Agoranomos
Encyclopedia
Agoranomos was an electable official position in the cities of Ancient Greece
and Byzantine Empire
that controlled the order of the marketplace
(agora
, hence the name, translated as "market overseer"). A polis
could have several of them.
Some of their duties were setting prices for certain goods, certifying goods and weights and scales, controlling money exchange, and an important function of managing the supply of the polis with grains. In controlling unscrupulous merchants, an agoranomos had rights to impose corporal punishments (and was often portrayed walking along the agora with a whip
) for non-free-born and impose fines for free citizens. An agoranomos also kept an eye on temples in the agora.
Over time, an agoranomos has also become an honorary title for a public benefactor, who contributed significant amounts for public institutions. The term is still in use today in modern Greece
(Αγορονομία — Agoranomía), for the analogous in U.S. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, which is a branch of the Food and Drug Administration).
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
and Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
that controlled the order of the marketplace
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
(agora
Agora
The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history , free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the Agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later, the Agora also served as a marketplace where...
, hence the name, translated as "market overseer"). A polis
Polis
Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...
could have several of them.
Some of their duties were setting prices for certain goods, certifying goods and weights and scales, controlling money exchange, and an important function of managing the supply of the polis with grains. In controlling unscrupulous merchants, an agoranomos had rights to impose corporal punishments (and was often portrayed walking along the agora with a whip
Whip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
) for non-free-born and impose fines for free citizens. An agoranomos also kept an eye on temples in the agora.
Over time, an agoranomos has also become an honorary title for a public benefactor, who contributed significant amounts for public institutions. The term is still in use today in modern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(Αγορονομία — Agoranomía), for the analogous in U.S. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, which is a branch of the Food and Drug Administration).
See also
- AedileAedileAedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public order. There were two pairs of aediles. Two aediles were from the ranks of plebeians and the other...
- an elected Roman official with similar duties. - Astynomos - a person in charge of public places outside the agora.
- MuhtasibMuhtasibA ' was a supervisor of bazaars and trade in the mediæval Islamic countries. His duty was to ensure that public business was conducted in accordance with the law of sharia....
- in Islamic world had similar (and some other) duties.