Archon

Archon(Greek:ἄρχων,romanized:árchōn,plural:ἄρχοντες,árchontes) is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stemαρχ-,meaning "to be first, to rule", derived from the same root as words such asmonarchandhierarchy.

Ancient Greece

In the early literary period ofancient Greece,the chiefmagistratesof various Greek city states were calledarchontes.^[1]The term was also used throughout Greek history in a more general sense, ranging from "club leader" to "master of the tables" atsyssitiato "Roman governor".^{[citation needed]}

InAthens,a system of three concurrent archons evolved, the three office holders being known asarchon eponymos(ἄρχων ἐπώνυμος), thepolemarch(πολέμαρχος), and thearchon basileus(ἄρχων βασιλεύς).^[1]According toAristotle'sConstitution of the Athenians,the power of the king first devolved to the archons, and these offices were filled from the aristocracy by elections every ten years. During this period, the archon eponymos 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 683 BC, the offices were held for only a single year, and the year was named after the archon eponymos. (Many ancientcalendarsystems did not number their years consecutively.) Although the process of the next transition is unclear, after 487 BC the archonships were assigned by lot to any citizen and the polemarch's military duties were taken over by a new class of generals known asstrategoi.The polemarch thereafter had only minor religious duties. The archon eponymos remained the titular head of state underdemocracy,though of much reduced political importance. The archons were assisted by "junior archons", calledthesmothetai(pl. ofthesmothetēs). After 487 BC, ex-archons were automatically enrolled as life members of theAreopagus,though that assembly was no longer extremely important politically at that time.^[2]

Under the Athenian constitution, archons were also in charge of organizing festivals by bringing together poets, playwrights, actors, and city-appointedchoregoi(wealthy citizen patrons). The archon would begin this process months in advance of a festival by selecting a chorus of three playwrights based on descriptions of the projected plays. Each playwright would be assigned a choregos, also selected by the archon, from among the wealthy citizens who would pay all the expenses of costumes, masks, and training the chorus. The archon also assigned each playwright a principal actor (theprotagonist), as well as a second and third actor. The City Dionysia, an ancient dramatic festival held in March in which tragedy, comedy, and satyric drama originated, was under the direction of one of the principal magistrates, thearchon eponymos.

Byzantine Empire

Byzantinehistorians usually described foreign rulers asarchontes.^[3]The rulers of theBulgarsthemselves, along with theirown titles,often bear the titlearchon placed by Godin inscriptions in Greek.

Inside Byzantium, the term could be used to refer to any powerful noble or magnate, but in a technical sense, it was applied to a class of provincial governors. In the 8th and 9th centuries, these were the governors of some of the more peripheral provinces, inferior in status to thethemata:Dalmatia,Cephalonia,CreteandCyprus.Archonteswere also placed in charge of various naval bases and trade stations, as well as semi-autonomousSlavic-inhabited areas (sclaviniae) under Byzantine sovereignty. In the 10th–12th centuries,archontesare also mentioned as the governors of specific cities. The area of an archon's jurisdiction was called anarchontia(ἀρχοντία).^[4]The title was also used for the holders of several financial posts, such as the head of themint(ἄρχων τῆς χαραγῆς), as well as directors of the imperial workshops, arsenals, etc.^[5]

The title ofmegas archon( "grand archon" ) is also attested, as a translation of foreign titles such as "grand prince". In the mid-13th century, it was established as a special court rank, held by the highest-ranking official of the emperor's company. It existed throughout thePalaiologan period,but did not have any specific functions.^[6]

Ottoman Empire

A Greek archon in Ottoman dress, 1828

During the centuries ofOttoman rule in Greece,archons remained a part of urban administration. InAthensduring this period, there were four archons appointed every two years by the citizens to serve in the city government as representatives of the Greeks. These archons served alongside theCadi(Islamic judge) in the court of theVoivode.The archons of Ottoman Athens were chosen from the most powerful and wealthy families in the city.^[7]

Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

From time to time,laityof theOrthodox Churchin communion with thePatriarch of Constantinoplehave been granted the title ofarchonto honor their service to Church administration.^[8]In 1963, archons in the United States were organized into a service society, the Order of St. Andrew. This archon status is not part of the Church hierarchy and is purely honorary.

An archon is an honoree by His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch, for his outstanding service to the Church, and a well-known, distinguished, and well-respected leader of theOrthodox Church(at large).

