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

121 ARCHON. ARC US.
(vbpecos ypapal) were laid before them, as well as important element in the determination of Atheinformations against olive growers, for rooting up nian chronology. Now from Creon (B.C. 684), the
more trees than was allowed to each proprietor first annual archon, to Comias (B. c. 560), we have
by law. So, too, were the-indictments for bribing the names of about twenty-four. From B. c. 560
the Heliaea, or any of the courts of justice at to the invasion of Xerxes (B. C. 480), the names
Athens, or the senate, or forming clubs for the and years of about twenty-four more have been
overthrow of the democracy, and against retained determined. From B. c. 480 to 292, Diodorus and
advocates (rvv'hyopoe) who took bribes either in Dionysius Halicarnassus furnish an almost unpublic or private causes. Again, an information broken succession for a period of nearly 200 years.
was laid before them if a foreigner cohabited with The names, so far as they are known, are given by
a citizen, or a man gave in marriage as his own Clinton (F. H.), who remarks that the compiler
daughter the child of another, or confined as an of the Parian marbles places the annual archons one
adulterer one who was not so. T:ey. also had to year too high respectively. He also states (vol. ii.
refer informations'(Eieayy7esAccLm)4:bthe people; p. 12) that the best list is that of Corsini, who
and where an information had been lai! before the howeveris surpassed byWesseling within theperiod
senate, and a condemnation. ensued, it was' their embraced by the remains of Diodorus. [R.W.]
duty to bring the judgment into the courts of ARCHO'NES (apXc6~vls). [TELONES.]
justice for confirmation or revision. (Dem. c. Step/s. ARCIFI/NIUS AGER. [AGER.]
ii. p. 1137; c. Neaes. pp. 1351, 1363, 1368, ARCUS (also foraix, Virg. Aen. vi. 631; Cic.
c. Timocer. p. 720; Pollux, viii. 88; Bickh, vol. i. in Verr. i. 7; tcaldcpa), an arch. It is possible to
pp. 259, 317.) give an arched form to the covering of any opening
A different office of theirs was to draw up and by placing horizontal courses of stones projecting
ratify the e6Iucoka, or agreements, with foreign over one another, from both sides of the opening,
states, settling the terms on which their citizens till they meet at top, and then cutting the ends of
should sue and be sued by the citizens of Athens. the projecting stones to a regular curve, as shown
In their collective capacity, the archons are said to below. This form is found in the most ancient
have had the power of death in case an exile re- architecture of nearly all nations, but it does not
turned to an interdicted place: they also superin- constitute a true arch. A true arch is formed of
tended the E7rLXeLporovti of the magistrates, held a series of wedge-like stones, or of bricks, supportevery prytany (/erepwCTrc c EI. Ke soi? scaX6Js ipXELY), ing each other, and all bound firmly together by
and brought to trial those whom the people de- their mutual pressure.
posed, if an action or indictment were the con- It would seem that the arch, as thus defined,
sequence of it. Moreover, they allotted the dicasts and as used by the Romans, was not known to the
or jurymen, and probably presided at the annual Greeks in the early periods of their history, otherelection of the strategi and other military officers. wise a language so copious as theirs, and of such
(Pollux,viii. 87, 88; Harpocr. s. v. KaraXepeorovvla: ready application, would not have wanted a name
Schomann, p. 231; Dem. c. Aris. p. 630.) properly Greek by which to distinguish it. But
WVe may here remark, that it is necessary the constructive principle, by which an arch is
to be cautious in our interpretation of the words made to hold together, and to afford a solid reapxo and 6pxoeves, since in the Attic orators sistance against the pressure upon its circumference,
they have a double meaning, sometimes refer- was known to them even previously to the Trojan
ring to the archons peculiarly so called, andll war, and its use is exemplified in two of the
sometimes to any other magistracy. Thus in earliest buildings now remaining —the chamber
Isaeus (De Cleonymni Haered.) we might on a built at Orchomenus, by Minyas, king of Boeotia,
cursory perusal infer, that when a testator left described by Pausanias (ix. 38), and the treasury
his property away from his heir-at-law, by what of Atreus at Mycenae. (Paus. ii. 16.) Both
was technically called a ao'Ls (Iarpocr. s. v.; these works are constructed under ground, and
Isaeus, orepl Kicpwv), the archon took the original each of them consists of a circular chamber formed
will into custody, and was required to be present by regular courses of stones laid horizontally over
at the making of any addition or codicil to it. A each other, each course projecting towards the inmore accurate observation proves that by eis -rv terior, and beyond the one below it, till they meet
apx6vTcov is meant one of the &rautrvvSuoi, who in an apex over the centre, which was capped by a
formed a magistracy (3&Xt5) as well as the nine large stone, and thus resembled the inside of a
archons. dome. Each of the horizontal courses of stones
A few words will suffice for the privileges and formed a perfect circle, or two semicircular arches
honours of the archons. The greatest of the former joined together, as the subjoined plan of one of
was the exemption from the trierarchies - a boon these courses will render evident.
not allowed even to the successors of Harmodius It will be observed that the innermost end of
and Aristogeiton. As a mark of their office, they each stone is bevelled off into the shape of a wedge,
wore a chaplet or crown of myrtle; and if any the apex of which, if continued, would meet in the
one struck'or abused one of the thesmothetae or centre of the circle, as is done in forming an arch;
the archon, when wearing this badge of office, he while the outer ends against the earth are left rough,
became &rtelos, or infamous in the fullest extent, and their interstices filled up with small irregularthereby losing his civic rights. (Bbckh, vol. ii. shaped stones, the immense size of the principal
p. 322; Dem. c. Lept. pp. 462, 464, 465, c. Meid. stones rendering it unnecessary to continue the
p. 524; Pollux, viii. 86.) The archons, at the close sectional cutting throughout their whole length.
of their year of service, were admitted among the Indeed, if these chambers had been constructed
members of the Areiopagus. [AREIOPAGUS.] upon any other principle, it is clear that the presThe Archon Eponymus being an annual magis- sure of earth all around them would have caused
trate at Athens, like the consul at Rome, it is them to collapse. The method of construction
manifest that a correct list of the archons is an here described was communicated to the writer