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nomothesia, nomothetes, pl. nomothetai · Nomothesia is the process of enacting laws (of general and/or permanent validity). After 403 BCE, this was taken out of the hands of the ekklesia and given to the nomothetai, in order to provide a check on the passage of reckless legislation. The precise arrangements for the process seem to have been revised several times during the fourth century; but it is notable that the nomothetai were a body selected by lot from among the panel of eligible dikastai. Their function was to hear in detail (but not apparently to discuss) the arguments for and against any proposed legislative change, and to make a final and authoritative decision. They could however only act when requested to do so on the initiative of the ekklesia.

Greek: νομοθεσία; νομοθέτης, νομοθέται.

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