Abstract

In Isocrates' speeches the perception of the Other is the product of particular historical conditions and of his personal point of view as Athenian. The orator uses the traditional Greek/barbarian distinction to develop a panhellenic sense; moreover, when he considers the Hellenic credentials of Athen or of Sparta for the power, he emphasizes some ethnic or cultural differences with the other Greeks. In this article I examine the topic focusing on the occurrences of the adjective "migas": in the "Panegyricus" and in the "Panathenaicus" the orator contrasts Athenians, who are "genuine" sons of the earth, with the other Greeks, who are mixed and emigrants. Similarly, in the "Archidamus" the superiority of the Spartans is linked to their origin, while the Peloponnesian allies are described as mixed and thereby indirectly assimilated with the barbarians' armies.