When we think of an ancient orator, we tend to think of the embodiment of the Roman ideal vir bonus dicendi peritus – the good man skilled in speaking – and therefore the elite male citizen. But the ancient world was full of other kinds of public speakers – non-elites, women and foreigners – who are often forgotten in our dominant sources.

In this lecture, Henriette van der Blom challenges the dominant picture of the ancient orator. She draws on material from ancient Rome and beyond, introduces preliminary research findings from her ongoing investigation into public speech in Valerius Maximus’ Facta et dicta, and brings in her experiences of providing speechwriting workshops to diverse communities across England. Public speaking is much more than the ancient ideal vir bonus dicendi peritus – in antiquity as well as today.