EUTHȲNĒ (εὐθύνη). All public officers at Athens were accountable for
their conduct and the manner in which they acquitted themselves of
their official duties. The judges in the popular court seem to have
been the only authorities who were not responsible, for they were
themselves the representatives of the people, and would therefore,
in theory, have been responsible to themselves. This account, which
officers had to give after the time of their office was over, was
called εὐθύνη, and the officers subject to it, ὑπεύθυνοι, and after
they had gone through the _euthyne_, they became ἀνεύθυνοι. Every
public officer had to render his account within thirty days after the
expiration of his office, and at the time when he submitted to the
_euthyne_ any citizen had the right to come forward and impeach him.
The officers before whom the accounts were given were at Athens ten
in number, called εὔθυνοι or λογισταί, in other places ἐξετασταί or
συνήγοροι.