1. A petty money of accounts of Persia.
2. An ancient gold coin of the East.
Word of the Day: Catachrestical
Dinarchus
Encyclopedia Britannica
DINARCHUS (Δ∈Aαpχoς), the orator, son of Sostratus, was born at Corinth about 361 b.c. (Ok 104, 4). Thus, like at least one greater member of the decade, Lysias, this last of the ten Attic orators was not an Athenian citizen. But his career at Athens, as a resident alien, was at least commenced early in life. When not more than twenty-five, he was already active as a writer of speeches for the law courts. He had been the pupil both of Theophrastus and of Demetrius Phalereus, and had early gained a certain fluent force, and a versatile command of style, which gave him some oratorical repute. His first important contact with public life was in 324 b.c. The Areopagus, after inquiry, reported that nine men had taken bribes from Harpalus, the fugitive treasurer of Alexander. Ten public prosecutors were appointed. Dinarchus wrote, for one or more of these prosecutors, the three speeches which are still extant—one “Against Demosthenes,” one “Against Aristogiton,” one “Against Philocles.” The authenticity of the speech against Demosthenes was indeed denied by Demetrius of Magnesia, chiefly on the ground that it is largely composed of matter taken from AEschines. Westermann went further, and doubted the genuineness of all three speeches. But Schäfer—who justly remarks that the absence of originality and of character is itself characteristic of Dinarchus—is probably right in accepting the general opinion that they are authentic....
It must always be borne in mind that Dinarchus was a Corinthian, a mere resident alien at Athens, whose sympathies were in favour of an Athenian oligarchy under Macedonian control. Little as the man’s life, so far as we know of it, engages our respect or esteem, his position must at least be broadly distinguished from that of such a man as Aeschines, an Athenian citizen who, while his city could still be saved, abetted its enemies—or from that of such a hireling as Demades. In the Harpalus affair, Demosthenes was, beyond all reasonable doubt, innocent, and so, probably, were others of the accused. Yet Hyperides, the most fiery of the patriots, was on the same side as Dinarchus.
Under the regency—for such it really was—of his old master, Demetrius Phalereus, Dinarchus had much political influence. The years 317-306 b.c. were the most prosperous of his life. On the fall of Demetrius Phalereus, Dinarchus withdrew into exile at Chalcis in Eubaea. About 292 b.c. he ventured to return to Attica, and took up his abode with a former associate, Proxenus, in the country, against whom he afterwards brought an action, on the ground that Proxenus had robbed him of some money and plate which he had brought with him. He died at Athens, at the age of about seventy, i.e., about 291 B.c.
Dionysius held that, out of 85 extant speeches bearing the name of Dinarchus, 58 were genuine,—28 in public causes, 30 in private causes. In addition to the three speeches above mentioned, we have scanty fragments of 88 more which passed, with at least some authors, under his name. The number need not surprise us, when, we remember that Suidas speaks of 160 speeches of Dinarchus, and (following Caecilius probably) allows 60 as genuine. No orator of the Attic decade had so little of an individual style, and to no other, consequently, was alien work so largely ascribed by the Alexandrian critics. Dinarchus imitated by turns the style of Lysias, of Hyperides, of Demosthenes. As Dionysius says of him, ovFev ovτe κoιrou oυτ ιδιov eσχεu, he had no general stamp of his own, no distinctive trait. He was neither an inventor, like Lysias, Isocrates, and Isaeus, nor a perfecter like AEschines, Hyperides, and Demosthenes. He is called by Hermogenes ó κpιθLvoιs ^ηpoσθivη<s, — a metaphor taken either from barley compared with wheat, or, better perhaps, from beer compared with wine,—a Demosthenes whose strength is rougher, and who has neither the flavour nor the sparkle.
Our best MSS. are the Codex Crippsianus and the Codex Oxoniensis (containing also Antiphon, Andocides, Isaeus, Lycurgus.) The three extant orations, with the fragment ascribed to Demades, ed. F. Blass, Lips. 1871. The fragments in Baiter and Sauppe’s Oratores Attici, vol. ii.
9th ed. Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 7, p. 242
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