Ostracism in ancient athens 20200420 20200420 tagged file. Since aristotle, this has been understood as a rational, political weapon of collective defense, intended to expel from athens a disproportionately. In contrast to previous interpretations, sara forsdyke argues that ostracism was primarily a symbolic institution whose meaning for the athenians was determined both by past experiences of exile and by its role as a context for the ongoing negotiation of democratic values. Once governments acknowledged parties and partisans essential roles in representative government, they also established limits on legitimate opposition. In this chapter, i turn to the wider greek world of the fifth century and examine athens use of the tool of exile in the management. Cleisthenes underwent various type of reformations which lead to the truly transfer power toward the normal civilians. Ostrakon of perikles, candidate for ostracism in the mid5th century b. As i demonstrate, that competition was structured by a recognizable form. Democratic civic virtues ancient democracy spring 19. Athenian ostracism was introduced by cleisthenes in 5087 bce.
Pdf legitimate opposition, ostracism, and the law of. Tyranny was a constant threat in the ancient days of athens. Other greek cities set up democracies, most following the athenian model, but none are as well. At the time, when cleisthenes established the first democracy in athens, the memory of peisistratus and his sons tyranny was still fresh in peoples minds. Ostracism, the removal of a political leader from ancient athens for a period of ten years without any additional financial sanction or other punishment, was an important and rather unique. Ostracism in ancient greece was a political procedure that resulted in a temporary banishment from a city by a popular vote. Pdf the origin of ostracism download read online free. Ostracism was a political process used in 5thcentury bce athens whereby those individuals considered too powerful or dangerous to the city were exiled for 10 years by popular vote. Ostracism, assembly, and peoples courts 160 chapter five alignment. Exile, ostracism and the athenian democracy 233 effects of frequent mass expulsions and returns, the democratic polis relied on the annual proposal to hold an ostracism often without actually holding an ostracism to remind the aristocrats of the power of the demos to determine the political shape of the community. The present study explains the adoption of ostracism as the utility maximizing choice of a selfinterested constitutional.
After kimons ostracism, perikles rose to power as leader of the democratic party. The reformation of cleisthenes had been a major leap in the development of the democracy. Chapter three from exile to ostracism the origins of democracy in athens, circa 6365087 pp. Pericles modified the following excerpt is from a speech known as the funeral oration, delivered by the athenian general and politician pericles in 431 bce. Julius pollux onomasticon to the ten attic orators viii. Ostracism how the athenians voted people out of office. Download exile ostracism and democracy ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub. Ostracism, the removal of a political leader from ancient athens for a. Download pdf exile ostracism and democracy free online. The general sense of literacy and learnedness that pervaded athens in the 5th and 4th centuries was one of the linchpins that held the spirit of democracy together. Legitimate opposition, ostracism, and the law of democracy in ancient athens short title. Kirshner assistant professor of political science senior fellow, kenan institute for ethics duke university alexander.
However, the whole populace casts its vote on ostraka in common, and the process is called ostrakophoria, the result ostrakismos. Under some circumstances, precautionary constitutionalism is a useful strategy of institutional design. In addition to the legal assassination condoned in the law against tyranny, a less extreme method was also available for removing powerful but dangerous men from public life. Exile, ostracism and the athenian democracy classical. Athens lacked political parties, but it was home to a vivid strain of democratic competition. Pdf ostracism and democratic selfdefense in athens. I show that aristocratic politics of exile was a fundamental political problem in the archaic polis and that. This book explores the cultural and political significance of ostracism in democratic 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.
Democracy of the ancient athens short history website. Exile, ostracism and the athenian democracy classical antiquity. Legitimate opposition, ostracism, and the law of democracy. Once a year, ancient athenian citizens would nominate people they felt threatened democracybecause of political differences, dishonesty, or just general dislike. A leader who gained too much power could be a threat to the democracy of the city. Illegitimate opposition was now defined as the pursuit of unconstitutional, extreme, or disloyal ideals.
Yet, contrary to other elements of the athenian democracy, there is no. I show that aristocratic politics of exile was a fundamental political problem in the archaic polis and that democratic political power. The oligarchy of the 400 take over the democracy in athens and in a matter of months is replaced by an oligarchy of 5000. Ostracism literally means judgement by shards because shards of pottery, the cheapest writing material, were used for the voting.
