Navarque

The navarque (in Greek old ναύαρχος / nauarkhos , of ναῦς / naus , “the boat” and ἀρχή / arkhê , “the command”), literally the “commander of ship”, is the military title given to the captains of war in ancient Greece. With Sparte, it is an important magistrature giving the command of the fleet. But one also finds the navarques ones with Athens.

In Macedonia and in the kingdoms hellenistic, at the Séleucides as at the Lagides the navarque one is the admiral of the fleet. Thus Alexandre Large the is navarque fleet Macedonian with the seat of Tyr.

With Rome, the navarque one is the commander of a Escadron of the fleet.

Without relationship with these military functions, the navarque one is finally also the person in charge of a Liturgie specific to Érétrie and in other cities, the framework of festivals of navigation in the honor of Isis and other Egyptian divinities.

Sparte

In Sparte, the magistrature of navarque was instituted to mitigate the problem of the command: according to the Large Rhêtra, they are the kings who order the troops, but they are not enough any more with the work. Admittedly, of forwardings could be ordered by chiefs who are not kings, but they are usually small campaigns, mobilizing few men.

Starting from 430 av. J. - C., during the Peloponnesian War, the city thus names systematically the navarques ones. They are probably selected by the Parliament on proposal of the éphore S, but not by the kings themselves. The magistrature is annual, and nonrenewable: in 405 av. J. - C., Lysandre is sent only as second in command, the navarque holder being Arakos. The navarque one is seen associating a secretary ( ἐπιστολεύς / epistoleus ), which is its second in command, and a épibate ( ἐπιϐάτης / epibatês ), ordering in third.

Under direct control of the éphores but not of the kings, the navarque one can be relieved constantly, contrary to the kings. This situation often creates a tension between kings and navarque, as between Antalcidas and Agésilas II. Aristote, in the Political , note as well as the navarchie constitutes “almost another royalty” (II, 9,1271a 37-41).

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