thesmothetai

Japanese: thesmothetai

...the archon, whose name became the custom for the Athenian calendar year, played a key role in politics as the head of the state until the first half of the 5th century BC. In addition to the three archon positions, from the first half of the 7th century BC, six thesmothetai, who were in charge of law, were appointed, and thus the broader archonship of nine people was established. From among these experienced archons, an aristocratic council was chosen for life, and since the place of meeting was the Areopagus (the hill of Ares, the god of war) located west of the Acropolis, it came to be called the Areopagus Council, and it became the base of aristocratic rule until the middle of the 5th century BC. ...

From the trial:

… In Athens, where the historical records are the richest, under the aristocracy that formed the polis in the mid-8th century BC, the Areopagus, the stronghold of the city, was responsible for upholding the law and had the power to punish and fine anyone who violated the law. Not much is known about the courts other than that they tried murders, but it is assumed that nine archons were assigned cases, and six of them, thesmothetai (meaning "legislators"), were said to have been chosen to record the laws and preserve them for the adjudication of disputes between disputants. Dracon, who codified the existing customary law, distinguished between intentional and unintentional murder, and limited the idea of unconditional "blood revenge." …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "thesmothetai" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…その人の名でアテナイの暦年が呼ばれるならわしとなったアルコンは，国家の筆頭職として，こののち前5世紀前半まで政治的に重きをなした。アルコンなどの三役に加えて，前7世紀前半から法律担当の6人のテスモテタイthesmothetaiが任ぜられるようになり，ここに9人から成る広義のアルコン職が成立する。これらアルコン職の経験者のなかから任期終身の貴族政的評議会が選ばれ，その集会の場がアクロポリスの西につらなるアレオパゴス(アレイオス･パゴス，軍神アレスの丘)であったところからアレオパゴス会議と呼ばれて，以後，前5世紀半ばまで貴族支配の拠点となった。…

【裁判】より

…　史料の最も豊かなアテナイについて見ると，前8世紀中葉ポリスを形成した貴族政のもとでは，その牙城たるアレオパゴス会議が法律擁護の任に当たり，法律を乱すものにはことごとく懲罰を加え罰金を科する権能をもっていた。裁判については当会議が謀殺を裁いたこと以外はよく分からないが，9人のアルコンも担当事件を割り当てられていたと推測され，その中の6人のテスモテタイthesmothetai(〈立法家〉の意)は，掟を記録して係争者間の問題の裁決に備えて保存するために選ばれたと伝えられている。従来の慣習法を成文化したドラコンは，有意･無意の殺人を区別し，無条件の〈血の復讐〉の観念に制限を加えた。…

※「thesmothetai」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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