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 only remotely resembling that which was originally assigned to it. Moreover, due to the spread in mass culture and consciousness, the concept of "archon" completely lost part of its semantic meaning.
In the article we will try to figure out what to correctly put into 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 most the concept of "archon" is associated with a representative of the clergy, while the original meaning of this word was completely turned to worldly life.
Game option: how close is it to reality
Perhaps many 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 of peace. Even in the Star Craft series of games, the race of aliens, protoss, has a special warrior who is a combination of souls of two Templars and is called an archon. His appearance on the battlefield inspires awe and awe. At the same time, the archon can be found in the XCOM series, where he is represented by the creation of aliens, an overseer of people.
Naturally, this option can only conditionally be considered a synonym for the original concept, which was designated by the word "archon". Here the synonymy is so arbitrary that a person who does not know the source can begin to misinterpret this concept.
What are archons from a position of history
From ancient Greek this word is translated as "chief", "ruler", "head". That is what the rulers of Athens were called. It is noteworthy that it was after the death of King Kodra that the ancient Greek city policy of his leaders bestowed this title. It was a kind of analogue of the word "king." That is, the laws of the archon Codre were so important for the prosperity of the state that the subjects decided to keep this title as a tribute to their ruler.
At first, the archon title was owned by three persons - the eponym (he held the executive branch in his hands), the basileus (who was in charge of the cult of the Greek gods and was rather a religious figure) and the polemarch (commander of the Athenian forces, in charge of all the military affairs of the city-state).
However, in the future, the ancient Greek policy introduced six more Archon posts, which were called "Tesmotets," or "Themotsets."
Their duties included the annual review of laws, the search for contradictions in the legislation, some judicial and also all other functions that did not fall under the jurisdiction of the first three archons.
The first archons of royal blood
Initially, only Codridas, relatives and descendants of King Codre, could become archons, later on they were allowed to assume the post of Attian aristocracy - the Eupatids. Reforms of Solon allowed to become archons not only of the aristocracy, but also to all other sections of the population, except the poor.
The first archon was the son of King Kodra - Medont. Starting from him, the title was passed from father to son and was life-long.
Over time, the freedom-loving and democratic Athenians cut back on the power and tenure of the archons. So, after some time, the reign was limited to ten years, and after another hundred years, the archon could rule only a year. After the conquest of Greece by the Romans, the archons were called provincial officials appointed by Rome.
Continuation of the history of archons after Hellas
But what are archons in the temporal and historical perspective? As mentioned above, in ancient Athens, this is the position of ruler and high officialdom of the policy, initially hereditary, but later became elected. 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, this concept was used to mean the upper strata of society: both laity and the late Byzantine period clergy. However, it is known that the emperor and the Ecumenical Patriarch were not included in their number, which was a rather unusual occurrence. 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 fragile and controversial situation, case law was used in relation to the archonots .
Guilty or not?
According to some historians, the history of Byzantium shows that in part the fall of the empire was connected precisely with the activities of the archons. According to their judgments, this elite, although it was distinguished by commonality and a single direction of actions, was nevertheless non-monolithic, fragmented and had internal divisions. Squabbles and squabbles were most clearly manifested in those moments that concerned relations with 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 Ferraro-Florentine Cathedral.
In the early history of Byzantium, archons were called rulers of states (archontias), 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 posts
Later emperors used the practice of Athens and created a system of posts. 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 salt (the head of the imperial salt factory, whose duties included control over the extraction and sale of salt). Also, with respect to some rulers of neighboring states, the title "archon of the archons" or "king of kings" was used, which was used to exalt them over the others. From historical sources that have come down to us, it is known that the three kings of Armenia possessed such a title, which showed their leadership among the powers of the Transcaucasus.
After the destruction of the empire, the archons began to name the representatives of the Orthodox clergy who led the Greek communities not only in the spiritual, but also in secular society under the rule of the Turks.
Conclusion
Let's look at what archons are, relying on the data that we already have and which were presented in the article. Given all of the above, we can say with confidence that this is a Greek position of senior official with specific functions under the Athenian state. The archons of Athens formed the government of the ancient Greek policy until the Roman conquest. In the Byzantine Empire, at first this term served as a name for local rulers who recognized their overlord as emperor to one degree or another. Subsequently, under the name of the Archons, the upper layer of Byzantine subjects formed. Among them were many not only laymen, but also clergymen.
At the same time, the post of archon was 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 post 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 church nobility.