The institutions of democracy evolved rapidly in the Classical period, and Athens strengthened her economic and political power. This paved the way for the structured development of utterance/the spoken word in a great number of genres.
Historiography evolved out of a need to account for the unexpected defeat of Persia, and to investigate the causes of the catastrophic Peloponnesian war.
As of right, every citizen had recourse to the law courts and could address the People's Assembly. This encouraged the growth of oratory. The clash of old institutions and new ones was featured in the theatre, and preoccupied the Sophists.
Lastly, the search for universal interpretations of the basic concepts and values of life - morality, goodness, beauty - found its expression in philosophy.
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