The ''prytaneis'' (πρυτάνεις; sing.: πρύτανις ''prytanis'') were the executives of the '' boule'' of

ancient Athens Athens is one of the oldest named cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for perhaps 5,000 years. Situated in southern Europe, Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece in the first millennium BC, and its cultural achieve ...

Origins and organization

The term (like ''

basileus ''Basileus'' ( el, ) is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs in history. In the English-speaking world it is perhaps most widely understood to mean "monarch", referring to either a "king" or an "emperor" and al ...

'' or ''

tyrannos A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to rep ...

'') is probably of

Pre-Greek The Pre-Greek substrate (or Pre-Greek substratum) consists of the unknown pre-Indo-European language(s) spoken in prehistoric Greece before the coming of the Proto-Greek language in the Greek peninsula during the Bronze Age. It is possible that ...

etymology (possibly cognate to

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan ...

''(e)prθni''). When

Cleisthenes Cleisthenes ( ; grc-gre, Κλεισθένης), or Clisthenes (c. 570c. 508 BC), was an ancient Athenian lawgiver credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a democratic footing in 508 BC. For these accomplishm ...

reorganized the

Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

government in 508/7 BCE, he replaced the old

Solon Solon ( grc-gre, Σόλων; BC) was an Athenian statesman, constitutional lawmaker and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic Athens.Aristotle ''Politics'' ...

ian boule, or council, of 400 with a new boule of 500. The old boule consisted of 100 members of each of the four ancestral tribes.

created ten new tribes and made the boule consist of 50 men from each of these tribes. Each tribe's delegation would be an executive of the boule for one-tenth of the year, so that ten groups of prytaneis served each year, a position granted by sortition. The executive officers were known as prytaneis and their term of office as a prytany (πρυτανία).

Duties

The ''prytaneis'' served every day during their prytany. They formally called to meeting the full boule and the

ecclesia Ecclesia (Greek: ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') may refer to: Organizations * Ecclesia (ancient Greece) or Ekklēsia, the principal assembly of ancient Greece during its Golden Age * Ecclesia (Sparta), the citizens' assembly of Sparta, often w ...

of Athens, though in practice many meetings were mandatory and evidence suggests that persuasive individuals could enjoin the prytaneis to call or not to call a supplementary meeting. The prytaneis received ambassadors from foreign states and generally conducted the day-to-day business of the state. They ate at public expense in the Tholos, a circular edifice constructed for them next to the boule house. Each day, for one 24-hour period, one member of the 50 prytaneis was selected by lot to serve as the foreman (ἐπιστάτης ''epistates'', "caretaker"). He administered the state seal and the keys to the state treasuries and archives. He was, in effect, the chief executive officer of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. No man was allowed to hold this office more than once, and so probably more than half of all adult male Athenians held it, at one time or another. During meetings of the ''ecclesia'' or ''boule'', the current foreman also chaired these meetings. In the Fourth Century, this practice changed and the chairmanship of meetings was taken over by an office specifically created for this task (the πρόεδροι ''proedroi'').

In other cities

''Prytanis'' as a title is used in other ancient Greek cities including

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

and other cities along the west coast of

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. Offices that use this title usually have responsibility for presiding over councils of some kind. In the city of Miletus, the ''prytanis'' had enough power that he was able to become a ''tyrannos'' (Aristotle Politics V.5, 1305a17).

References

Sources

*Hansen, Mogens H. ''The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes: Structure, Principles and Ideology''. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1991. *Rhodes, P. J. ''The Athenian Boule''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972. *Hignett, Charles. ''A History of the Athenian Constitution''. Oxford, 1962. {{ISBN, 0-19-814213-7 Ancient Greek law Ancient Greek titles Ancient Athenian titles Athenian democracy