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In ancient Greece the chief magistrate in various Greek city states was called eponymous archon (ἐπώνυμος ἄρχων, ''eponymos archon''). ''Archon'' (ἄρχων, pl. ἄρχοντες, ''archontes'') means "ruler" or "lord," frequently used as the title of a specific public office,〔At first the chief of the city was only a priest. "The charge of the public sacrifices of the city belongs according to religious custom, not to special priests, but to those men who derive their dignity from the hearth, and who are here called kings, elsewhere Prytaneis, and again archons." (Aristotle, ''Politics,'' VIII.5)〕 while "eponymous" means that he gave his name to the year in which he held office, much like the Roman dating by consular years. In Classical Athens, a system of nine concurrent archons evolved, led by three respective remits over the civic, military, and religious affairs of the state: the three office holders were known as the eponymous archon, the polemarch (πολέμαρχος, "war ruler"), and the ''archon basileus'' (ἄρχων βασιλεύς, "king ruler").〔Michael Rostovtzeff, ''Greece'', passim.〕〔"The Athenian archons when they entered upon their duties ascended to the Acropolis wearing crowns of myrtles, and offered a sacrifice to the titular, divinity of the town. It was also customary for them to wear crowns of foliage when they exercised their functions. And it is certain that the crown, which became and which still remains the emblem of power, was then only a religious symbol, an exterior sign, which accompanied prayer and sacrifice. Amongst the nine archons, the second archon, the one called the King, was the representative of the high priestly function of the old Kings, but each of his colleagues had some priestly duty to fulfill, some sacrifice to offer to the gods. ("Gustave Ducoudray, ''The history of ancient civilization: a handbook'', 1889 (pg 129 ))〕 The six others were the ''thesmothetai'', judicial officers. Originally these offices were filled from the wealthier classes by elections every ten years. During this period the eponymous archon was the chief magistrate, the polemarch was the head of the armed forces, and the ''archon basileus'' was responsible for some civic religious arrangements, and for the supervision of some major trials in the law courts. After 683 BC the offices were held for only a single year, and the year was named after the eponymous archon. ==Background== The archon was the chief magistrate in many Greek cities, but in Athens there was a council of archons which exerted a form of executive government. From the late 8th century BC there were three archons: the ''archon eponymos'', the ''polemarchos'' (replaced in 501 BC by ten ''strategoi''), and the ''archon basileus'' (the ceremonial vestige of the Athenian monarchy).〔Gods, Heroes and Tyrants: Greek Chronology in Chaos By Emmet John Sweeney.〕 These positions were filled from the aristocracy (the Eupatridae) by elections every ten years. During this period Archon Eponymous was the chief magistrate, the Polemarch was the head of the armed forces, and the Archon Basileus was responsible for the civic religious arrangements. After 508 BC the offices were held for only a single year, and the year was named after the archon eponymous. The year ran from July to June. The archon eponymous was the chief archon, and presided over meetings of the Boule and Ecclesia, the ancient Athenian assemblies. The archon eponymous remained the titular head of state even under the democracy, though with much reduced political importance. Under the reforms of Solon, himself archon eponymous in 594 BC, there was a brief period when the number of archons rose to ten. After 457 BC ex-archons were automatically enrolled as life members of the Areopagus, though that assembly was no longer extremely important politically. One of the archons oversaw the procedure for ostracism after 487 BC.〔Fox ''The Classical World'' p. 122〕 An archon's court was in charge of the ''epikleroi''.〔Lacey ''The Family in Ancient Greece'' p. 139-145〕 Other duties of the archons included supervising the Panathenaea and Dionysia festivals.〔Adkins ''Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece'' p. 35-36〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Eponymous archon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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