They were the judicial authority basing that on their claim to divine descent on their, certainly, noble descent, and on the fact that the nobility had a monopoly of knowledge about what the traditions of the community are.

他们能成为司法机关,是基于他们所谓的神圣血统,当然,就是贵族血统,同时也基于贵族对于知识的垄断,对所谓传统的解释权的垄断

耶鲁公开课 - 古希腊历史简介课程节选