It is said that our political system is ‘broken’ simply because the passions aroused by Brexit have effectively created a hung parliament. So what to do about it? Athenians would have dealt with the problem by ostracism. Its purpose was to send one citizen into exile.
Most popular
James Delingpole
Most-read 2024: How did Wolf Hall escape the attentions of the BBC’s diversity commissars?
Once a year Athenian citizens (all males over 18) meeting in assembly got the chance to vote for an ostracism. It was held by citizens inscribing the name of their candidate on a potsherd (ostrakon). As long as at least 6,000 votes were cast, the man with the most votes was sent into exile for ten years. He did not suffer disgrace, lose citizenship or property, just his ability to reside in Athens.
About 10,000 such ostraka survive. Some citizens spoilt them. One inscribed his ostrakon with ‘starvation’, another with ‘Aristides [an influential speaker in the assembly], brother of Datis’ — an accusation of consorting with the Persians (‘medism’), Datis being a commander of the Persian attack on Greece at Marathon in 490 bc.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in