The Archon, the King, and the Polemarch have each two assessors,
nominated by themselves. These officers are examined in the lawcourt
before they begin to act, and give in accounts on each occasion of
their acting.
As soon as the Archon enters office, he begins by issuing a
proclamation that whatever any one possessed before he entered into
office, that he shall possess and hold until the end of his term. Next
he assigns Choregi to the tragic poets, choosing three of the richest
persons out of the whole body of Athenians. Formerly he used also to
assign five Choregi to the comic poets, but now the tribes provide the
Choregi for them. Then he receives the Choregi who have been appointed
by the tribes for the men's and boys' choruses and the comic poets at
the Dionysia, and for the men's and boys' choruses at the Thargelia (at
the Dionysia there is a chorus for each tribe, but at the Thargelia one
between two tribes, each tribe bearing its share in providing it); he
transacts the exchanges of properties for them, and reports any excuses
that are tendered, if any one says that he has already borne this
burden, or that he is exempt because he has borne a similar burden and
the period of his exemption has not yet expired, or that he is not of
the required age; since the Choregus of a boys' chorus must be over
forty years of age. He also appoints Choregi for the festival at Delos,
and a chief of the mission for the thirty-oar boat which conveys the
youths thither. He also superintends sacred processions, both that in
honour of Asclepius, when the initiated keep house, and that of the
great Dionysia--the latter in conjunction with the Superintendents of
that festival. These officers, ten in number, were formerly elected by
open vote in the Assembly, and used to provide for the expenses of the
procession out of their private means; but now one is elected by lot
from each tribe, and the state contributes a hundred minas for the
expenses. The Archon also superintends the procession at the Thargelia,
and that in honour of Zeus the Saviour. He also manages the contests at
the Dionysia and the Thargelia.
These, then, are the festivals which he superintends. The suits and
indictments which come before him, and which he, after a preliminary
inquiry, brings up before the lawcourts, are as follows. Injury to
parents (for bringing these actions the prosecutor cannot suffer any
penalty); injury to orphans (these actions lie against their
guardians); injury to a ward of state (these lie against their
guardians or their husbands), injury to an orphan's estate (these too
lie against the guardians); mental derangement, where a party charges
another with destroying his own property through unsoundness of mind;
for appointment of liquidators, where a party refuses to divide
property in which others have a share; for constituting a wardship; for
determining between rival claims to a wardship; for granting inspection
of property to which another party lays claim; for appointing oneself
as guardian; and for determining disputes as to inheritances and wards
of state. The Archon also has the care of orphans and wards of state,
and of women who, on the death of their husbands, declare themselves to
be with child; and he has power to inflict a fine on those who offend
against the persons under his charge, or to bring the case before the
law-courts. He also leases the houses of orphans and wards of state
until they reach the age of fourteen, and takes mortgages on them; and
if the guardians fail to provide the necessary food for the children
under their charge, he exacts it from them. Such are the duties of the
Archon.