Ancient Greeks Voted to Exile Politicians Using Pottery Shards
In ancient Athens, citizens could vote to banish unpopular politicians for 10 years by writing names on broken pottery pieces called 'ostraka' - giving us the word 'ostracism.'
About this fact
Ancient Athens had a fascinating democratic practice called ostracism, which gave us our modern word for social exclusion. Once a year, Athenian citizens could vote to exile any politician or prominent citizen for 10 years without trial or explanation. The voting was done using 'ostraka' - broken pieces of pottery or stone on which voters scratched the name of the person they wanted banished. If at least 6,000 citizens participated and someone received a plurality of votes, that person had to leave Athens within 10 days and stay away for a decade. The process was designed to prevent tyranny and reduce political tensions without violence. Interestingly, the ostracized person kept their property and citizenship - they just couldn't return to Athens. Famous victims included the military leader Themistocles and even Aristotle's nephew. This 2,500-year-old practice shows that even ancient democracies struggled with how to handle divisive political figures.