ABSTRACT
Clerks or supervisors of the market, agoranomoi are, mentioned only at Gortyna, and there not before the first century. There were usually, it seems, three of them, and they had a secretary. In view of the importance of their function, they must have existed in other cities, and from a much earlier date. After the name of the secretary, in one of the inscription, there follows the name of what is called a speusdos. The word has been connected with speudein, so meaning 'runner'. Halbherr cited by Guarducci who doubts a connection between speusdos and the speusinioi of poll. In one of this same set of inscriptions occurs the only mention in Crete of the office of gynaikonomos, familiar at Athens and other cities and, according to Aristotle, among those offices such as Guardian of the Laws, Superintendent of Children and Controller of Physical Training, which were peculiar to states that had more leisure and prosperity and paid attention to public decorum.
