Ostracism

Athens

One traditionally allots it to Clisthène, but the first vote of ostracism took place only into 488. Each year, during the sixth Prytanie (between January and February: period or the citizens could go to mass to the city, harvests being garnered) the Ecclésia (the assembly of the citizens) voted to know if one were to proceed to an ostracism. The vote was carried out by a show of hands, there were no debates and the names of the suspects were not revealed. If the agreement were done on the principle of ostracism, the assembly of the people met second once the following Prytanie, in solemn assembly (catecclésia) having to comprise at least: 6000 voters, and each citizen who wished to vote, registered on a ceramics shard or possibly an oyster shell (from where the word Ostracon ) the name of the person whose banishment out of Athens seemed necessary to him to the public property. There was once again no debate. Provided that it had there an absolute majority of released at the time of the vote, the person whose name appeared was to leave the city in the ten days for the ten years (this sorrow remained often theoretical, because of ostracized much were recalled by anticipation).

Ostracism was especially used as arms political in the competitions between Hétairie S (aristocratic factions) in the first quarter with fifth century BC. The graphological analysis of the hundreds of ostraca found at the time of the excavations of the Agora showed that for a vote given only ten different hands the names had registered on the shards: it is the proof that these “bulletins” were prepared in advance and were distributed by the persons in charge of these factions to their customers, whose vote was thus directed. The ancient literature brings the confirmation of these practices: thus Plutarque, in the Life of Aristide (VII, 7-8), brings back how an illiterate peasant asks Aristide to write for him his name on the shard. In the same passage, the author explains how Hyperbolos was ostracized into 417 thanks to an agreement between Nicias and Alcibiade, which was to be the protagonists of the ostracophorie this year.

The first man ostracized was certain a Hipparque towards (487), followed in 486 by Mégaclès of the family of the Alcméonides. Among other men known to be ostracized, one counts Xanthippe, Aristide the Juste, Thémistocle, Cimon and Thucydide. Hyperbolos is the last known victim (v. 417).

The disappearance of ostracism is explained by the possibility of using other methods, less heavy (without need for quorum), to draw aside from the political adversaries: the Eisangélia, the procedure of committal for trial of a magistrate before the assembly, is most important of them.

Petalism in Syracuse

With Syracuse, the institution was called “petalism”, because one wrote the names on sheets of olive-tree (πέταλον/ petalon ). The duration of the banishment was five years. Diodore of Sicily does not date the time precisely when this procedure was in force. It specifies that she posterior with the death sentence in -454 of Tyndaridès, which aspired to the Tyran denies, and which she was repealed little of time after her promulgation, because considered to be against-productive, dissuading from the valid citizens to take part in the public affairs. Hermocrate in -411 and Dioclès in -408 were banished of Syracuse, without one knowing which was the procedure used.

Argos

One knows by Aristote that ostracism was practiced with Argos as in Athens.

Éphèse

Hermodore, friend of Héraclite, was exiled by the Éphésiens in these terms: “That there is nobody who is better than us; if there is of them one which it will live with other people. ”. This simple indication, which informs neither over the duration of the sorrow nor about the procedure used, does not make it possible to establish a similarity with Athenian ostracism beyond the character anti aristocratic of the formula.

Random links:

Lugano | The Public opinion | Bran Mac Febail | Buddy Kaye | Louis of the Forging mill