A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

Method of
filling the
archonship.
lb. 8.
Here Aristotle
seems to be
wrong; it
seems certain
that the
archons were
elected till
287 B.C.; see
ch. 22.
The tribes,
trittyes, and
naucraries.
The council
of the Areopagus.
128 Athens
The zeugitae were those who produced two hundred
measures of both kinds, and the rest were thetes, who had
no right to any magistracy. Hence even now when the
question is asked of one who is to be taken by lot for any
office, what census class he belongs to, no one answers
the thetic.
The archonship he caused to be filled by lot from nominees
whom the tribes severally selected. Each tribe chose
ten nominees for the archonships and lots were drawn
from them; hence even now remains the custom for the
tribes to draw severally by lot ten candidates, from whom
the archons are then appointed by lot. A proof that he
caused them to be taken by lot
from the census classes
is the law which they continue even now to use concerning
the treasurers; it prescribes that they be appointed by
lot from the pentacosiomedimni. Thus Solon legislated
regarding the nine archons, whereas in the original form
of constitution the council of the Areopagus had called
up men and of its own judgment had assigned them according
to their qualifications to the several offices for
the year. There were four tribes as before and four tribekings.
From the several tribes were formed three trittyes,
with twelve naucraries to each. Over the naucraries
were established as a magistracy, the naucrars, having
charge of the current receipts and expenditures. In the
laws of Solon, therefore, which they no longer use, it is
often written that the naucrars shall pay into and expend
from the naucraric fund. He constituted further a council
of four hundred, a hundred from each tribe; and he
assigned the council of the Areopagus to the duty of protecting
the laws, just as formerly it was guardian of the
constitution.
In fact it continued to supervise in addition
the most numerous and most important administrative