То the question of the status of gymnasiarch in the Northern Black Sea Littoral city-states

Abstract

The article is devoted to the gymnasiarch hierarchy institute in the ancient city-states of the Northern Black Sea Littoral. The gymnasiarch sphere of activity, peculiarities of its financial support, their duties, status, and place in the system of management of the ancient states are analyzed.

The constructive features of gymnasiums, their activity, duties and status of gymnasiarchs are analyzed basing on archeological and epigraphic sources. The pedotribes, other officials and direct teachers connected with this institution are studied.

The activities of gymnasiarchs are reflected in a huge number of inscriptions, most of which belong to the Hellenistic period. The gymnasiarch is in some cases connected with the organization of sports competitions and the supply of everything necessary (for example, olive oil), or with the gymnasium guardianship responsibilities.

Therefore, the key question about the institution of the gymnasiarch is whether it is the position or the liturgy. There are four different points of view in the historiography of the problem. The first theory explains that the gymnasiarch was the head of gymnasiums and palaestra and carried out certain practical and pedagogical activities; the second one says that in the early times the gymnasiarch was a liturgy and later became magistracy.

Researchers of the third hypothesis considered the gymnasiarch as a position associated with monetary expenditures. The fourth group of researchers suggests distinguishing between gymnasiarch as a liturgy and gymnasiarch as a position. The author offers their own vision of the evolution of the institution of the Hellenic gymnasium.

Gymnasiums in the Northern Black Sea region have been known since the 5th century BC, while the gymnasiarchs are known since the 3rd century BC. During the Roman period, gymnasiums in Chersonesos and the Bosporus were probably financed from the state, and gymnasiarchs were government officials who ran the gymnasiums and were responsible for ephebos training.

Gymnasiarchs were members of the Synod of Panticapaeum, Horhipiyi and Tanais. Thus, the context of the mention of gymnasium archivists in the Northern Black Sea region indicates that they were government officials, although it does not completely rule out the possibility of liturgies.