IGII31 476 Honours for the presiding committee?

Honours for the presiding committee?

IG II³ 1 476 Date: 326/5-324/3? BC

In the archonship of -, in the - prytany, of -, for which . . . . . . was secretary. On the penultimate day (deuterai met’ eikadas) (5) of -, the - of the prytany. Assembly. [Of the presiding committee (proedrōn)] . . . was putting to the vote. Fellow members of the presiding committee (sumproedroi): . . . . . . Dionysios of K- . . . (10) . . . . . . , Ep- . . . of Alopeke^X. . . . [proposed: since the presiding committee (proedroi)?] . . . (15) . . . . . . . . . presiding committee (proedr-) . . . . . . agenda (programma)^[1] . . . . . . and of the [Assembly?] . . . (20) . . . of the . . . concerning . . . . . . the laws [required of them?] . . . . . . declare (?) . . . . . .

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References:

IG II³ 1 476 (Translated text) (PHI) (IG Online)

IG II² 547 (PHI)

Schwenk, Athens 74

IALD 11 no. 7, 30-32

Translation by: Stephen Lambert

Images: Krateros - (1)

Monument type: Stele?

Inscription type: Decree (Council/People)

Findspot: Athens (EM 7256)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] In 379/8 BC the presiding committee (proedroi), comprising nine members of the Council, one from each tribe except the tribe in prytany, had taken over responsibility for chairing the Council and the Assembly from the Council prytany. According to Ath. Pol. 44.2 the presiding committee were responsible for handling the agenda (programma), mentioned in l. 18. This and other aspects of the wording suggest that the presiding committee were the honorands of this decree, as they were in a decree which is referred to in Hypereides 4 Phil. (338-336 BC; see D. Whitehead, Hypereides [2000], 54). Since the presiding committee was chosen by lot, were in office for one day only, and were typically ordinary Athenians who otherwise made no impact on the historical record, this is a remarkable illustration of the lengths to which the honouring of routine officials went in the last phase of the classical democracy. Like the several decrees honouring state secretaries from this period, it also illustrates a certain reflexive quality to the decrees, with those who were involved in administering their passage through the Assembly and their writing up also being honoured by them. The whole presiding committee also starts to be listed in decree prescripts at this period (first in IG II³ 1, 333 decree 2, of 333/2 BC). Previously only the chairman of the committee was named. For a possible reference to a decree of the proedroi honouring their chairman, see Agora XV 33, crown 12.

Added: 10 Dec 2012
Updated: 11 Sep 2023
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