What are archons? Where did this word come from? How is the history of Byzantium connected with it? Now this word is used in a meaning that only remotely resembles the one that was originally assigned to it. Moreover, due to the spread in mass culture and consciousness, the concept of "archon" has completely lost part of its semantic meaning.
In the article we will try to figure out what is right to invest in the meaning of the word "archon" and whether it is appropriate to use it in the way that modern culture teaches us. The fact is that for the majority, the concept of "archon" is associated with a representative of the clergy, while the original meaning of this word was completely addressed to worldly life.
Game version: how close to reality it is
Perhaps many have heard the word "archon", but did not think about what it means and what archons really are. This word has many meanings related to religion and history. So, in religious texts it is sometimes said that these are evil spirits-world rulers. Even in the Star Craft series of games, the alien race, the Protoss, has a special warrior who is a combination of the souls of two Templars and is called an archon. His appearance on the battlefield inspires awe and reverence. At the same time, the archon can be found in the XCOM series, where he is represented by the creation of aliens, the overseer of people.
Naturally, this option can only conditionally be considered a synonym for the original concept, which was denoted by the word "archon". Here, the synonymy is so conditional that a person who does not know the original source may begin to misinterpret this concept.
What are archons from the standpoint of history
From ancient Greek this word is translated as "chief", "ruler", "head". This is what the rulers of Athens were called. It is noteworthy that it was after the death of King Kodra that the ancient Greek polis bestowed this title on its leaders. It was a kind of analogue of the word "king". That is, the laws of Archon Kodra were so important for the prosperity of the state that the subjects decided to keep this title as a tribute to and memory of their ruler.
In the beginning, the title of archon was owned by three persons - the eponym (he held executive power in his hands), the basileus (he was in charge of the cult of the Greek gods and was more of a religious figure) and the polemarch (the military commander of the Athenian troops, who was in charge of all the military issues of the city- state).
However, in the future, the ancient Greek policy introduced six more archon positions, which were called"tesmotets", or "thesmotets".
Their duties included the annual review of laws, finding inconsistencies in the legislation, some judicial and also all other functions that did not fall under the jurisdiction of the first three archons.
First Royal Archons
Initially, only Codrides, relatives and descendants of King Codra, could become archons, later on, the Attian aristocracy, the Eupatides, were allowed to take office. Solon's reforms allowed not only the aristocracy, but also all other segments of the population, except the poor, to become archons.
The first archon was the son of King Kodra - Medont. Starting from him, the title was passed from father to son and was for life.
Over time, freedom-loving and democratic Athenians cut the power and terms of the reign of the archons. So, after some time, the period of reign was limited to ten years, and after another hundred years, the archon could only rule for a year. After the conquest of Greece by the Romans, the provincial officials appointed by Rome were called archons.
Continuation of the history of the archons after Hellas
But what are archons in time and historical perspective? As mentioned above, in ancient Athens this is the position of the ruler and the highest officials of the policy, at first hereditary, but later becoming elective. However, do not forget that the heiress of Rome and Hellas also had archons, however, the meaning of this word was slightly different from the original.
Byzantine archons
In the history of Byzantium under thisthe concept meant the upper strata of society: both the laity and, in the late Byzantine period, the clergy. However, it is known that the emperor and the ecumenical patriarch were not among them, which was a rather unusual phenomenon. Archons were sometimes opposed to the people and served as a synonym for the ruling class. Interestingly, their rights and obligations, as well as their position in the social hierarchy of society, were not completely unambiguous and regulated by the state. As a consequence of this precarious and ambiguous position, case law has been applied to the archonots.
Guilty or not?
According to some historians, the history of Byzantium shows that part of the fall of the empire was connected precisely with the activities of the archons. According to them, although this elite was distinguished by its commonality and a single direction of action, it was still non-monolithic, fragmented and had internal strife. Squabbles and squabbles were most clearly manifested in those moments that concerned relations with our Western neighbors. The source of the contradictions was a radically different attitude towards the union. The apotheosis of such contradictions was the clash at the Ferrara-Florence Cathedral.
In the early history of Byzantium, the rulers of states (archonty) were called archons, which had varying degrees of dependence on the empire. It is noteworthy that their wives were called archontisses, that is, they also became representatives of a separate social class.
Introduction of new positions
Later, the emperors used the practice of Athens and created a systemposts. Among them, the following stood out: the archon of allagia (commander of the Byzantine army), the archon of Vlattia (the head of the sovereign workshop, which produced and processed the most valuable fabrics), the archon of s alt (the head of the imperial s alt works, whose duties included control over the extraction and sale of s alt). Also, in relation to some rulers of neighboring states, the title "archon of archons", or "king of kings", was used, which was used to ex alt them over the rest. From historical sources that have come down to us, it is known that three kings of Armenia had such a title, which showed their supremacy among the powers of Transcaucasia.
After the destruction of the empire, archons began to be called representatives of the Orthodox clergy, who led the Greek communities not only in spiritual, but also in secular society under the rule of the Turks.
Conclusion
Let's look at what archons are, based on the data that we already have and that were presented in the article. In view of all of the above, we can say with confidence that this is the Greek position of the highest official with specific functions in the Athenian state. The archons of Athens formed the government of the ancient Greek polis until the Roman conquest. In the Byzantine Empire, at first, this term served as a name for local rulers who recognized the emperor as their overlord in one way or another. Subsequently, under the name of archons, the highest stratum of the subjects of Byzantium was formed. Among them were not only laymen, but also clergymen.
At the same time, the position of archon was also used directly at the imperial court, as well as in the foreign policy of Byzantium in relation to neighboring states. Ashot I, Smbat I and Ashot II received the position of archon as recognition of their states as dominant in the Transcaucasian region. Later, after the destruction of Byzantium, the title of archon began to denote the ecclesiastical nobility.
