Hippias of Elis Testimonies 1 in Greek

The Testimonies was a collection of model speeches attributed to the Sophist Hippias of Elis, who was active in the late fifth century BCE. As a practical handbook for forensic oratory, it was designed to instruct students in the construction of persuasive arguments for use in Athenian legal proceedings. The work is now lost, with only a single fragment preserved by the anthologist Stobaeus. This surviving excerpt presents a rhetorical exercise defending the dignity of manual labor, contending that being a craftsman is not a shameful occupation. The title indicates a focus on evidence and testimony, fundamental components of legal rhetoric. Scholars regard the collection as a characteristic product of Sophistic education, which emphasized training in persuasive techniques and often encouraged students to advocate for provocative or unconventional positions on social values.