The Practice of Ostracism at Athens

Abstract

I have long been tempted by the vast haul of ostraka from the Kerameikos excavations of 1966-8 to review afresh the whole history of ostracism at Athens. Though they have still been only summarily published, enough is now known to make the enterprise worthwhile. I leave aside the question whether Kleisthenes introduced the institution as part of his legislative programme, possibly in a form that involved only his new Council and not the people as a whole. This intriguing topic does not affect the history of ostracism as we know it. Scholars agree that the first victim was Hipparchos Charmou in 487 B.C., but the Kerameikos ostraka tell us nothing of this occasion. Nor do they help with the ostracisms of Xanthippos and Aristeides and, since nothing can really be done with the Agora ostraka here, I shall omit these also from my survey. But the ostracism of Megakles has been brilliantly illuminated.