basileus

…the kingship survived in the basileus, who, as chief religious officer, presided over the Areopagus (aristocratic council) when it sat as a homicide court. Lastly there were six thesmotetai (“determiners of custom”), who dealt with miscellaneous judicial problems.

…and succession, the “king” (archōn basileus) over religious matters (including murder), the thesmothetai (“determiners of customs”) and others over the rest. A special jurisdiction was that of the polemarchos (literally, “general”) over the metics (resident aliens). The trial competence of the dicasteries rested on the principle, first introduced within…

…oppressively exercised, by basileis (singular basileus). That word is usually translated as “kings,” and such titles as the Athenian basileus (an official, or archon, with a defined religious competence, conveniently but less correctly called the archon basileus by modern scholars) are then explained as survivals of an age of monarchy.…