Information AboutAnax |
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The word anax derives from ''wanakt-''' (ϜΑΝΑΞ, ϜΑΝΑΚΤΟΣ), and appears in Mycenaean written as ''wa-na-ka''. The Digamma ϝ was pronounced ''w'' and was dropped very early by eastern Greek Dialects (e.g. Ionian ). The word ''Anax'' in the Iliad refers to Agamemnon ("''άναξ ανδρών''", i.e. Commander-in-Chief) and Priam , kings who exercise overlordship over other kings. This possible hierarchy of one "anax" exercising power over several local "basileis" probably hints to a proto-feudal political organization of Bronze Age Greece. The Linear B word ''wanakteros'' (''wa-na-ka-te-ro''), meaning "royal", and the Greek word ''anaktoron'', meaning "palace", are derived from ''wanax''. Anax is also a ceremonial epithet of the God Zeus ("Zeus Anax") in his capacity as overlord of the Universe, including the rest of the Gods. The meaning of "king" of Basileus in Classical Greece is due to a shift in terminology that took place during the Greek Dark Ages . In Mycenaean times, a ''gwasileus'' appears to be a lower-ranking official, while in Homer, Anax is already an archaic title, used for legendary heroes and gods rather than for contemporary kings.
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