Demochares of Leuconoe (Δημοχάρης ὁ Λευκονοεύς) was an Athenian orator, statesman, and historian of the early Hellenistic period (late 4th–early 3rd century BCE). The nephew of Demosthenes, he was a prominent anti-Macedonian politician and general who defended Athenian autonomy, actions which led to a period of exile at the court of Lysimachus before his recall [1][2][3]. His career, documented by later historians like Polybius and Plutarch, was central to the restoration of democracy after 307 BCE and the city's resistance against Macedonian power.

He authored a contemporary History (Ἱστορίαι), now lost but surviving in fragments. This prose work, written in Attic Greek, covered Athenian and Greek history from the death of Alexander the Great into the early 3rd century BCE [1][2][3].

Demochares is a significant, if partisan, historical source for this turbulent era. Later historians, particularly Polybius, cite his work while criticizing its strong anti-Macedonian bias, accusing Demochares of writing as a polemical orator rather than a dispassionate historian [1][2]. Despite this, his testimony provides crucial contemporary insight into the political struggles of early Hellenistic Athens.

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Demochares 2. Perseus Digital Library, entry in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Ddemochares-bio-1 3. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-2112