phylarchi

PHYLARCHI(φύλαρχοι, φυλάρχαι). In ancient times the tribal system prevailed everywhere in Greece; the Dorians having a threefold, the Ionians a fourfold, division of this kind. [TRIBUS] This institution remained till the latest period, with certain modifications. The phylarchs seem originally to have been the chiefs of the various tribes (φυλαί), whether in peace or war. We have direct proofs that they discharged civil functions, from the case of Epidamnus, a colony of Corcyra. The latter as a Dorian city had the three Dorian tribes, and we may infer that its colony retained them likewise. In earlier times Epidamnus was oligarchic in constitution. The strength of the oligarchy lay in the phylarchs of the three Dorian tribes, and accordingly, when the revolution came, the oligarchic phylarchs were supplanted by a democratic boule (Aristot. Plb. 1301 b, 22). They probably were the same as the πρόβουλοι, whom Aristotle (Aristot. Plb. 1299 b, 31) describes performing under an oligarchy the functions discharged by the boule under a democracy. How many of these phylarchs there were, we have no means of deciding. There were probably several from each tribe, possibly the representatives of the γένη within each tribe. We know that at Ilion each tribe had several phylarchs (C. I. G. 3599). When the phylarchs in the change from oligarchy to democracy lost their important civil functions, they not unnaturally retained a remnant of their military importance. As they were oligarchs they naturally represented that branch of the military organisation which was especially oligarchic, and thus it is that we find them still appearing as the commanders of the cavalry of the tribes. At Athens we do not know how many there were in early times, but probably each of the four old tribes had originally several phylarchs, but subsequently had only one each under the constitution of Solon. When Cleisthenes made his ten new tribes, he increased the number of the phylarchs from four to ten, according to Herodotus (Hdt. 5.19). It has been thought that the historian should have said ten phylarchs instead of the old phylobasileis, who were four in number, one for each of the old tribes (Tittmann, Staatsv. 274-5). But as Herodotus probably identified phylobasileis with phylarchi, there is no difficulty in the passage. Under the constitution of Cleisthenes there were ten phylarchi: one tribe (Pollux, 8.94) commanded the cavalry contingent (100 men) of each tribe. (Cf. αἱ φυλαὶ τῶν ἱππέων, Xen. Hipp. 3, 11.) They were under the control of the two hipparchi. According to Pollux (8.94), they were chosen from each tribe by the archons collectively. This can hardly be regarded as conclusive even on his great authority. It is more probable that they were elected by Cheirotonia, like the strategi, hipparchi, and taxiarchi. As the cavalry were citizens of the two highest classes (pentacosiomedimni and hippeis), we may infer that the phylarchs always belonged to either of these classes. The office also existed at Cyzicus (cf. Inscription in Rev. Arch. 30.93), and is mentioned as next in order after the strategi.

At Methymna likewise each tribe has its φυλάρχης (inscript. in Bull. 4.439). [W.RI]

(Appendix). The surmise that the ten phylarchi were elected by cheirotonia is confirmed by Ath. Plb. 61[see p. 388 b, where a misprint, one tribe commanded the cavalry contingent, should be altered to one phylarch ]. Their examination of the cavalry roll in presence of the βουλή, and in conjunction with the hipparchs, and their register of the vote passed as to the fitness or unfitness of those who pleaded incapacity capacity for service, are mentioned in 100.49.