It is the sworn oath of the archon to defend and promote theOrthodox Churchfaith and tradition. His main concern is to protect and promote the Holy Patriarchate and its mission. He is also concerned withhuman rightsand the well-being and general welfare of the Church.

As it is a significant religious position, the faith and dedication of a candidate for the role are extensively reviewed during consideration; the candidate should have demonstrated commitment for the betterment of the Church, Parish-Diocese, Archdiocese and the community as a whole.

Other uses

"Archon" is used in Modern Greek colloquially, asάρχοντας(archontas),for someone that holds a form of status or power,^[9]and theArab-speakingCoptsuse it in church parlance in the formأرخنʼurḫunas a title for a leading member of thelaity.^[10]Archon was the title ofGreat OfficersofSicily.^[11]It can also be used as a title infraternities and sororities.^{[citation needed]}

InGnosticreligious traditions, the termarchongenerally refers to a group of seven supernatural beings, associated with the sevenclassical planetsand considered to be responsible for the creation of the physical world.

References

^^a ^bMitchell 1911,p. 444.
^Mitchell 1911,p. 445.
^Aksum: an African civilisation of late antiquity By Stuart C. Munro-Hay Page 145ISBN 0-7486-0209-7
^Kazhdan, Alexander,ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 160.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
^Kazhdan, Alexander,ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 160–161.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
^Bartusis, Mark C. (1997),The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society 1204-1453,University of Pennsylvania Press, p. 382,ISBN 0-8122-1620-2
^McNeal, R.A. (2010).Nicholas Biddle in Greece: The Journals and Letters Of 1806.Penn State Press. p. 148.ISBN 027104165X.
^Alexandrov, Kirill (2020-03-26)."Who do the Archons of the Patriarchate of Constantinople Serve?".Orthodox Christianity.Retrieved2023-11-07.
^"Άρχοντας - SLANG.gr".slang.gr.Retrieved16 March2018.
^Badawi, El-Said; Hinds, Martin (2009).A Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic: Arabic-English.Beirut: Librairie du Liban. p. 14.ISBN 978-9953865225.
^Siragusa, Giovanni Battista (1885).Il regno di Guglielmo i in Sicilia(in Italian). tip. dello "Statuto,".

Sources

A Greek-English Lexicon(akaLiddell and Scott),ISBN 0-19-864226-1
TheOxford Companion to Classical Literature,ISBN 0-19-866121-5.
Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Mitchell, John Malcolm (1911)."Archon".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 444–445.This contains a detailed account of the evolution of the Greek office, and the qualifications required. Authorities cited:
- G. Gilbert,Constitutional Antiquities(Eng. trans., 1895)
- Eduard Meyer'sGeschichte des Alterthums,ii. sect. 228
- A. H. J. Greenidge,Handbook of Greek Constitutional History(1895)
- J. W. Headlam,On Election by Lot in Athens(Camb., 1891)

[FOOTNOTEMitchell1911444-1] Mitchell 1911,p. 444.

[FOOTNOTEMitchell1911445-2] Mitchell 1911,p. 445.

[3] Aksum: an African civilisation of late antiquity By Stuart C. Munro-Hay Page 145ISBN 0-7486-0209-7

[ODB-4] Kazhdan, Alexander,ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 160.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.

[5] Kazhdan, Alexander,ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium.Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 160–161.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.

[6] Bartusis, Mark C. (1997),The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society 1204-1453,University of Pennsylvania Press, p. 382,ISBN 0-8122-1620-2

[7] McNeal, R.A. (2010).Nicholas Biddle in Greece: The Journals and Letters Of 1806.Penn State Press. p. 148.ISBN 027104165X.

[K-8] Alexandrov, Kirill (2020-03-26)."Who do the Archons of the Patriarchate of Constantinople Serve?".Orthodox Christianity.Retrieved2023-11-07.

[9] "Άρχοντας - SLANG.gr".slang.gr.Retrieved16 March2018.

[10] Badawi, El-Said; Hinds, Martin (2009).A Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic: Arabic-English.Beirut: Librairie du Liban. p. 14.ISBN 978-9953865225.

[11] Siragusa, Giovanni Battista (1885).Il regno di Guglielmo i in Sicilia(in Italian). tip. dello "Statuto,".

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