Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

ARCHON. ARCHON. 123
6 frcrvuos gpXwv from the year being distinguished citizen of pure blood. without stain or Ulemish,
by and registered in his name. The second was His court was held in what was called' T'oi
styled o6 BaotXses, or the king archon; the third, $asXfwcs aTocp. (Dem. c. Lacr. p. 940; c. An6 7rohlaeapXos, or commander-in-chief; the remain- drot. p. 601; c. Neaer. p. 1370; Lysias, c. Andoc.
ing six, ol aeoayoOfEat, or legislators. As regards the p. 103, where the duties are enumerated; Elmsley,
duties of the archons, it is sometimes difficult to Ad Aristophl. Accar. ] 143, et Scholia; Harpocr. s.v.
distinguish what belonged to them individually'ExrlcLEAXhT1rS Rv /UVo7sv0lplrWv; Plato, E2uth/Yhr.
and what collectively. It seems, however, that a ad init. et Tideaet. ad fin.; Pollux, viii. 90.)
considerable portion of the judicial functions of The Polemarch was originally, as his name dethe ancient kings devolved upon the Acchon Epo- notes, the commander-in-chief (Herod. vi. 109,
nymus, who was also constituted a sort of state 111; Pollux, viii. 91); and we find him disprotector of those who were unable to defend them- charging military duties as late as the battle of
selves. (Dem. c. Macar. No'los, p. 1076; Pollux, Marathon, in conjunction with the ten orT'pa'ryol:
viii. 89.) Thus he had to superintend orphans he there took, like the kings of old, the command of
and their estates, heiresses, families losing their the right wing of the army. This, however, seems to
representatives (odt1cO Ol 05eprlpyo;tEoL), widows be the last occasion on record of this magistrate apleft pregnant, and to see that they were not pointed by lot, being invested with such important
wronged in any way. Should any one do so, he functions; and in after ages we find that his
was empowered to inflict a fine of a certain duties ceased to be military, having been in a great
amount, or to bring the parties to trial. Heiresses, measure transferred to the protection and superinindeed, seem to have been under his peculiar tendence of the resident aliens, so that he resembled
care; for we read (Dem. c. M/lacar. p. 1069), in many respects the praetor peregrinus at Rome. In
that he could compel the next of kin either to fact, we learn from Aristotle, in his "Constitution of
marry a poor heiress himself, even though she were Athens," that the polemarch stood in the same
of a lower class, or to portion her in marriage to relation to foreigners as the archon to citizens.
another. Again we find (Id. p. 1055; Pollux, (Demosth. c. Lacr. p. 940; Arist. apud Harpocr.
viii. 62) that, when a person claimed an inhe- s. v.; Pollux, viii. 91, 92.) Thus, all actions affectritance or heiress adjudged to others, he sum- ing aliens, the isoteles and proxeni, were brought
moned the party in possession before the archon before him previously to trial; as, for instance,
eponymus ('Es7rtucalia) who brought the case into the 8ibcm &arpoo'raoiou against a foreigner, for
court, and made arrangements for trying the suit. living in Athens without a patron; so was also
We must, however, bear in mind that this autho- the i1c &7rooeTaoi'ov against a slave who failed in
rity was only exercised in cases where the parties his duty to the master who had freed him. Morewere citizens, tle polemarch having corresponding over, it was the polemarch's duty to offer the
duties when the heiress was an alien. It must also yearly sacrifice to Artemis, in commemoration of
be understood that, except in very few cases, the the vow made by Callimachus, at Marathon, and
archons did not decide themselves, but merely to arrange the funeral games in honour of those
brought the causes into court, and cast lots for the who fell in war. These three archons, the
dicasts who were to try the issue. (Dem. c. E7r&crvos, PaoiXeiSs, and roXeYapXos, were each
Step/h. ii. p. 1136.) Another duty of the archons allowed two assessors to assist them in the diswas to receive eora-yyeXtaC (Harpocr. s. v.), or in- charge of their duties.
formations against individuals who had wronged The T/hesmothsetae were extensively connected
heiresses, children who had maltreated their parents, with the administration of justice, and appear to
guardians who had neglected or defrauded their have been called legislators (Thirlwall, Hist. of
wards. (Ka&Kcors 7ruKAcXpov, yove&o, 4pea~vdv. Greece, vol. ii. p. 17), because in the absence of a
Dem.. c. Macar. p. 1069; Schmann, p. 181. In- written code, they might be said to make laws, or
formations of another kind, the e'/aetLLs and (padts, so-eyolI, in the ancient language of Athens,
were also laid before the eponymus, though De- though in reality they only declared and exmosthenes (c. Timocr. p. 707) assigned the former plained them. They were required to review,
to the thesmothetae. (ENDEIxIS.) The last office every year, the whole body of laws, that they
of the archon which we shall mention was of a might detect any inconsistencies or superfluities,
sacred character; we allude to his superintendence and discover whether any laws which were abroof the greater Dionysia and the Thargelia, the gated were in the public records amongst the rest.
latter celebrated in honour of Apollo and Artemis. (Aeschin. c. Ctesiph. p. 59.) Theirreport was sub(Pollux, viii. 89.) uitted to the people, who referred the necessary
The functions of the ParYeVs'S, or IKing Arc/hon, alterations to a legislative committee chosen for
were almost all connected with religion: his dis- the purpose, and called Yo/Luofea.
tinguishing title shows that he was considered a The chief part of the duties of the thesmothetae
representative of the old kings in their capacity of consisted in receiving informations, and bringing
high priest, as the Rex Sacrificulus was at Rome. cases to trial in the courts of law, of the days of
Thus he presided at the Lenaean, or older Dionysia; sitting in which they gave public notice. (Pollux,
superintended the mysteries and the gamnes called viii. 87, 88.) They did not try them themselves;
Xa&u7ra-ldpoptat, and had to offer up sacrifices and but seem to have constituted a sort of grand jury,
prayers in the Eleusinium, both at Athens and or inquest. Thus they received Eiv8eleLs against
Eleusis. Moreover, indictments for impiety, and parties who had not paid their fines, or owed any
controversies about the priesthood, were laid before money to the state; and in default of bringing
him; and, in cases of murder, he brought the trial the former parties to trial, they lost their right of
into the court of the Areiopagus, and voted with its going up to the Areiopagus at the end of their year
members. His wife, also, who was called Barl- of office. (Dem. c. Meid. p. 529; c. Mlacar. p.;peo'a or aaeoxwrva, had to offer certain sacrifices, 1075; c. Timocr. 707; Bdckh, vol. i. p.59, vol. ii
and therefore it was required that she should be a p. 72.) Again, indictments for personal injuries