The Complete Aristotle (eng.)

the
Archon has no part in the ancestral sacrifices, as the King and the
Polemarch have, but exclusively in those of later origin. So it is
only at a comparatively late date that the office of Archon has
become of great importance, through the dignity conferred by these
later additions. The Thesmothetae were many years afterwards, when
these offices had already become annual, with the object that they
might publicly record all legal decisions, and act as guardians of
them with a view to determining the issues between litigants.
Accordingly their office, alone of those which have been mentioned,
was never of more than annual duration.
    Such, then, is the relative chronological precedence of these
offices. At that time the nine Archons did not all live together.
The King occupied the building now known as the Boculium, near the
Prytaneum, as may be seen from the fact that even to the present
day the marriage of the King’s wife to Dionysus takes place there.
The Archon lived in the Prytaneum, the Polemarch in the Epilyceum.
The latter building was formerly called the Polemarcheum, but after
Epilycus, during his term of office as Polemarch, had rebuilt it
and fitted it up, it was called the Epilyceum. The Thesmothetae
occupied the Thesmotheteum. In the time of Solon, however, they all
came together into the Thesmotheteum. They had power to decide
cases finally on their own authority, not, as now, merely to hold a
preliminary hearing. Such then was the arrangement of the
magistracies. The Council of Areopagus had as its constitutionally
assigned duty the protection of the laws; but in point of fact it
administered the greater and most important part of the government
of the state, and inflicted personal punishments and fines
summarily upon all who misbehaved themselves. This was the natural
consequence of the facts that the Archons were elected under
qualifications of birth and wealth, and that the Areopagus was
composed of those who had served as Archons; for which latter
reason the membership of the Areopagus is the only office which has
continued to be a life-magistracy to the present day.
4
    Such was, in outline, the first constitution, but not very long
after the events above recorded, in the archonship of Aristaichmus,
Draco enacted his ordinances. Now his constitution had the
following form. The franchise was given to all who could furnish
themselves with a military equipment. The nine Archons and the
Treasurers were elected by this body from persons possessing an
unencumbered property of not less than ten minas, the less
important officials from those who could furnish themselves with a
military equipment, and the generals [Strategi] and commanders of
the cavalry [Hipparchi] from those who could show an unencumbered
property of not less than a hundred minas, and had children born in
lawful wedlock over ten years of age. These officers were required
to hold to bail the Prytanes, the Strategi, and the Hipparchi of
the preceding year until their accounts had been audited, taking
four securities of the same class as that to which the Strategi and
the Hipparchi belonged. There was also to be a Council, consisting
of four hundred and one members, elected by lot from among those
who possessed the franchise. Both for this and for the other
magistracies the lot was cast among those who were over thirty
years of age; and no one might hold office twice until every one
else had had his turn, after which they were to cast the lot
afresh. If any member of the Council failed to attend when there
was a sitting of the Council or of the Assembly, he paid a fine, to
the amount of three drachmas if he was a Pentacosiomedimnus, two if
he was a Knight, and One if he was a Zeugites. The Council of
Areopagus was guardian of the laws, and kept watch over the
magistrates to see that they executed their offices in accordance
with the laws. Any person who felt himself wronged might lay an
information before the Council of Areopagus, on declaring what law
was broken by the wrong done to him. But, as has been said before,
loans were secured upon the persons of the debtors, and the land
was in the hands of a few.
5
    Since such, then, was the organization of the constitution, and
the many were in slavery to the few, the people rose against the
upper class. The strife was keen, and for a long time the two
parties were ranged in hostile camps against one another, till at
last, by common consent, they appointed Solon to be mediator and
Archon, and