Παρατηρήσεις επί των αρμοδιοτήτων των αστυνόμων στις ελληνικές πόλεις
Part of : Εγνατία ; No.13, 2009, pages 9-21
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9-21
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Remarks on the functions of astynomoi in the Greek cities
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Ιστορία
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The duties of the astynomoi in the Greek cities are mainly known from the astynomic law of Pergamum (OGIS 483) and from the information provided by Aristotle’s Athenaion Politela (50, 2) and Politics (1321b 18-23). Since all these texts emphasize the role of the astynomoi in the enforcement of regulations (eukosmia) concerning urban roads and buildings, this has been largely considered by modern historians as their main function, although sometimes their presence in other aspects of public life is also noticed. Within this framework, a recently published inscription from the territory of Histiaia in Northern Euboea may be the starting point for a réévaluation of the subject.This inscription, dated to the 1st century B.C., records the dedication of a female slave to the local sanctuary of Apollo. This «sacral manumission» is specifically stated to have taken place in the presence of one member of the collegium of archontes and one member of the collegium of astynomoi respectively. As there are no other similar inscriptions from Euboea, there is no way of knowing if in this case the astynomos performed a duty regularly assigned to him or was invited to do so by the parties involved in the «sacral manumission», that is the dedicator and the priests of Apollo. However, it is clear that his presence was due to his official capacity, as a representative of the civic authorities, placing the manumission and its legal results (the new status of the manumitted-dedicated slave and the rights of the sanctuary) under public regulation and protection. Likewise, the well known list of sales from Tenos (IG XII 5, 782) dated to the late 4th or the early 3rd century B.C., testifies to the registration of landed property transactions at the local astynomoi, who, consequently, kept and published an annual official record. Similar duties are also highlighted by Isaeus’ On Cleonymus Estate. According to this speech Cleonymus had deposited his testament for safekeeping in the office of the astynomoi and right before he died he had called one of them to bring back the relevant document so that he could effect certain alterations. What is of interest here is precisely the fact that a citizen appealed to the astynomoi in order to ensure the content and the validity of a legal transaction. Thus, taken together the above mentioned testimonies point out that the certification, registration and protection of private transactions could be considered as a particular dimension of the astynomoi s overall duties. After all, the astynomia was generally conceived as a civic service very similar to the agoranomia, the latter’s mission being —among other things— to supervise private contracts and transactions (see e.g. Aristotle, Politics 1321b 12-13).Another group of testimonies reveal the role of the astynomoi in judicial procedures. The well known 4th century B.C. decree concerning the export of ruddle from Keos to Athens assigned to the astynomoi of Koresia the responsibility of receiving denunciations and initiate special legal procedures (the phasis and the endeixis) against the violators of the regulations (IG II2112811. 16-18). Two inscriptions from Delos, one dated to the middle 3rd century B.C. (IG XI4,1296) and the other a little before the end of independence (SEG XLIX (1999) 1431) indicate that it was the duty of the astynomoi to receive denunciations regarding the theft and the escape of slaves from the estates belonging to Apollo. In both these cases the role of the astynomoi was to ensure the protection of public goods not related with urban infrastructure. Furthermore, the distance between protecting goods and protecting persons was not too great. According to the 4th century B.C. treaty of isopoliteia between Keos and Histiaia (/G XII 5, 594) the astynomoi (along with other civic magistrates) were responsible to see that the citizens of Histiaia coming to the island could in fact exercise their legal rights.This is not of course to suggest any fundamental change in the core of the astynomoi’s duties. It is characteristic that in the late Hellenistic and Imperial period the astynomoi are often recorded to have financed the construction or repair of public buildings and statues. This particular aspect of astynomic euergetism clearly shows in which civic spheres the intervention of the astynomoi was expected. However, the above mentioned testimonies lead to the conclusion that their competence could also include other aspects of public life, which were extended beyond the good order of roads and buildings but were at the same time directly related to the concept of eukosmia, in the sense of securing rights, legal transactions and public goods. Since there was no strict division of power among the civic magistrates of the Greek cities, it was always possible for an official to perform duties typically included in other administrative fields. Consequently, the astynomoi could correspond in various and different needs not only of the polis but of its citizens as well.
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