The Athenian Constitution — Aristotle — John Shaqi
The Athenian Constitution
Aristotle · en
The Polemarch performs the sacrifices to Artemis the huntress and to
Enyalius, and arranges the contest at the funeral of those who have
fallen in war, and makes offerings to the memory of Harmodius and
Aristogeiton. Only private actions come before him, namely those in
which resident aliens, both ordinary and privileged, and agents of
foreign states are concerned. It is his duty to receive these cases and
divide them into ten groups, and assign to each tribe the group which
comes to it by lot; after which the magistrates who introduce cases for
the tribe hand them over to the Arbitrators. The Polemarch, however,
brings up in person cases in which an alien is charged with deserting
his patron or neglecting to provide himself with one, and also of
inheritances and wards of state where aliens are concerned; and in
fact, generally, whatever the Archon does for citizens, the Polemarch
does for aliens.
Part 59
The Thesmothetae in the first place have the power of prescribing on
what days the lawcourts are to sit, and next of assigning them to the
several magistrates; for the latter must follow the arrangement which
the Thesmothetae assign. Moreover they introduce impeachments before
the Assembly, and bring up all votes for removal from office,
challenges of a magistrate's conduct before the Assembly, indictments
for illegal proposals, or for proposing a law which is contrary to the
interests of the state, complaints against Proedri or their president
for their conduct in office, and the accounts presented by the
generals. All indictments also come before them in which a deposit has
to be made by the prosecutor, namely, indictments for concealment of
foreign origin, for corrupt evasion of foreign origin (when a man
escapes the disqualification by bribery), for blackmailing accusations,
bribery, false entry of another as a state debtor, false testimony to
the service of a summons, conspiracy to enter a man as a state debtor,
corrupt removal from the list of debtors, and adultery. They also bring
up the examinations of all magistrates, and the rejections by the demes
and the condemnations by the Council. Moreover they bring up certain
private suits in cases of merchandise and mines, or where a slave has
slandered a free man. It is they also who cast lots to assign the
courts to the various magistrates, whether for private or public cases.
They ratify commercial treaties, and bring up the cases which arise out
of such treaties; and they also bring up cases of perjury from the
Areopagus. The casting of lots for the jurors is conducted by all the
nine Archons, with the clerk to the Thesmothetae as the tenth, each
performing the duty for his own tribe. Such are the duties of the nine
Archons.
Part 60