← Aristotle

Constitution of the Athenians

§45-46

Limits of Council's Judicial Power and Its Duties

Explains the historical reduction of the Council's judicial powers (establishing the right of appeal to the court) and its role in preliminary decrees (probouleuma), as well as its administrative duties in building triremes and inspecting public works.

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​XLV. ἡ δὲ βουλὴ πρότερον μὲν ἦν κυρία καὶ χρήμασιν ζημιῶσαι καὶ δῆσαι καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι. καὶ Λυσίμαχον αὐτῆς ἀγαγούσης1 ὡς τὸν δήμιον καθήμενον ἤδη μέλλοντα ἀποθνῄσκειν Εὐμηλίδης ὁ Ἀλωπεκῆθεν ἀφείλετο, 2 πλειστας L*, corr. L 4 3 τα e gramm. add. K-W (v. testim.) σφραγειδα L 4 τοῦτον] τ’ add. K-W, S. 5 κελευη L 6 καστης L*, ε suprascr. L 3? 8 ευκοσμιαν L*, corr. L 4 9 δεὶ χρηματίζειν] ita L*; post χΡ., δει κ(αι) suprascr. L 4 unde χρηματίζειν δεῖ K-W 10 κρεινουσιν L*, corr. L 4 τ’ del. Bl., K-W, S.; ante ἄλλα ins. K-W 11 πλειον L, πλέον H-L (cf. p. 35,13) τω ενιαυτων L*, corr. L 4; post tco προ scr. L*, sed corr. inter scribendum 13 δεκαιδεκαρχαι- L, δεκ alt. del. S, cett. 14 τη εκκλησια L εν L*, corr. L 4 14. 15 τω δημω δοκη L 15 8 om. L*, suprascr. L 4? μετατατην L πρυτανεξοντες L*, corr. L 4? ευσημεια L*, corr. L* 19 αποθνησκειν L Ευμηλειδης L; corr. sec. Att. inscr. plerasque K-W, cett. Αλωπεθηκεν L οὐ φάσκων δεῖν ἄνευ δικαστηρίου γνώσεως οὐδένα τῶν πολιτῶν ἀποθνῄσκειν· καὶ κρίσεως ἐν δικαστηρίῳ γενομένης ὁ μὲν Λυσίμαχος ἀπέφυγεν καὶ ἐπωνυμίαν ἔσχεν ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ τυπάνου2, ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἀφείλετο τῆς βουλῆς τὸ θανατοῦν καὶ δεῖν καὶ χρήμασιν ζημιοῦν, καὶ νόμον ἔθετο, ἄν τινος ἀδικεῖν ἡ βουλὴ καταγνῷ ἢ ζημιώσῃ, τὰς καταγνώσεις καὶ τὰς ἐπιζημιώσεις εἰσάγειν τοὺς θεσμοθέτας εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον, καὶ ὅ τι ἂν· οἱ δικασταὶ ψηφίσωνται, τοῦτο κύριον εἰναι. κρίνει δὲ | τὰς ἀρχὰς ἡ βουλὴ τὰς πλείστας, καὶ μάλισθ’ ὅσαι χρήματα διαχειρίζουσιν· οὐ κυρία δ’ ἡ κρίσις, ἀλλ’ ἐφέσιμος εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον. ἔξεστι δὲ τοῖς ἰδιώταις εἰσαγγέλλειν ἣν ἂν βούλωνται τῶν ἀρχῶν μὴ χρῆσθαι τοῖς νόμοις· ἔφεσις δὲ καὶ τούτοις ἐστὶν εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον ἐὰν αὐτῶν ἡ βουλὴ καταγνῷ. δοκιμάζει δὲ καὶ τοὺς βουλευτὰς τοὺς τὸν ὕστρον ἐνιαυτὸν βουλεύσοντας καὶ τοὺς ἐννέα ἄρχοντας. καὶ πρότερον μὲν ἦν ἀποδοκιμάσαι κυρία, νῦν δὲ τούτοις ἔφεσίς ἐστιν εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον. τούτων μὲν οὖν ἄκυρός ἐστιν ἡ βουλή· προβουλεύει δ’ εἰς τὸν δῆμον, καὶ οὐκ ἔξεστιν οὐδὲν ἀπροβούλευτον οὐδ’ ὅ τι ἂν μὴ προγράψωσιν οἱ πρυτάνεις ψηφίσασθαι τῷ δήμῳ· κατ’ αὐτὰ τὰp. ταῦτα3 ἔνοχός ἐστιν ὁ νικήσας γραφῃ παρανομων.

