Skēptouchos ( gr, σκηπτοῦχος), plural skēptouchoi (σκηπτοῦχοι) is a term known from ancient Greek sources, usually translated as the one bearing a staff, baton, or sceptre. The term ''skeptouchos'' occurs in various contexts as early as the Homeric poetry where it is an epithet to a "king", ''

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 ...

''. In Homer's poems, a sceptre is also carried by priests and prophets, heralds, and judges. Its function was interpreted in early scholarship as a speaker's attribute during assemblies, but, according to Daniel Unruh, the sceptre apparently served as a physical symbol of authority which could be used to inflict a humiliating punishment. The term ''skeptouchos'' also appears in the 7th-century BC

Semonides Semonides of Amorgos (; grc-gre, Σημωνίδης ὁ Ἀμοργῖνος, variantly ; fl. 7th century BC) was a Greek iambic and elegiac poet who is believed to have lived during the seventh century BC. Fragments of his poetry survive as ...

. In his '' Cyropaedia'' and '' Anabasis'', Xenophon in the 5th-century BC makes references to ''skeptouchoi'' as officials at the Persian court, commonly eunuchs. Xenophon mentions Artapates, a loyal chief of the ''skeptouchoi'', who accompanied

Cyrus the Younger Cyrus the Younger ( peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ''Kūruš''; grc-gre, Κῦρος ; died 401 BC) was an Achaemenid prince and general. He ruled as satrap of Lydia and Ionia from 408 to 401 BC. Son of Darius II and Parysatis, he died in 401 BC i ...

in Asia Minor. ''Skeptouchoi'' were responsible for supplies, organizational matters and order at the Persian court. No equivalent term has been identified in Elamite,

Old Persian Old Persian is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan language, Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native ...

, or

Semitic Semitic most commonly refers to the Semitic languages, a name used since the 1770s to refer to the language family currently present in West Asia, North and East Africa, and Malta. Semitic may also refer to: Religions * Abrahamic religions ** ...

, but the visual representation of ''skeptouchoi'' are preserved in the sculptures of Persepolis. ''Skeptouchoi'' also appears as a Greek appellation of local princes of the Scythians, as referenced in a c. 200 BC inscription from Olbia, and in Colchis prior to

Mithridates Eupator Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...

's conquest, as reported by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

. As David Braund suggests, the title was probably the consequence of Persian influence in Colchis. Still later, around AD 104, ''skeptouchoi'' refers to beadles at the temple of Artemis in the foundation inscription of Salutaris from

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * {{cite journal , last1=Unruh , first1=Daniel , title=A New Look at the Homeric Scepter , journal=The Classical World , date=2011 , volume=104 , issue=3 , pages=279–294 , jstor=41303431 Ancient Greek titles Achaemenid officials Colchis