PRỸTĂNEIUM (πρυτανεῖον), the public hall or town-hall in a Greek
state. The _prytaneia_ of the ancient Greek states and cities were
to the communities living around them, what private houses were to
the families which occupied them. Just as the house of each family
was its home, so was the _prytaneium_ of every state or city the
common home of its members or inhabitants. This correspondence
between the _prytaneium_ or home of the city, and the private home of
a man’s family, was at Athens very remarkable. A perpetual fire was
kept burning on the public altar of the city in the prytaneium, just
as in private houses a fire was kept up on the domestic altar in the
inner court of the house. Moreover, the city of Athens exercised in
its prytaneium the duties of hospitality, both to its own citizens
and to strangers. Thus foreign ambassadors were entertained here,
as well as Athenian envoys, on their return home from a successful
or well-conducted mission. Here, too, were entertained from day to
day the successive prytanes or presidents of the senate, together
with those citizens who, whether from personal or ancestral services
to the state, were honoured with what was called the σίτησις ἐν
πρυτανείῳ, or the privilege of taking their meals there at the public
cost. This was granted sometimes for a limited period, sometimes
for life, in which latter case the parties enjoying it were called
ἀείσιτοι. Moreover, from the ever-burning fire of the prytaneium, or
home of a mother state, was carried the sacred fire which was to be
kept burning in the prytaneia of her colonies; and if it happened
that this was ever extinguished, the flame was rekindled from the
prytaneium of the parent city. Lastly, a prytaneium was also a
distinguishing mark of an independent state. The prytaneium of Athens
lay under the Acropolis on its northern side (near the ἀγορά), and
was, as its name denotes, originally the place of assembly of the
_prytanes_; in the earliest times it probably stood on the Acropolis.
Officers called _prytanes_ (πρυτανεῖς) were entrusted with the chief
magistracy in several states of Greece, as Corcyra, Corinth, Miletus.
At Athens they were in early times probably a magistracy of the
second rank in the state (next to the archon), acting as judges in
various cases (perhaps in conjunction with him), and sitting in the
prytaneium. That this was the case is rendered probable by the fact,
that even in after-times the fees paid into court by plaintiff and
defendant, before they could proceed to trial, and received by the
dicasts, were called _prytaneia_.