036 The Marathonomachoi
The History of Ancient Greece
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Themistocles' Rise to Influence in Athens
An archaeological discovery of 191 inscribed ostrac in the Athenian Agora, with Themistocles' name on them, shows that he was sufficiently prominent and influential enough for his political enemies to attempt his downfall. However, careful analysis of the handwriting shows that they were written only by 14 hands. So the best guess is that what we have here are not ostrac from votes that were actually cast. They probably were default ostrac, which opponents of Himistocles, probably the Alkneonidae, handed out as a sort of organized political propaganda.
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