Themistocles' Ostracism in Athens

In 471 BC, Themistocles was formally ostracized from Athens for his hawkish foreign policy. While in exile, he began traveling throughout the Peloponnese to stir up anti-Spartan sentiment. He first went to Sparta's arch nemesis Argos in 472 BC and urged them into a moderate democracy - an abomination to the oligarchic-minded Spartans. In order to do this, they needed a remarkable politician with exceptional powers of persuasion and patience who could bring about the coalition on their own. Even today, it is possible that some important families, formerly on the fringes of power, took over the government; these new families had