A ruler or leader of one of twelve divisions or jurisdictions; one of twelve equal governing officials.
From Greek 'dodeca' (twelve) + 'archēs' (ruler). This term combines the numerical prefix with the Greek root for leader or authority, similar to 'monarch' (one ruler) or 'anarch' (no ruler).
Ancient Greek city-states experimented with many creative forms of shared power, and dodecarchs represented one attempt to divide authority among twelve equal magistrates—a theoretical solution to the problem of preventing any single person from becoming too powerful.
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