In the 5th century bce, each year the athenian citizens could decide to hold an ostracism. The practice of ostracism at athens volume 25 harold b. Precautionary constitutionalism in ancient athens berkeley law. This paper addresses the question of the role of ostracism in democratic athens. So for 4,000 years men lived under forms of government other than democratic. First, and in particular, it seeks to reinterpret the ostracism procedure of early democratic athens. Traditionally, scholars have tied the emergence of legitimate opposition to the rise of political parties in the nineteenth century. The principles of ostracism in ancient greek thought.
Each year the assembly decided whether a vote of ostracism should be held. Ostracism as political ritual this article has two objectives. At a fixed meeting in midwinter, the people decided, without debate, whether they would hold a vote on ostracism. Exiled by popular demand ostracism in athens youtube. Ostracism, in which a citizen could be expelled from athens for 10 years, was among the powers of the ekklesia. Democracy in ancient greece is most frequently associated with athens where a complex system allowed for broad political participation by the free male citizens of the citystate. In contrast to previous interpretations, sara forsdyke argues that ostracism was primarily a symbolic institution whose meaning for the athenians was determined both by past experiences of exile and by its role as a context for the. Pdf on aug 2, 2017, anthoula malkopoulou and others published ostracism. The best essay thoroughly develops all aspects of the task evenly and in depth. Athenian democracy timeline ancient history encyclopedia. Ostracism in ancient greece national geographic society. Athenian democracy developed around the sixth century bc in the greek citystate known as a polis of athens, comprising the city of athens and the surrounding territory of attica, is one of ancient greek democracy, and is often described as the first known democracy in the world. Legitimate opposition, ostracism, and the law of democracy in.
Ostracism, political practice in ancient athens short. Ostracism, the removal of a political leader from ancient athens for a period of ten years without any additional financial sanction or other punishment, was an important and rather unique institutional aspect of the direct democracy. Under the athenian democracy, a citizen who threatened the stability of the state could be banished from the city for ten years. Democracy, however, was found in other areas as well and after the conquests of alexander the great and the process of hellenization, it became the norm for both the liberated cities in asia. Ostracism was a process instituted as one of the kleisthenic reforms of 5087bc as a result of the nonelite intervention in the conflict with the spartan backed isagoras, although there is no evidence for its actual use before 487bc forsdyke 2005. Athenian democracy was a direct democracy made up of three important. Unlike contemporary governments, ancient democracies had a way to manage. Exile, ostracism, and democracy princeton university press. C, athens had been more unified than any period in the history. Once a year, ancient athenian citizens would nominate people they felt threatened democracy because of political differences, dishonesty, or just general dislike. Fear that this newly formed political system could be overthrown anytime was the strongest and deepest motive to establish the institution of ostracism. In ancient athens, ostracism was the process by which any citizen, including political leaders, could be expelled from the citystate for 10 years. Now, when a certain part of the agora was roped off, it was necessary for an athenian who wanted to vote to bring to the ropedoff. Cleisthenes to finally break the power of athenian aristocratic families, and to unify the disparate regions of attica, cleisthenes divided the athenian.
Nevertheless, there exists a scattered body of ancient material regarding democracy beyond athens, from ancient literary authors and epigraphic documents to archaeological evidence, out of which one can build an understanding of the phenomenon. Once governments acknowledged parties and partisans essential roles in representative government, they also. Legitimate opposition, ostracism and the law of democracy. In addition to the public representations of literacy detailed above, the state of athenian drama. In contrast to previous interpretations, sara forsdyke argues that ostracism was primarily a symbolic institution whose meaning for the athenians was determined both by past experiences of exile and by its role as a context for the ongoing negotiation of democratic. Athenian history is worth a lifes work because it shows how.
This was a formal, regular vote for exile, known as ostracism. I argue that the frequent expulsion of aristocrats by rival aristocrats in the predemocratic polis is the key to understanding the function of ostracism in the democratic polis. Athenian democracy did not feature parties, but it did feature intense political competition. Abstract ostracism, the removal of a political leader from ancient athens for a period of ten years without any additional. Illegitimate opposition was now defined as the pursuit of unconstitutional, extreme, or disloyal. Legitimate opposition in ancient athens alexander s. He gave this speech during a funeral for athenian soldiers that died in the first year of the brutal. Common knowledge, commitment, and coordination 168. In ancient athens, there was an unusual method of condemning and banishing important political persons.
532 672 712 1453 474 916 1102 764 992 1547 1236 870 338 1076 901 948 191 1457 393 589 927 1468 682 919 251 663 599 1495 759 247 135 824 549 560 17 187 1382 795 597