Aeschines of Athens was an Athenian orator and a major political figure, renowned as the lifelong rival of Demosthenes. He lived from approximately 390 to 322 BCE. Born to a schoolteacher father and a priestess mother, he served as a soldier and worked as an actor and scribe before his public career. His pro-Macedonian stance, advocating peace with King Philip II, positioned him firmly against the faction led by Demosthenes. He served on the Athenian boule and as an envoy to Delphi.

His political career culminated in his legal defeat by Demosthenes in 330 BCE in the case Against Ctesiphon, which resulted in his exile from Athens. He later taught rhetoric on the island of Rhodes.

Three of his authentic judicial speeches survive: Against Timarchus from 345 BCE, On the Embassy from 343 BCE, and Against Ctesiphon from 330 BCE. A collection of letters attributed to him is considered spurious.

As one of the ten canonical Attic orators, Aeschines provides the essential pro-Macedonian counterpoint to Demosthenes. His speeches are valuable historical sources for Athenian law, political rhetoric, social norms, and the diplomatic conflicts preceding Macedonian dominance.