​XLV. The Council previously had the sovereign power both to fine, to imprison, and to put to death. And when the Council led Lysimachus to the executioner, and when he was already sitting and about to die, Eumelides of Alopeke rescued him, asserting that no citizen ought to die without a verdict of a court. And when a trial was held in the court, Lysimachus was acquitted and received the nickname "the one from the plank." Thereupon the people deprived the Council of the power to put to death, to imprison, and to fine, and passed a law that, if the Council finds anyone guilty of an offense or imposes a fine, the thesmothetai shall bring the convictions and the fines before the court, and whatever the jurors vote shall be sovereign. The Council examines most of the magistrates, and especially those who handle funds; but its judgment is not sovereign, but subject to appeal to the court. And it is permitted for private individuals to impeach whichever of the magistrates they wish for not complying with the laws; and for these too there is an appeal to the court if the Council convicts them. The Council also examines the councilors who are to serve for the following year, and the nine archons. Previously it had the sovereign power to reject them, but now these have an appeal to the court. In these matters, therefore, the Council is not sovereign; but it prepares preliminary business for the people, and it is not permitted for the people to vote on anything that has not been prepared beforehand, nor on anything that the prytaneis have not posted in the program. Any proposer who passes a resolution in violation of these very rules is liable to a prosecution for illegal proposals.

​XLVI. ἐπιμελεῖται δὲ καὶ τῶν πεποιημένων τριήρων καὶ τῶν σκευῶν καὶ τῶν νεωσοίκων, καὶ ποιεῖται καινὰς [δὲ] τριήρεις ἢ τετρήρεις, ἂν ὁ δῆμος χειροτονήσῃ, καὶ σκεύη ταύταις καὶ νεωσοίκους· χειροτονεῖ δ’ ἀρχιτέκτονας ὁ δῆμος ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς. ἂν δὲ μὴ παραδῶσιν ἐξειργασμένα ταῦτα τῇ νέᾳ βουλῇ, τὴν δωρεὰν οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς λαβεῖν· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῆς ὕστερον βουλῆς λαμβάνουσιν. | ποιεῖται δὲ τὰς τριήρεις, δέκα ἄνδρας ἐξ αὐ[τῆς] ἑλομένη4 τριηροποιούς. ἐξετάζει δὲ καὶ τὰ οἰκοδομήματα τὰ δημόσια πάντα, κἄν τις ἀδικεῖν αὐτῇ δόξῃ, τῷ τε δήμῳ τοῦτον [ἀπ]οφαίνει καὶ καταγνόντος παραδίδωσι δικαστηρίω.

​XLVI. The Council also takes care of the built triremes, their equipment, and the docks, and builds new triremes or quadriremes, if the people so vote by show of hands, and equipment for these and docks; and the people elect by show of hands the master-builders for the ships. If they do not hand these over completed to the new Council, they cannot receive their customary gift; for they receive it during the subsequent Council's term. The Council builds the triremes, having chosen ten men from its own number as trireme-builders. It also inspects all public buildings, and if anyone seems to it to be guilty of wrongdoing, it reports him to the people, and when the people have found him guilty, it delivers him to the court.

Syntax notes4 items
  1. §p.49αὐτῆς ἀγαγούσης

    Genitive absolute, where the pronoun `αὐτῆς` refers to the preceding `ἡ βουλὴ` (the Council) as its subject: "when the Council led (him) away".

  2. §p.49ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ τυπάνου

    Meaning "the one from the plank." `τύπανον` (or `τύμπανον`) refers to the wooden plank used for securing or beating condemned criminals to death, and this phrase serves as Lysimachus' nickname (`επωνυμία`) after being rescued from it.

  3. §p.49κατ’ αὐτὰ ταῦτα

    Meaning "in accordance with these very (rules)." It refers to the preceding regulations prohibiting the assembly from voting on any matter without a preliminary decree (probouleuma) or proper notice, making any proposer who passes such a resolution liable to a prosecution for illegal proposals (graphe paranomon).

  4. §25ἑλομένη

    A feminine singular nominative participle (middle aorist), agreeing with the subject `ἡ βουλὴ` (the Council): "having chosen for itself."

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg003.humanitext-grc1:45-46