"A lively and engaging introduction to the Sophistic movement....De Romilly deserves much credit for bringing a remarkable immediacy to the subject of the Sophists and their legacy. Classicists and the general public should appreciate this new and controversial assessment of the Sophistic movement."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"Offers a brilliant introduction to the Sophists of fifth-century Athens and a major reinterpretation of the goals and effects of their thought....Engagingly written, this eminently accessible account deserves lasting popularity."--Choice

"Exquisite nuance informs both writing and translation in this work, which should complement libraries in classical, philosophy, political science, and religion."--Religious Studies Review

"Uniting the skills of the philologist with those of the philosopher, de Romilly makes an important contribution to the creation of thinking about the thinking of goodness, justice, truth, etc., in the history of ideas."--Rhetoric Review

Product Description

The arrival of the Sophists in Athens in the middle of the fifth century B.C. was a major intellectual event, for they brought with them a new method of teaching founded on rhetoric and bold doctrines which broke away from tradition. In this book de Romilly investigates the reasons for the initial success of the Sophists and the reaction against them, in the context of the culture and civilization of classical Athens.