The Agora of Athens
365 B.C.E.
365 B.C.E.
Plato stepped down from the short pedestal, a look of satisfaction on his bearded face. His erstwhile opponent, young Aristotle, was a lad with only the first wisps of manhood on his cheeks. He hurried along after the master, eager to understand the flaws in his rhetoric. Two new speakers climbed the marble steps to assume their positions opposite one another. The elder was clad in the somber reds and oranges of a master philosopher, who had studied at the feet of Socrates in his youth. The younger, his former student, wore instead the bright blues and greens of a scholar in his prime. The assembly's clamor quieted as the debaters took their places.
The substance of the debate was of little import. A small matter of administrative efficiency in the great polis, regarding the use of Theban workers in the construction of new temples on the city outskirts. Both of the men could have argued either side. The outcome was preordained - the Assembly was likely to approve the proposal regardless of this discussion, but that was hardly the point.
The men spoke for hours as the afternoon sun fell in the sky, casting long shadows over the Agora. The debaters dueled back and forth over the matter at hand, issuing calls to action, speaking in moving imagery, and employing clever rhetorical devices. The audience only grew as they spoke, listening in rapt attention to the words of two masters of their craft speak in stirring oratory. Finally, when no more could be said, the two men ceased, inclining their heads to one another. Enter descended his pedestal to extend a hand to help Formerfish down, and they departed the Agora together, likely to continue their discussion.