The Fire of Eloquence - A Journey through Rhetoric

The Fire of Eloquence - A Journey Through Rhetoric

Book III of The Trivium - Book III of The Art of Knowing Series

Before Aristotle codified it and Cicero ennobled it, rhetoric was already pulsing in the human voice - from the campfire tale to the tribal council, from the hunter's plea to the prophet's cry. This illuminating first chapter traces rhetoric’s primal roots and global foundations, long before it became a polished art in Greek academies and Roman forums.

Discover how ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and Hebrew traditions each cultivated their own powerful forms of persuasive speech. Witness rhetoric’s evolution from gesture and chant to structured argument, and explore the enduring question posed by Plato and Augustine alike: should eloquence serve truth, or triumph?

From prehistoric gesture to classical theory, The Fire of Eloquence reveals rhetoric not as a Western invention, but as a universal human impulse - one that shaped civilisations and still burns in every conversation today.

This is where the story begins: the first spark that set language ablaze.