“Athenian Ostracism: New Light on an Ancient Practice” by James P. Sickinger
Ostracism was a form of temporary exile that allowed ancient Athenian citizens to vote into temporary exile powerful individuals thought to pose a threat to their democracy. The practice took its name from the potsherds—ostraka—onto which voters scratched the names of those persons they wanted to banish. Excavations in Athens have uncovered thousands of these […]