Erchia or Erkhia ( grc, Ἐρχία; also spelled Ἔρχεια and Ἑρχιά) was a
deme
In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century BC and ear ...
of
ancient Attica, of the ''
phyle
''Phyle'' ( gr, φυλή, phulē, "tribe, clan"; pl. ''phylai'', φυλαί; derived from ancient Greek φύεσθαι "to descend, to originate") is an ancient Greek term for tribe or clan. Members of the same ''phyle'' were known as ''symphylet ...
'' of
Aegeis Aigeis was a tribe (phyle) of Ancient Athens which contained twenty demes.
The phyle comprised twenty demes named Lower Ankyle, Lower and Upper Ankyle, Araphen, Bate (Attica), Bate, Diomeia, Erchia (deme), Erchia, Erikeia, Gargettos, Halai, Hestiae ...
, sending six or seven delegates to the
Athenian Boule, but eleven delegates after 307/6 BCE. According to
Stephanus of Byzantium, in
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...
, the name comes from an inhabitant of the deme who hosted
Demeter.
History
Much of what is known about Erchia comes from a ''lex sacra'' (sacred law) of the deme. In it are listed 59 annual sacrifices to 46 divinities (gods, nymphs and heroes), for a total cost of 547
drachma
The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history:
# An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, fr ...
e; 21 of these sacrifices were made in the deme itself, the other 38 in the neighboring demoi or in
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 ...
.
From its central location within Attica, and the wealth and positions held by many of its inhabitants (whose peak period, judging by the information available, seems to be between approximately 450 BCE and 200 BCE) and from the number of its delegates to the Athenian Boule, more than any other deme of the phyle Aegeis, it can be assumed that Erchia was one of the most important demoi.
In Erchia there was a shrine of
Hecate
Hecate or Hekate, , ; grc-dor, Ἑκάτᾱ, Hekátā, ; la, Hecatē or . is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depict ...
.
Location
Its position is known thanks to the discovery of the ''lex sacra'', and the construction of the modern Athenian airport, which was built over the deme.
Notable people
*
Isocrates, rhetorician, and orator
[
*]Xenophon
Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...
, philosopher, historian, soldier, mercenary, and student of Socrates
Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...
[ Diogenes Laërtius, '' Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' 2.48]
References
Populated places in ancient Attica
Former populated places in Greece
Demoi
{{AncientAttica-geo-stub