in 411 BCE. To ensure his return would be welcomed, he had obtained some Macedonian timber and sold them to the Athenian fleet stationed at Samos.<ref name=":3">Gagarin & MacDowell, Antiphon and Andocides, University of Texas Press, 1998. p.141</ref> However, in an interesting turn of events, Andocides’ goodwill would turn against him. [[The Four Hundred (oligarchy)|The Four Hundred]],<ref>Kagan, Donald. The Fall of the Athenian Empire. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2013., p.148</ref> an oligarchy, had just come into reign from a [[Athenian coup of 411 BC|coup in 411 BCE]], they were faced with objections from the sailors at [[Samos]], who were mostly democratic.<ref name=":3" /> As a result, Andocides was imprisoned by [[Periander|Perisander]], the leader of the Four Hundred.

“On His Return” was made after the downfall of the Four Hundred, with Andocides appealing to seek forgiveness and be reaccepted into Athenian society. Experts have distinctively noted that this oration has a tone different from “On The Mysteries”, in which Andocides was more prone to admit his faults and put himself at a lower light.<ref name=":3" /> Saying that “I stood disgraced in the eyes of the gods”<ref>Andocides, “On His Return”, section 15</ref> and addressing his crime as “such a piece of madness”.<ref>Andocides, “On His Return”, section 7</ref> However, his efforts were to no avail,<ref name=":4">Gagarin & MacDowell, Antiphon and Andocides, University of Texas Press, 1998. p.148</ref> as he only was readmitted into the Athenian society upon “On The Mysteries”.<ref name=":2" />

=== [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Andoc.+3+1 On the Peace with Sparta] ({{lang|grc|Περὶ τῆς πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους εἰρήνης}} "''De Pace''"). ===
“On the Peace with Sparta” was given for advocating the acceptance of the terms of peace offered by Sparta during the Corinthian War between Sparta and a coalition consisting of the city-states Athens, Boeotia, Corinth and Argos.<ref name=":4" /> Andocides was selected as one of the four delegates that represented Athens in the negotiation of peace between them and Sparta. The delegation were given the authority to conclude the treaty in Sparta, Considering that Andocides was just reaccepted into Athens by “On The Mysteries” in 403 BCE.<ref name=":0" /> The delegation shows that Andocides had gained considerable popularity among the Athenians within eight years upon his return.<ref name=":4" /> Still, with the authority given, the team of delegates decided to bring the terms back to Athens for approval. The speech gives the historical context behind the offer of truce, and gives a list of arguments for the acceptance of Sparta's terms for peace. The terms that were given were closely related to the Spartan victory in the Peloponnesian War, after which rather unfair terms had been imposed on the Athenians by Sparta for peace. They include:<ref name=":4" />

#Athens would destroy Athenian town walls
#Athens would give up the Delian League
#Athens would shrink the Athenian navy except a mere twelve ships
#Athens would Install the Thirty, an oppressive oligarchic regime
The peace terms offered by Sparta were mostly responses to the terms listed above, they include:<ref name=":5">Gagarin & MacDowell, Antiphon and Andocides, University of Texas Press, 1998. p.149</ref>

#Athens would be allowed to rebuild their town walls
#Athens would be able to expand their navy and control three islands at the north of the Aegean sea
#Greeks cities would be independent, except those in Asia, which would be under Persian control.
In “On the Peace with Sparta”, Andocides argues that such terms were satisfactory for the Athenian side, claiming that “it is better to make peace on fair terms than to continue fighting”.<ref>Andocides, On the Peace, Section 1</ref> However, the speech would fail to convince the Athenians, partly because of Andocides’ aristocratic origins and oligarchic political stance.<ref>Gagarin & MacDowell., p.95</ref> Andocides would flee from Athens and be exiled again for allegedly accepting bribes and making false reports.<ref name=":5" /> There is no information on his life after the exile.

Still, Gagarin and MacDowell commented that Andocides speaks like an professional orator in this speech, this seems to imply that he has received extensive training and gained considerable experience on public speaking.<ref name=":4" />

=== [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Andoc.+4+1 Against Alcibiades] ({{lang|grc|Κατὰ Ἀλκιβιάδου}} "''Contra [[Alcibiades|Alcibiadem]]''")''.'' ===

This oration criticises Alcibiades for an ostracism which he and the speaker were in danger of falling victim to.<ref>Gribble, David. “Rhetoric and History in [Andocides] 4, Against Alcibiades.” Classical Quarterly 47, no. 2 (1997): p. 367.</ref> An ostracism was a method of banishing a citizen for a decade.<ref name=":6">Gagarin & MacDowell., p.159</ref> The oration claims that Alcibiades bought a female slave from one of the captives after the fall of Melos.<ref>Andocides, Against Alcibiades, section 22</ref>

The speaker bashes Alcibiades for his questionable morals and acts, as shown in he recounting Alcibiades’ actions during the Olympic games in 416 BCE,<ref>Gribble, p.367</ref> “ Alcibiades will not endure it (defeat in Olympia) even at the hands of his fellow-citizens<ref>Andocides, Against Alcibiades, section 28</ref>” and that “he does not treat his own fellow Athenians as his equals, but robs them, strikes them, throws them into prison, and extorts money from them<ref>Andocides, Against Alcibiades, section 27</ref>”.

However, this speech fails to meet its goal of ostracizing Alcibiades, as followers of him and Nicas rallied support for the two and instead urged people to vote against Hyperbolus, a less politically significant figure.<ref name=":6" /> This strategy is successful as [[Hyperbolus]] was banished instead of the two. This would mark the fall of the ostracism system, as it was controversial among the public that it could be manipulated in such a way, the system would be abandoned soon after this case.<ref name=":6" />

Although attributed to Andocides, it has been widely agreed upon that Andocides was not the one who made this speech. For the reason that the author of the speech lacks the correct understanding of the procedures of an ostracism and Athenian politics in general,<ref>Gagarin & MacDowell., p.159-160</ref> the style of the speech was also significantly different than that of Andocides.<ref>Gagarin & MacDowell., p.160</ref> One popular theory of the authorship of the speech was that it was written by Phaeax, another orator in Athens at the time.<ref>Gribble, p.371</ref>