Ostracism (,
ostrakismos) was a procedure under the
Athenian democracy in which any
citizen could be
expelled from the
city-state of
Athens for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the citizen, ostracism was often used preemptively. It was used as a way of neutralizing someone thought to be a threat to the state or potential
tyrant. It has been called an "honourable exile" by scholar P.J. Rhodes. The word "ostracism" continues to be used for various cases of social
shunning.