ARCHON, the title of the highest magistrate in many ancient Greek states (apxwv, ruler). The archons represented the ancient kings, whose absolutism yielded in process of time to the power of the noble families, supported no doubt by the fighting force of the state. Aristotle's Constitution of Athens (q.v.) mentions five stages: (I) the institution of the polemarch, who took over the military duties of the king; (2) the institution of the archon to relieve the king of his civil duties; (3) the tenure of office was reduced to ten years: (4) the office was taken from the "royal" clan and thrown open to all Eupatridae; (5) the office was made annual, and to the existing three offices, military, civil and re ligious, were added the six thesmothetai, whose duty it was to record judicial decisions. The change was effected by the devolu tion of the military and civil powers of the king to the polemarch and the archon, while the archon basileus (or king-archon) re tained control of state religion. The archon became the chief state official and gave his name to the year (hence archon eponu mos). The early history of the thesmothetai is not clear, but there is no reason for supposing that in the early times they, with the three chief archons, constituted a collective magistracy. At the time of the Cylonian conspiracy responsibility attached to the archon Megacles, not to the whole body. According to Aristotle, collective responsibility began in Solon's time.
The history of the democratization of the archonship is beset with equal difficulty. In the early days, the importance of the office (confined as it was to the highest class) must have been immense; there was no audit, no written law, no executive council. The popular assembly was ill-organized and summoned by the archons themselves. The only control came from the Areopagus (q.v.), which would generally be favourably disposed from the fact that the military and civil powers were not vested in the same hands. The institution of popular courts by Solon had within it the germ of democratic supremacy, but the immediate result was small; thus, Damasias held the archon ship for more than two years in defiance of the new constitution. Gradually the archonship lost its power in judicial matters, until it retained merely the right of holding the preliminary investiga tion and the formal direction of the popular courts. Its adminis trative powers, save those wielded by the polemarch (see next column and cf. STRATEGUS), dwindled away into matters of routine. After 487 B.C. the list of archons contains no name of importance. This is due to the growing importance of the Strategus and to the institution of sortition (see next column), which, whether as cause or effect, is by the 5th century indicative of diminished importance.
From the Constitution of Athens (2 2) we gather that from the fall of the Tyranny to 487 B.c. the archons were aip€roi, not r
It remains to give a brief analysis of the qualifications and functions of the archons after the year 487 B.c. After election a short time had to elapse before entering on office to allow of the dokimasia (examination of fit ness). In this the whole life of the nominee was investigated, and each had to prove that he was physically without flaw. Failure to pass the scrutiny involved a certain loss of civic rights (e.g., that of addressing the people). The successful candidate had to take an oath to the people (that he would not take bribes, etc.) and to go through certain preliminary rites. Any citizen could bring an impeachment (eisangelia) against the archons. Any delinquency involved a trial before the Heliaea. Finally, an examination took place at the end of the year of office, when each archon had to answer for his actions with person and possessions; till then he could not leave the country, be adopted into another family, dis pose of his property, or receive any "crown of honour." The archons at the end of their year of office became members of the Areopagus, which was, therefore, a body composed of ex-archons of tried probity and wisdom. On entering upon office the archon (archon eponumos) made proclamation by his herald that he would not interfere with private property. His official residence was the Prytaneum (q.v.) where he presided over all questions of family, e.g., the protection of pa rents against children and vice versa, protection of widows, wardship of heiresses and or phans, divorce ; in religious mat ters he superintended the Diony sia, the Thargelia, the processions in honour of Zeus the Saviour and Asclepios. The archon basi leus superintended the holy places, the mysteries, the Lamp adephoria (Torch race), etc., questions of national religion and certain cases of bloodguiltiness.
His official residence was the Stoa Basileios, and his wife, as officially representing the wife of Dionysus, was called basibinna (queen). The polemarch, who was commander-in-chief down to about 487 B.C., became in the 5th century a sort of consul who watched over the rights of resi dent aliens (metoikoi) in their family and legal affairs. He offered sacrifices to Artemis Agrotera and Enyalios, superintended funeral games and arranged for the annual honours paid to the tyranni cides. His official residence was the Epilukeion.
Gilbert, Constitutional Antiquities (Eng. trans. Bibliography.-G. Gilbert, Constitutional Antiquities (Eng. trans. 1895) ; A. H. J. Greenidge, Handbook of Greek Constitutional Hist. (1895) ; G. B. Grundy, Great Persian War, pp. 174-178 (for Pole march) ; L. Whibley, Companion to Greek Studies.
