ARCHONS, arilcOnz, the highest magis trates in Athens. There was for a long period only one archon, who possessed for life all the power and dignity of a king, and was chosen from the royal race of Codrus. In 752 a.c. a change was introduced, and the tenure of the archonship was restricted to 10 years, the per son appointed being still a member of the royal race. In 714 the latter condition was abolished and the archonship thrown open to all the Eupatrids or nobles; and in 683 a still greater change was introduced, the office being now made annual and its functions distributed among a body of nine. The reforms of Solon threw the archonship open to all who possessed a certain amount of property, whether noble by birth or not; and in 477 Aristides made it accessible to all Athenian citizens, without dis tinction. Until 508 the mode of election was by suffrage of the nobles; election by lot was then introduced, and the person elected had to undergo a scrutiny before the Senate and be fore the Agora in order to show that his ances tors had been citizens for three generations, and had to swear to obey the laws. The first
of the nine archons was called ((the and sometimes the Archon Eponymus, because he gave his name to the year in all public records. He had the care of minors and orphans, and had to superintend some of the festivals. The second archon was called the King Archon. Upon him chiefly devolved the care of the religious concerns of the people, in connection with which he had to act as prosecu tor of murderers and offenders against religion. The third archon had the name of Polemarch, and was originally entrusted with the super intendence of military matters, though in later times his duties were chiefly confined to the protection and superintendence of the resident aliens. The rest of the archons were called Thesmothett, and exercised a general supervi sion over the laws of the state.