In
ancient Greece the chief
magistrate in various
Greek city states was called
eponymous archon (ἐπώνυμος ἄρχων,
eponymos archon).
Archon (ἄρχων, pl. ἄρχοντες,
archontes) means "ruler" or "lord," frequently used as the title of a specific public office, while "eponymous" means that he gave his name to the year in which he held office, much like the Roman
dating by consular years.