Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

TRIER ARCHIA.

893

TRIERARCHIA.

only meant as a relief in case of emergency,
when there was not a sufficient number of
wealthy citizens to bear the expense singly.
In the case of a syntrierarchy the two trier-
archs commanded their vessel in turn, six
months each, according as they agreed be-
tween themselves.—The third form of the
trierarchy was connected with, or suggested
by, the syntrierarchy. In is. c. 358, the
Athenians were unable to procure a sufficient
number of legally appointed trierarchs, and
accordingly they summoned volunteers.
This, however, was but a temporary expe-
dient ; and as the actual system was not
adequate to the public wants, they deter-
mined to manage the trierarchy somewhat in
the same way as the property-tax (eisphora),
namely, by classes or symmoriae, according
to the law of Periander passed in b. c. 358,
and which was the primary and original
enactment on the subject. With this view
1200 synteleis (trwreAels) or partners were
appointed, who were probably the wealthiest
individuals of the state, according to the
census or valuation. These were divided into
20 symmoriae (cn;p.p.opiai) or classes ; out of
which a number of persons (o-co/iiaTa) joined
for the equipment or rather the maintenance
and management of a ship, under the title of
a synteleia (crwreAeta) or union. To every
ship there was generally assigned a synteleia
of fifteen persons of different degrees of
wealth, as we may suppose, so that four ships
only were provided for by each symmoria of
sixty persons. It appears, however, that
before Demosthenes carried a new law on
this subject (b. c. 340), it had been customary
for sixteen persons to unite in a synteleia or
company for a ship, who bore the burden in
equal shares. This being the case, it follows
either that the members of the symmoriae
had been by that time raised from 1200 to
1280, or that some alterations had taken
place in their internal arrangements, of which
no account has come down to us. The su-
perintendence of the whole system was in the
hands of the 300 wealthiest members, who
were therefore called the " leaders of the
symmoriae" (^ve/udi/es twi> <rup./Liopia)i>), on
whom the burdens of the trierarchy chiefly
fell, or rather ought to have fallen. The
services performed by individuals under this
system appear to have been the same as be-
fore : the state still provided the ship's
tackle, and the only duty then of the trier-
archs under this system was to keep their
vessels in the same repair and order as they
received them. But even from this they
managed to escape : for the wealthiest mem-
bers, who had to serve for their synteleia,
let out their trierarchies for a talent, and re-

ceived that amount from their partners {crvv
TeAeis), so that in reality they paid next to
nothing, or, at any rate, not what they ought
to have done, considering that the trierarchy
was a ground of exemption from other litur-
gies.—To remedy these abuses Demosthenes
carried a law when he was the im<jTa-rq<; tou
vavTLKov, or the superintendent of the Athe-
nian navy, thereby introducing the Fourth
form of the trierarchy. The provisions of
the law were as follows : The naval services
required from every citizen were to depend
upon and be proportional to his property,
or rather to his taxable capital, as registered
for the symmoriae of the property-tax, the
rate being one trireme for every ten talents
of taxable capital, up to three triremes and
one auxiliary vessel (v7r7)pe'<rioi') for the
largest properties ; i. e. no person, however
rich, could be required to furnish more."
Those who had not ten talents in taxable
capital were to club together in synteleiae
till they had made up that amount. By this
law great changes were effected. All per-
sons paying taxes were rated in proportion
to their property, so that the poor were be-
nefited by it, and the slate likewise : for, as
Demosthenes says, those who had formerly
contributed one-sixteenth to the trierarchy
of one ship were now trierarchs of two, in
which case they must either have served by
proxy, or done duty in successive years. He
adds, that the consequences were highly be-
neficial. We do not know the amount of
property which rendered a man liable to serve
a trierarchy or syntrierarchy, but we read of
no instance of liability arising from a pro-
perty of less value than 500 minae. The ap-
pointment to serve under the first and second
forms of the trierarchy was made by the
strategi, and in case any person was appointed
to serve a trierarchy, and thought that any
one else (not called upon) was better able to
bear it than himself, he offered the latter an
exchange of his property [Antidosis] subject
to the burden of the trierarchy. In cases of
extreme hardship, persons became suppliants
to the people, or fled to the altar of Artemis
at Munychia. If not ready in time, they
were sometimes liable to imprisonment. On
the contrary, whoever got his ship ready
first was to be rewarded with the " crown
of the trierarchy ;" so that in this way con-
siderable emulation and competition were
produced. Jloreover, the trierarchs were v>7rev-
8\>voi, or liable to be called to account for
their expenditure; though they applied
their own property to the service of the
state. It has been already stated that the
trierarchy was a ground of exemption from
the other liturgies, any of which, indeed,