Prytane

In the Athenian democracy, starting from the isonomic revolution of Clisthène, the Prytanes (οἱ πρυτάνεις), resulting from the five hundred elected officials of the Ball, exerts a central political role, but their capacity is limited. They assume the missions of organization and framing of the work of the institutions.

Composition

The Boulè is made up of 500 Bouleutes, 50 per tribe. The 50 delegated each tribe collectively exert during one the ten months of the Athenian year (thirty-six days) the magistrature of prytanes (οἱ πρυτάνεις): it is the Prytanie (ἡ πρυτανεία) of their tribe.

Daily life

Prytanes resident day and night, adapted, placed and nourished by the city, in a contiguous building with the Bouleuterion: the Academy (τό Πρυτανεῖον). They are thus able to enter during the meeting constantly. This public building shelters also the citizens whom the city wishes to distinguish from its honors, like its famous guests (ambassadors for example).

Attributions

The prytanes excercent near the Boulè (the Council) and of the Ecclésia (the assembly of the citizens) a whole of administrative and religious roles:

the prytanes can convene during the meeting the Boulê to discuss and write the probouleumata (προβούλευμα), private bills to be subjected to the Ecclésia.

They prepare and organize the session of the Ecclésia (at least a session must take place by prytanie):

convocation of the citizens (dispersed on the territory of the Attic)
access control to the Pnyx (the hill dedicated to the government)
monitoring of the course of the debates
in V° century, calculation of the votes (to the IV° century, this role is finally allotted to the Proèdre S which are drawn with the fate among the members from the nine other tribes).

They maintain fire crowned the city in the Tholos (ἡ θόλος), a flame which should never die out. The monitoring of this building is entrusted each day to the members of same a Trittye.

One of these prytanes, drawn with the fate, exerts during one day the function of épistate (ὁ ἐπιστάτης), i.e. President of the Council (in practice the Head of the State, the Archonte S having seen being able to them to decrease) and Minister of Justice (seal of the city, key of the treasure, key of the temples). It directs work of the Ball and chairs the meeting of the Ecclésia. This function was not purely honorary, since a graph para nomon (ἡ γραφή παρά νόμων) could be carried out against the epistate (see Boulè).

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