Ostracism - Period of Operation

Period of Operation

Ostracism was not in use throughout the whole period of Athenian democracy (circa 506–322 BCE), but only occurred in the fifth century. The standard account, found in Aristotle's Athenian Constitution 22.3, attributes the establishment to Cleisthenes, a pivotal reformer in the creation of the democracy. In that case ostracism would have been in place from around 506 BC. The first victim of the practice, however, was not expelled until 487 BC — nearly twenty years later. Over the course of the next sixty years some twelve or more individuals followed him. The list may not be complete, but there is good reason to believe the Athenians did not feel the need to eject someone in this way every year. The list of known ostracisms runs as follows:

• 487 Hipparchos son of Charmos, a relative of the tyrant Peisistratos
• 486 Megacles son of Hippocrates; Cleisthenes' nephew (possibly ostracised twice )
• 485 Kallixenos Nephew of Cleisthenes and head of the Alcmaeonids at the time (not known for certain)
• 484 Xanthippus son of Ariphron; Pericles' father
• 482 Aristides son of Lysimachus
• 471 Themistocles son of Neocles (last possible year)
• 461 Cimon son of Miltiades
• 460 Alcibiades son of Kleinias; grandfather of Alcibiades (possibly ostracised twice )
• 457 Menon son of Meneclides
• 442 Thucydides son of Milesias
• 440s Callias son of Didymos
• 440s Damon son of Damonides
• 416 Hyperbolos son of Antiphanes (±1 year)

Around twelve thousand political ostraka have been excavated in the Athenian agora and in the Kerameikos. The second victim, Cleisthenes' nephew Megacles, is named by 4647 of these, but for a second undated ostracism not listed above. The known ostracisms seem to fall into three distinct phases: the 480s BC, mid-century 461–443 BC and finally the years 417–415: this matches fairly well with the clustering of known expulsions, although Themistocles before 471 may count as an exception. This suggests that ostracism fell in and out of fashion.

The last known ostracism was that of Hyperbolos in circa 417 BC. There is no sign of its use after the Peloponnesian War, when democracy was restored after the oligarchic coup of the Thirty had collapsed in 403 BC. However, while ostracism was not an active feature of the 4th-century version of democracy, it remained; the question was put to the assembly each year, but they did not wish to hold one.