Ostracism: Political Practice In Ancient Athens

Ostracism, political practice in ancient Athens whereby a prominent citizen who threatened the stability of the state could be banished without bringing any charge against him. (A similar device existed at various times in Argos, Miletus, Syracuse, and Megara.) At a fixed meeting in midwinter, the people decided, without debate, whether they would hold a vote on ostracism (ostrakophoria) some weeks later. Any citizen entitled to vote in the assembly could write another citizen’s name down, and, when a sufficiently large number wrote the same name, the ostracized man had to leave Attica within 10 days and stay away for 10 years. He remained owner of his property. Ostracism must be carefully distinguished from exile in the Roman sense, which

508 bc), but the first use of it seems to have been made in 488–487 bc, when Hipparchus, son of Charmus of Collytus, was ostracized. After Hipparchus, four more men, the last of them being Aristides, were ostracized before the amnesty in 481, preceding the invasion of Xerxes I. The institution was invoked less frequently after the Persian Wars, falling into disuse after it was used ineffectively, probably in 417, to resolve the political impasse caused by the rivalry of Nicias and Alcibiades. Compare exile and

There are people who come together to deicide rather or not someone is a threat. If so they vote and whoever has the most votes lost. Then they exile that person for 10 years. But ostracism and exile are two different things let me explain. Exile is the state of being banished from one’s home or country. Ostracism is temporary exclusion from a community or society. See exile that was like the worst thing that could to you back in the gap. Take Stokely Carmichael for example he was exiled for something he believed in back in 1966.
As well as Mr. Bali was exiled to America, and Giacomo Casanova exiled from Venice in 1756 when he escaped from prison. Gambia’s Gay Exiles was exiled gays by slit the throats and mobs attacking the gay refugees. Now let say something about ostracism, it is really like playground bullying. Let’s say one person tells you not to mess with this other person today and you like alright cool, that’s ostracism. All ostracism is excluding someone from the group and talking down on that person. For example everyone gets ostracized at some point in their lives. Like when u was little there was always that one kid that was like no I’m not gone mess with you today or nawl jack we not playing with him today. So exile is something that is very bad that can happen and ostracism is just something we all went through or going through. But no one wants to be ostracized, its better than being exiled thoe right