From οἶκος to πόλις
Rhetorical Education and Civic Formation in Aphthonius’ Προγυμνάσματα
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25187/codex.v14i1.73557Keywords:
Progymnasmata, education, rhetoric, paideia, civic formationAbstract
This study examines Aphthonius of Antioch’s Progymnasmata as a key witness to the development of Greco-Roman paideia, highlighting the transition from a household-centred model of education (οἶκος) to a form of rhetorical training fully integrated within the civic sphere (πόλις). Situated within the intellectual framework of the so-called Third Sophistic, the treatise presents a structured sequence of rhetorical exercises designed to cultivate progressive discursive competence and to shape civic identity. Through a Portuguese translation accompanied by historical contextualisation and philological analysis, this article identifies the underlying pedagogical principles, the literary models employed, and the socio-political function of rhetoric as a means of persuasion and access to power. It further explores the interplay between tradition and innovation within this didactic genre, as well as its reception and continuity throughout Late Antiquity and the Byzantine period. In so doing, it underscores the central role of rhetoric in shaping the ideal of the pepaideumenos, highlighting the adaptation and persistence of classical educational paradigms across diverse historical and cultural settings.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
