ΛΟΓΟΙ ΤΟΥΤΩΝΙ ΤΩΝ ΡΗΤΟΡΩΝ

The Aldine Editio Princeps of Select Attic Orators (1513)

The landmark publication “ΛΟΓΟΙ ΤΟΥΤΩΝΙ ΤΩΝ ΡΗΤΟΡΩΝ / ORATIONES HORUM RHETORUM”

(Venice: In aedibus Aldi et Andreae soceri, April–May 1513) represents the first part

of a monumental three-part collection of ancient Greek orations, commonly referred to as the Rhetorum Graecorum Orationes

or Oratores Graeci

. Printed in folio format by the renowned Aldine Press under Aldus Manutius

(c. 1450–1515) and his father-in-law Andrea Torresano

(Andreas Asulanus), this volume spans preliminary leaves [4] followed by pages 3–197 (with pagination in Greek numerals typical of Aldine Greek editions). [1]

This 1513 edition constitutes the editio princeps

(first printed edition) for the orations contained therein, bringing to light texts that had survived only in manuscript form for centuries.

The volume includes works by:

• Aeschines
  

  (all three surviving speeches: Against Timarchus

  , On the Embassy

  , and Against Ctesiphon

  )

• Lysias
  

  (select orations)

• Alcidamas
  

  (On Those Who Write Speeches

  or On the Sophists

  )

• Antisthenes
  

  (fragments or attributed speeches, such as Ajax

  and Odysseus

  )

• Demades
  

  (fragments of his orations)

This monumental collection brought together the remaining figures of the canonical ten Attic orators alongside other classical rhetoricians and fragments, completing the group since Demosthenes had already received an earlier standalone Aldine edition in 1504.

The full 1513 collection spanned three parts

(often bound in two volumes):

1. Orationes Horum Rhetorum
   

   (the present volume: Aeschines, Lysias, Alcidamas, Antisthenes, Demades/Gorgias elements in some descriptions)

2. Orationes Infrascriptorum Rhetorum
   

   (additional canonical and minor orators, including Antiphon, Andocides, Isaeus, Lycurgus, and Dinarchus)

3. Isocrates Orationes
   

   (completing with Isocrates' works)

   [1, 2]

This effort complemented the earlier Aldine Rhetores Graeci

(1508–1509), focusing on rhetorical theory.

Historical and Textual Significance

The 1513 edition relied on a crucial manuscript discovery on Mount Athos

. Between 1490 and 1492, Byzantine scholar Janus Lascaris

visited the Holy Mountain's Vatopedi Monastery under Lorenzo de’ Medici's patronage and located a precious codex of Attic orators. Transcribed to enrich the Medici library, these manuscripts served as the primary source for the Aldine text, edited with Marcus Musurus. Aldus's press made these works widely accessible, reviving Attic prose across Europe. [1]

Rarity and Collectibility

Complete sets of the 1513 Oratores Graeci

are exceedingly rare at auction. Surviving copies often feature the dolphin-and-anchor device and wide margins. [1]

The full colophon and publication details can be found in the referenced documents. [1, 2]