ASIARCHIE (a'shf-ark'ee), (Gr. 'Aouipxn/, ac-ee ar'khai, chiefs of Asia, Acts xix:31; Vulg. .1sier princrAes Tertull. trash/es sacerdotales .1. 1'. 'certain of the chief of Asia'). These asiarch,e, who derived their afi(tc•II:Ition front the name of the province over which they presided his Svri arch, 2 NiaCC. Lyciarch, Carlarelt, etc.), were in Proconsular Asia the chief presidents of the religious rites, whose office it was to exhibit solemn games in the theatre every year, in honor of the grids and of the Roman emperor. This they did at their own expense (like the Roman .ediles), whence none but the most opulent persons could bear the office, although only of one year's cllotin uance. The appointment %%.ts mod' as follows: at the beginning of every year li. e. about the autumnal equinox) each of the cities of Asia held a public assentblv, in order to nominate 1 Me 1.1 their citizens as asi.ircli. A person was then sent
to the general count it of the province, at some one of the principal cities, as Ephesus. Smyrna, Sardis, etc.. to announce the name of the individual who had been selected. Of the persons thus nominated by the cities the council designated ten. As the asiarchs are repeatedly mentioned in the plural, some suppose that the whole ten presided is a Cc l iege over the sacred rites (Comp. Strabo, xi( p. But in Ettschins (//zo'. /:.',, /es. iv:t carp is S.1141 to haye tillilcrrd mart yrd. MI who •1 'Philip was :111,1 Statius Quadrants plo. constil of Asia; from which and other circum stances it is deemed more probable that, as in the case of the Irenarch, the names of the ten nomi nated by the general council were submitted to the proconsul, who chose one of the number to be asiarcli.