Archon Basileus (Greek: Ἄρχων Βασιλεύς) was a Greek title, meaning 'king magistrate': the term is derived the words archon "magistrate" and basileus "king" or "sovereign".
In classical Athens, the Archon Basileus was the last remnant of monarchy. Although much of his powers had been filtered away to other institutions such as the Areopagus and later the Boule and Ecclesia, he still nominally held a high position in Athenian society, alongside the Eponymous Archon and Polemarch. The Archon Basileus was charged with overseeing the organisation of religious rites.
Originally the Archon Basileus was elected from the Athenian aristocracy every ten years. After 683 BC, the office was only held for a year, and after Solon's reforms, he was elected from the wealthiest Athenians (the Pentakosiomedimnoi (Πεντακοσιομέδιμνοι), "500-bushel men", rather than the Eupatridae, the aristocractic families). After 487 BC, the Archonships were assigned by lot.
It is believed the Basileus Archon's wife, the Basilinna, had to marry to and have sex with the god Dionysos during a festival at the Boukoleion in Athens, to ensure the city's safety.[1] It is uncertain how this was enacted. However, this was an important role for a woman who, according to Plutarch and Solon, were otherwise confined to the house and of little importance. During antiquity, women in Greece served as priestesses at deity oracles such as at Delphi.
References
- ^ Stanton, p. 7.
Sources
- Stanton, G.R. Athenian Politics c.800-500 B.C.: A Sourcebook. London and New York: Routledge, 1990.
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