Hegesippus, Athenian Orator
HEGESIPPUS, ATHENIAN ORATOR, Athenian orator and statesman, nicknamed KpobjSuXos (" knot "), probably from the way in which he wore his hair. He lived in the time of Demosthenes, of whose antiMacedonian policy he was an enthusiastic supporter. In 343 B.C. he was one of the ambassadors sent to Macedonia to discuss, amongst other matters, the restoration of the island of Halonnesus, which had been seized by Philip. The mission was unsuccessful, but soon afterwards Philip wrote to Athens, offering to resign possession of the island or to submit to arbitration the question of ownership. In reply to this letter the oration De Halonneso was delivered, which, although included among the speeches of Demosthenes, is generally considered to be by Hegesippus. Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Plutarch, however, favour the authorship of Demosthenes.
See Demosthenes, De falsa legatione 364, 447, De corona 250, Philippica iii. 129; Plutarch, Demosthenes 17, Apophthegmata, 1870; Dionysius Halic. ad Ammaeum, i. ; Grote, History of Greece, ch. 90.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
