boule

Ancient Athenian council. Solon, the Athenian legislator, is said to have instituted a ‘Council of 400’ early in the 6th century, but some scholars doubt this. After the democratic reforms of the Athenian statesman Cleisthenes (in the last decade of the 6th century BC), the boule consisted of 500 members chosen annually by lot, 50 from each of the 10 new Athenian tribes. Its main function was to discuss and prepare measures to be laid before the assembly (ecclesia).

Each group of 50 members served (in an order determined by lot) as an executive committee for a period of 35 or 36 days, the term of office being known as a ‘prytany’. They summoned meetings of the full boule on every day except holidays, and prepared its agenda. They also summoned and presided over meetings of the ecclesia, four times in each prytany, having previously published a notice of the business to be transacted. The boule met in the Bouleuterion (Council House). The 50 members of each prytany in office were fed and housed at public expense in the Tholos, a building on the edge of the agora.