Ancient Athens Voted Politicians OUT With Broken Pottery #Shorts
Pack: 55 - Ancient Athens Voted Politicians OUT With Broken Pottery
In ancient Athens you could vote a man out of the city for ten years by scratching his name on a broken pot. Even Themistocles, the general behind the victory at Salamis, was voted out, and he ended up working for Persia. ▶ Full documentary on our channel: https://youtu.be/k3mrc7OCCNk
- Each voter wrote a name on an ostrakon, a pottery sherd; if at least 6,000 were cast, the man named most often was banished for ten years, keeping his estate. It was not a punishment for a crime (Plutarch, Aristides 7).
- Thousands of ostraka have been found in the Athenian Agora and the Kerameikos, including many naming Themistokles, son of Neokles (ASCSA Agora Excavations).
- Themistocles was ostracised around 471 BCE and was living at Argos when he was accused of siding with Persia (Thucydides 1.135; the film's fact-checked ledger).
- He fled to the Persian king Artaxerxes, Xerxes' son, who gave him Magnesia to govern (Thucydides 1.137–138); coins struck there in his name survive (Bibliothèque nationale de France).
Should voters be able to banish a politician? Tell us in the comments. Full story in our documentary, The Full History of Greece.
Quick answers
What is “Ancient Athens Voted Politicians OUT With Broken Pottery” about?
In ancient Athens you could vote a man out of the city for ten years by scratching his name on a broken pot. Even Themistocles, the general behind the victory at Salamis, was voted out, and he ended up working for Persia. ▶ Full documentary on our channel: https://youtu.be/k3mrc7OCCNk
What are the key facts?
Each voter wrote a name on an ostrakon, a pottery sherd; if at least 6,000 were cast, the man named most often was banished for ten years, keeping his estate. It was not a punishment for a crime (Plutarch, Aristides 7). Thousands of ostraka have been found in the Athenian Agora and the Kerameikos, including many naming Themistokles, son of Neokles (ASCSA Agora Excavations).
What sources is this Short based on?
It cites Plutarch, Life of Aristides 7 (tr. Dryden, rev. A. H. Clough), Project Gutenberg; Thucydides 1.135–138 (tr. Richard Crawley), Project Gutenberg; Aristotle, The Athenian Constitution 22 (tr. F. G. Kenyon), Project Gutenberg; ASCSA Agora Excavations, ostrakon of Themistokles, P 12247. Links are in the Sources list below.
Sources
- Plutarch, Life of Aristides 7 (tr. Dryden, rev. A. H. Clough), Project Gutenberg
- Thucydides 1.135–138 (tr. Richard Crawley), Project Gutenberg
- Aristotle, The Athenian Constitution 22 (tr. F. G. Kenyon), Project Gutenberg
- ASCSA Agora Excavations, ostrakon of Themistokles, P 12247
Images
- Ostrakon naming Themistokles, Ancient Agora Museum, Athens — Xocolatl — Public domain —
- The Ancient Agora of Athens from the Acropolis — George E. Koronaios — CC0 —
- The Stoa of Attalos (rebuilt 1953–56), home of the Agora Museum — Julian Lupyan — CC0 —
- Ostraka naming Megakles, son of Hippokrates — Tilemahos Efthimiadis — CC BY 2.0 —
- The strait of Salamis — Jona Lendering — CC0 —
- Coin struck by Themistocles at Magnesia — Bibliothèque nationale de France — CC0 —
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