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).

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)

These represent key figures among the "minor" Attic orators (excluding the canonical ten, where Demosthenes and Isocrates had earlier Aldine editions 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 minor orators)
3. *Isocrates Orationes* (completing with Isocrates' works)

This effort complemented the earlier Aldine *Rhetores Graeci* (1508–1509, in two volumes), which focused on rhetorical theory (including Aristotle's *Rhetoric* and *Poetics*, Aphthonius, Hermogenes, etc.).

Historical and Textual Significance

The edition's textual basis traces directly to a crucial manuscript discovery on **Mount Athos**. In **1491** (during a journey spanning 1490–1492), the Byzantine scholar **Janus (Ianos) Lascaris** (c. 1445–1535), acting under the patronage of **Lorenzo de’ Medici**, visited the monasteries of the Holy Mountain. At **Vatopedi Monastery**, he located a precious codex containing a corpus of Attic orators (likely Vatopedi sources contributing to what became British Library **Codex Burney 95** or related transcripts).

Lascaris transcribed or acquired this material, enriching the Medici library in Florence (parts now in Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana). These manuscripts provided the primary source for the Aldine text, edited with contributions from Greek scholars like **Marcus Musurus**. The recovery exemplifies the Renaissance "hunt" for lost classical texts in Byzantine monastic libraries, preserving works that might otherwise have vanished.

Aldus's press, renowned for its elegant Greek typeface (designed by Francesco Griffo) and portable formats, made these orations accessible to humanists across Europe, fueling the revival of Attic prose style in rhetoric, law, and education.

Rarity and Collectibility

Complete sets of the 1513 *Oratores Graeci* are exceedingly rare, with individual parts (like this first volume) occasionally appearing in auctions. Copies often feature the Aldine dolphin-and-anchor device, wide margins, and occasional binder's instructions (a rare leaf missing from most survivors). Provenance traces to major collections (e.g., Ahmanson-Murphy, Earl Spencer).

This publication stands as a pinnacle of Renaissance printing: a bridge between Byzantine manuscript tradition and the printed dissemination of classical antiquity, forever linking the sacred libraries of Mount Athos to the scholarly world of early modern Europe.
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“ΛΟΓΟΙ ΤΟΥΤΩΝΙ ΤΩΝ ΡΗΤΟΡΩΝ / ORATIONES HORUM RHETORUM. VENICE: ALDUS MANUTIUS, 1513. Folio, pp.[4], 3-197. The First part (of three).

Editio Princeps of the works of the Attic orators including in this part: Aeschines, Lysias, Alcidamas, Anthisthenes, Damades.

The edition is based on the manuscript discovered between 1490 & 1491 by Ianos Lascaris in Vatopedi Monastery of Mount Athos