Ari'stophon
2. A native of the demos of Colyttus, a great orator and politician, whose career is for the greater part contemporaneous with that of Demosthenes.
It was this Aristophon whom Aeschines served as a clerk, and in whose service he was trained for his public career. [AESCHINES.] Clinton (
F. H. ad ann. 340) has pointed out that he is not the same as the one whom Plutarch (
Vit. X. Orat. p. 844) mentions, but that there the Azenian must be understood. Ulpian (
ad Demosth. De Coron. p. 74a.) confounds him with Aristophon the Azenian, as is clear from Aeschines (
c. Ctesiph. p. 585).
This orator is often mentioned by Demothenes, though he gives him the distinguishing epithet of
ὁ Κολυττεύς only once (
De Coron. p. 250, comp. pp. 248, 281;
c. Mid. p. 584; Schol.
ad Demosth. p. 201a.), and he is always spoken of as a man of considerable influence and authority.
As an orator he is ranked with Diopeithes and Chares, the most popular men of the time at Athens.
There are some passages in Demosthenes (as
c. Timocr. p. 703,
De Coron. Trier. p. 1230) where it is uncertain whether he is speaking of Aristophon the Azenian or the Colyttian.
