It was not permitted to bring all lawsuits before all of the archons. Rather, before the Archon[1] they tried cases involving orphans and matters involving insanity and adjudications about inheritances, and the records of those who had served as archon went to the auditors. Before the King, however,[2] they tried cases of murder and impiety and any dispute concerning a priesthood; previously also any disputes among the priests concerning holy matters; and he would make the proclamations that those at fault were forbidden access to the laws.[3] To the War-Archon[4] they brought any suits against a freedman for having forsaken his patron.[5] Beyond this, all that the Archon attended to among the citizens, the Polemarch attended to among the resident aliens. The Lawgivers (qesmoqe/tai)[6] [handled cases] of sycophancy and bribery and assault and seduction and conspiracy. They bring before the Eleven[7] cases involving robbery and clothes-stealing and slave dealers. They bring before the general cases involving trierarchies and property-exchange.[8] So by arbitrating[9] in this way [these various officials] are said to hold the presidency of a jurycourt. In fact the King also had charge of the mysteries together with the supervisors; but he alone also [wears] a crown.[10]
*(hgemoni/a dikasthri/ou: toi=s a)/rxousin ou) pa/sas pa=sin e)fei=to di/kas ei)sa/gein: a)lla\ tw=| me\n *)/arxonti ta\s tw=n o)rfanw=n kai\ ta\ th=s paranoi/as kai\ ta\s tw=n a)poklh/rwn e)pidikasi/as, toi=s de\ logistai=s ta\s kata\ tw=n a)rca/ntwn eu)qu/nas, tw=| me/ntoi ge *basilei= ta/s te fonika\s kai\ ta\s th=s a)sebei/as kai\ a)/n tis i(erwsu/nhs h)mfisbh/tei: pro/teron de\ kai\ ta\s peri\ tw=n i(erw=n toi=s i(ereu=sin a)mfisbhth/seis: prohgo/reue de\ kai\ tw=n no/mwn ei)/rgesqai tou\s e)nanti/a. tw=| polema/rxw| de\ o(/sai a)postasi/ou grafh\n e)/feron: e)/ti mh\n kai\ o(/sa o( *)/arxwn e)n toi=s a)stoi=s, o( pole/marxos toi=s metoi/kois dih/|tei. oi( qesmoqe/tai sukofanti/as kai\ dw/rwn kai\ u(/brewn kai\ moixei/as kai\ bouleu/sews. toi=s *(/endeka o(/sai lh|sta\s kai\ lwpodu/tas kai\ a)ndrapodista\s ei)sa/gousi. tw=| strathgw=| peri\ trihrarxi/as kai\ a)ntido/sews. ou(/tws ou)=n diaitou=ntes h(gemoni/an dikasthri/ou e)/xein le/gontai. a)lla\ ga\r o( *basileu\s kai\ tw=n musthri/wn a(/ma toi=s e)pimelhtai=s proi/+statai: e)/xei de\ mo/nos kai\ ste/fanon.
For the headword phrase, used in
Aeschines 3.14, see also
eta 40. (Both entries present a static picture of the administration of justice and the specific duties of the various magistrates at
Athens; in fact they evolved over time.) The ultimate source of the present entry is ?
Aristotle.
Athenaion Politeia 56-61, here much abridged.
[1] a.k.a the Archon Eponymous (
a)/rxwn e)pw/numos), because each Athenian civil year was named after him (e.g. the year of Eukleides = 403/2 BCE).
[2] The so-called Archon Basileus (
a)/rxwn basileu/s) -- more accurately the Basileus -- especially concerned with religious ritual.
[3] Garbled here, but see
Pollux 8.90 (and ?
Aristotle,
Athenaion Politeia 57.2).
[4] The Archon Polemarchos (
a)/rxwn pole/marxos), once C-in-C of the armed forces; latterly, as exemplified here, a magistrate with special responsibilities for non-citizens.
[5] sc. and chose another. See
alpha 3546.
[6] Six in number. See generally
theta 266,
theta 267.
[7] cf.
epsilon 1156 (and e.g.
Aristophanes, Wasps 1108; Antiphon 5.70;
Lysias 14.17;
Plato,
Phaedo 59E; ?
Aristotle Athenaion Politeia 7.3).
[8] From ?
Aristotle,
Athenaion Politeia 61.1, where we see that this odd singular should be plural: these were duties discharged by all 10 Athenian generals (
strategoi:
sigma 1174) in their judicial role. For the liturgy of trierarchy, where the richest members of the community equipped (and, if they so chose, commanded) a warship see
tau 974. "Property-exchange" (
antidosis) was a legal procedure under which anyone appointed to a liturgy could argue that someone else was better-placed to undertake it; see for instance
Lysias 3.20.
[9] Or better (as in ms A) "proceeding".
[10] Every archon could wear a crown as badge of office.
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