This book introduces readers to the ancient rhetorical tradition by investigating key questions about the origins, nature and importance of rhetoric.

• Explores the role of the orator, especially the two greatest figures of the tradition, Demosthenes and Cicero
• Investigates the place of rhetoric at the center of ancient education
• Considers the role of rhetoric since the end of antiquity.
• Includes a glossary of proper names and technical terms; a chronological table of political events, authors, orators, and rhetorical works; and suggestions for further reading.

Thomas Habinek is Professor of Classics at the University of Southern California. He is the author of The Politics of Latin Literature: Writing, Identity, and Empire (1998) and the editor of The Roman Cultural Revolution (1997).