Demarchos

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For people with the name, see Demarchos (name).

The dēmarchos (

municipality
.

Ancient Greece

Athens

In

eponymous archons of the entire polis of Athens.[3]

The responsibilities of the dēmarchos were to convene and chair the local assembly, and supervise the execution of its resolutions, as well as their engraving in public view.[4] Along with the treasurers he supervised the deme's landed properties and their rent, as well as expenditure; along with the priests he was responsible for religious festivals, sacrifices, or theatre performances.[5] As chief magistrate he also possessed considerable judicial powers, including holding his outgoing predecessor to account, and chairing the assembly when it was functioning as a public court. In the event that the deme as a whole was involved in a court case, he was responsible for representing it before the Heliaia.[6]

Occupying a crucial position at the interface between the deme and the Athenian polis, he was also charged with maintaining up to date the deme's register of citizens (ληξιαρχικόν γραμματεῖον, lēxiarchikon grammateion), which he kept sealed at his own residence,

naval service as rowers in the triremes.[7] It is unclear whether he was also responsible for maintaining registers of those eligible for hoplite service.[8] He also had fiscal duties, supervising confiscations and maintaining the registers of confiscated property,[9] as well as collecting (before 387/86 BC) the eisphora tax from property-owning citizens.[2]

Other usage

The office is also attested in Chios in the 6th century BC, where the dēmarchos was appointed alongside the basileus, possibly charged with judicial matters,[2] whereas in Eretria on Euboea the dēmarchos was responsible for religious affairs.[2]

In

Roman emperors Titus (r. 79–81) and Hadrian (r. 117–138). The office survived at least until the time of Constantine the Great (r. 306–337).[2][10]

Greek writers also commonly used the term to translate the

tribunicia potestas was thus rendered δημαρχικὴ ἐξουσία (dēmarchikē exousia).[11]

Byzantine usage

Background

In

praipositos.[12]

According to the

Domestic of the Excubitors for the Greens. All of these were grouped under the generic label of dēmokratai.[13]

History and functions

The title of dēmarchos is first securely attested in 602. The 10th-century Patria of Constantinople refer to two dēmarchoi under Theodosius II (r. 408–450), but this is most likely an anachronism.[14] In popular usage, they are sometimes called dioikētai (διοικηταὶ).[14]

Their exact role is unclear: in view of their ceremonial role in later centuries,

Alan Cameron suggested that they were claque conductors, whereas G. Manojlovic considered them as military commanders of a militia recruited by the dēmoi.[14] By the mid-9th century, the dēmarchos was a government official, as attested in the Taktikon Uspensky and seals of office, holding the dignities such as hypatos or prōtospatharios in the court hierarchy.[14]
The Klētorologion records their staff of subaltern officials:

  • a deputy (δευτερεύων, deutereuōn, lit. 'the second one')[13][15]
  • a secretary (χαρτουλάριος, chartoularios) and a notary (νοτάριος, notarios)[15][16]
  • a poet (ποιητής, poiētēs) and a composer (μελιστής, melistēs) for the acclamations during ceremonies[15][16]
  • a master (ἅρχων, archōn) and the 'first ones' (τὰ πρωτεῖα, ta prōteia), whose role is obscure[15][16]
  • a 'neighbourhood supervisor' (γειτονιάρχης, geitoniarchēs), whose exact duties are unclear[14][17][18]
  • the charioteers (ἡνίοχοι, hēniochoi), specifically the officials known as the faktionarios (φακτιονάριος) of the Blues and Greens and the mikropanitēs (μικροπανίτης) of the Whites and Reds[15][18]
  • the ordinary members (δημῶται, dēmōtai)[15][18]

The actual personnel of the Hippodrome were not part of their staff.[18][19] In the

Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos, the ceremonies of promotion for the dēmarchoi are recorded, as well as for their subalterns.[14]

In the 11th century, the dēmarchoi that appear in seals also hold offices in the administration, such as

pseudo-Kodinos, the banners (φλάμουλα, phlamoula) of the dēmarchoi are mentioned as following behind those of all the other officials in processions.[20]

During the final siege of Constantinople in 1453, the dēmarchoi assumed the role of military commanders.[14]

References

  1. ^ von Schoeffer 1901, col. 2706.
  2. ^ a b c d e Rhodes & Tinnefeld 2008
  3. ^ a b von Schoeffer 1901, cols. 2706–2707.
  4. ^ von Schoeffer 1901, col. 2707.
  5. ^ von Schoeffer 1901, cols. 2707–2708.
  6. ^ von Schoeffer 1901, col. 2708.
  7. ^ a b von Schoeffer 1901, col. 2709.
  8. ^ von Schoeffer 1901, cols. 2709–2710.
  9. ^ von Schoeffer 1901, col. 2710.
  10. ^ von Schoeffer 1901, col. 2711.
  11. ^ von Schoeffer 1901, col. 2712.
  12. ^ a b c ODB, "Factions" (M. McCormick), pp. 773–774.
  13. ^ a b Bury 1911, p. 105.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i ODB, "Demarchos" (A. Kazhdan, M. McCormick, A.-M. Talbot), pp. 602–603.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Oikonomides 1972, p. 326.
  16. ^ a b c Bury 1911, pp. 105–106.
  17. ^ ODB, "Geitoniarches" (A. Kazhdan), p. 826.
  18. ^ a b c d Bury 1911, p. 106.
  19. ^ Oikonomides 1972, pp. 326–327.
  20. ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 196.

Sources

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