Title
The case against Nikomachos
Abstract
Lysias 30 attacks Nikomachos for his work on the Sacrifical Calendar; the issue remains unclear. Sterling Dow supposed that Nikomachos was charged with omitting ancient obligations. But the speech shows that Nikomachos was charged with excessive additions; these caused a shortfall for ancient rites that were not part of his mandate. This reading suggests that the aim of the lawsuit was to cancel obligations that were introduced when Athens and Eleusis were divided (403-401 B.C.E.). The massive erasure that Dow discovered in the inscribed Calendar was probably the result of that revision. In addition, this theory of the case offers a new solution for an old problem in the text of the speech.
Department(s)
Modern and Classical Languages
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1353/apa.0.0044
Publication Date
3-1-2010
Recommended Citation
Carawan, Edwin. "The Case against Nikomachos." In Transactions of the American Philological Association, pp. 71-95. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010.
Journal Title
Transactions of the American Philological Association
