Törvényőrök a Kr. e. 5. századi Athénban
Guardians of the Law in Athens in the 5th century BC. Notes to the History of Ephialtes’ Reforms.

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyses a short account by the Athenian historian Philochoros – summarized in the Lexicon Cantabrigiense (FGrHist 328 F 64) – about a board of guardians of the law, or nomophylakes. According to the Lexicon this body was set up in the mid-fifth century in order to compel the magistrates to observe the laws, its members participated in the assembly and the council with the aim of preventing the enactment of anything deemed disadvantageous for the polis or unlawful. That the nomophylakes really existed in the midfifth century has long been debated. Citing philological arguments, historians either reject or accept the authenticity of the account of the Lexicon Cantabrigiense. These philological discussions, however, do not bring us closer to whether this body functioned or not. In my view, acceptance or rejection of the nomophylakes’ existence after Ephialtes’ reform is rather a matter of historical probabilities. Therefore it seems more adequate to examine whether Philochoros’ guardians of the law can be integrated into the history of Ephialtes’ reform. On the basis of this historical standpoint, I make an attempt to demonstrate that the body of the nomophylakes emerged from an agreement of the two opposing political parties, inheriting certain functions of the Areiospagos after Ephialtes’ reform.

• Details
• Contents