Free Speech in Classical Antiquity

Abstract

This book contains a collection of essays on the notion of Free Speech in classical antiquity. The essays examine such concepts as freedom of speech, self-expression, and censorship, in ancient Greek and Roman culture from historical, philosophical, and literary perspectives. Among the many questions addressed are: what was the precise lexicographical valence of the ancient terms we routinely translate as Freedom of Speech, e.g., Parrhesia in Greece, Licentia in Rome? What relationship do such terms have with concepts such as isegoria, demokratia and eleutheria; or libertas, res publica and imperium? What does ancient theorizing about free speech tell us about contemporary relationships between power and speech? What are the philosophical foundations and ideological underpinnings of free speech in specific historical contexts?