Show THE ATHENIAN AGORA the athenian agora Is being ex by the american school ot of classical studies at athens of the archeological institute of america with the cooperation of greek ar the archeologists hare have unearthed and held in their bands hands tour four ballots made of pot tery scraps marked with the name 0 aristedes these are relics of the voting that banished aristedes the just from athens a story familiar to every school child through the anecdote that aristedes was asked by an a illiterate farmer how he spell ed his name and aristedes actually wrote the man s vote on the clay to banish himself I 1 comes from the word in greek meaning oyster for in the early days they took an oyster shell and wrote a man mans a name in it to banish him and today we use the word ostracism aristedes was one of the first of an important family against whom ostracism or banishment was used he was banished by popular vote in january B C eleven clay tablets with names of men important in greek history were found in one rectangular block shaft in public buildings la in the agora were deposited stone tablets bear iny copies of 0 laws treaties and of tidal decrees |