New Ostraka from the Athenian Agora

Abstract

This article publishes a deposit of ostraka uncovered during excavations in the Athenian Agora in the late 1990s. It includes more than 150 incised sherds, making it the third largest group of ostraka discovered in the history of the site. Five candidates are represented, and the presence of a large number of ballots for Xanthippos, who was ostracized in 484 B.C., fixes their date in the mid-480s, and perhaps in 484 itself. The new finds also shed light on letter shapes, spelling, and other features of Attic writing, providing additional evidence for Athenian literacy in the early 5th century.