Peliganes (Greek: Πελιγᾶνες Peliganes) is the word used to refer to the Ancient Macedonian senators. The term is attested to in Hesychius,(Hes.) Peliganes: the endoxoi (honourable); among the Syrians the bouleutai (chancellors). StraboStrabo, Fragments 7.2. and two inscriptions (in dative peligasi),Grammatically, as pelekan (pelican) Third declension-Nasal single-stem one from DionMacedonia (Greece)-Pieria—Dion (ca. 180 BC) τοῖς πελειγᾶσι peleigasi Epigraphical Database 3.Philip V salutes Eurylochos, the epistate(resident representative in Kyzikos), the Peleiganes and the rest Politai (citizens). and one from Laodicea.Syria Laodicea (Latakia) - ca. 174 BC - τοῖς πελιγᾶσιν peligasin Epigraphical Database 22.The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest by M. M. Austin The Decree of Laodicea From the description of Hesychius and the epigraphy, it is evident that Peliganes played a more significant role in Seleucids than Macedon. In Ptolemaic Kingdom the term is unattested. The Seleucid cliché phrase was: The Macedonian supreme body was called Synedrion.Attested numerous times and passed into Hebrew as Sanhedrin Other Seleucid institutions were the Archontes, Demos, Proboule, Boule, Epistatai (supervisors) and Dikastai (judges).The Decrees of the Greek States by Peter John Rhodes, David Malcolm Lewis.
Etymology Strabo cites the word as Peligones, meaning the senators of both Macedonians, Thesprotians and Molossians and compares them to Gerontes (Gerousia) of Laconians and Massaliotes. He further remarks that πελιοί pelioi in the dialects of Epirus and Macedonia, means old men.Hesychius cites also Peleioi, old men by Epirotes and Doric-speaking Koans. Πεληός pelêosHes. old man doves (Laconian). or pelios is the common Doric form, while in Attic πολιός polios means also grey, grey from age, venerable, bright. The suffix -gan is the Attic suffix -genes (genos). There are many more Macedonian inscribed eponyms such as Epigan,Beroia Leukopetra 252/253 AD Peleigenes,Mieza - and Elimeia - Peleigines,Thessalonica, ca. 2nd century BC Peligenes.Beroia: Leukopetra, ca. 230 AD last line Pelignas was finally a Macedonian or Epirote chef sent by Olympias to Alexander.Athenaeus Deipnosophists - 14.78 659F PolybiusPolybius - 5.54.10. mentions Adeiganes for the council, magistrates of Seleucia, (who were banished, fined and exiled by the minister Hermeias); a word unattested in epigraphy and other sources. Editor P. RousselThe Cities of Seleukid Syria by John D. Grainger has emended to Peleiganes, while Hammond suggests that it might be an original West Macedonian word.Hammond NGL (1979) "Internal organization of Macedonia and of Macedonian conquests in the Balkans".
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