Strateia en tois eponymois


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Strateia en tois eponymois: Aeschines in De false legatione. (1) Aristotle explains in the Athenaion Politeia what a campaign en tois eponymois was.(2) He writes: "There are ten eponymous heroes of the tribes and forty-two of the age-groups.(3) Formerly the names of the ephebes who were being enrolled were inscribed on whitened tablets, and above their names were written those of the archon in whose year they were enrolled and the eponymous hero who in the previous year. Now, however, they are inscribed before the boule." (4) A little later (5) Aristotle writes: "They use the eponymous heroes also for campaigns. When they send out an age-group they indicate who is to serve by writing the names of the eponymous archons (6) of the youngest and oldest age-groups being called up."


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Notes:

1.Aeschin. 2.168.

2.Ath. Pol. 53.4.

3. In other words, citizen males were eligible for military service for forty-two years, from the ages of eighteen to fifty-nine.

4. Ath. Pol. 53.4 is more clear: the names are inscribed on a bronze stele which is set up in front of the bouleuterion.

5. Ath. Pol. 53.7.

6. Ath. Pol. 53.7 explains that the age-groups were identified by both archon and eponymous hero.


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