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Aristotle · Constitution of the Athenians §68-69

Voting by Bronze Ballots, Counting, and Penalty Assessment

Passage 33 of 33 · Greek

Summary

This passage describes the strict anti-fraud procedures of voting in the Athenian courts using bronze and wooden amphorae with pierced and solid ballots, the method of counting and declaring winners, the assessment of penalties, and the final payment process.

§68LXVIII. [τὰ δὲ πολλ]ὰ τῶν [δικ]αστηρίων ἐστὶ 9 [.
LXVIII.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ] σο. . [. .
Most of the courts consist of five hundred members.
]ασιν οταν δὲ δέ[ῃ τὰς δημοσίας γραφ]ὰς ε[ἰς ᾶ εἰ]σαγαγεῖν, συν[έρχεται β δικαστή]ρια εἰ[ς] τὴν ἡλιαίαν.
But when it is necessary to bring public actions before one thousand, two courts assemble into the Heliaia.
τὰ. [. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]κνα [. ]. εἰς 9 καὶ ᾶ τρία [δικαστήρια.
And for fifteen hundred, three courts assemble.
ψῆφοι δέ] εἰσιν [χ]αλκαῖ, αὐλίσκον [ἔχουσαι ἐν τῷ μεσῳ, αἱ μ]ὲ[ν] ἡμίσειαί τετρυ[πημέναι, αἱ δὲ ἡμίσειαι πλή]ρει[ς.
The ballots are of bronze, having a small tube in the middle, half of them being pierced and half of them solid.
οἱ] δὲ λαχόντες [ἐπὶ τὰς ψήφους, ἐπειδὰν εἰὴ]μένοι ὦσιν οἱ [λόγοι, παραδιδόασιν ἑ]κάστῳ τῶν δικαστ[ῶν 860 ψἠφους, τετρυπη]μέν[η]ν καὶ πλήρη, [φανερὰς ὁρᾶν ταῖς ἀντιδί]κο[ις, ἵ]να μήτε πλή[ρεις μήτε τετρυπημένας] ἀμφ[ο]τέρας λαμβάν[ωσι.
And those who have drawn the lot over the ballots, when the speeches have been finished, deliver to each of the jurors two ballots, one pierced and one solid, showing them openly to the litigants, so that they may not receive either two solid or two pierced ballots.
τότε δ’ ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦτο] εἰληχὼς ἀπολα[μβάνει τὰς βακτηρίας, ἀνθ’] ὧ[ν] εἶς δδἕκαστος ψηφιζ[όμενος λαμβάνει σύμβολο]ν χ]αλκοῦν Ι μετὰ] τοῦ γ ἀποδιδοῦς [γ]ὰρ γݲ λαμβάνει), ἵ[να] ψηφἰ[ζωντ]αι πάντες οὐ γὰ]ρ ἔστι λαβεῖν σ[ύ[μβολον οὐδεν]ὶ ἐὰν μὴ ψηφίζηται.
Then the one who has drawn this lot takes back the staffs, in exchange for which each juror, as he votes, receives a bronze token with the letter upon it (for on returning it he receives his pay), so that all may vote; for it is not possible for anyone to receive a token unless he votes.
εἰσὶ δὲ ἀμφ[ο]ρεῖς δύο κεί]μενοι ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ, ὁ μὲν χ[α]λκοῦς, ὁ δὲ ξύ]λινος, διαίρετοι [ὅ]πως μὴ λ[άθ]ῃ ὑπο[β]άλλων [τις ψή]φους, ψηφίονται οἱ δικαστα[ί], ὁ μὲν [χαλκοῦ]ς κύριος, ὁ δὲ ξύλ[ι]νος ἔχω[ν] ὁ χαλ[κοῦς ἐ]πίθημα διερρινημένο[ν], ὥστ’ αὐ[τ]ὴν μόνη]ν χωρεῖν τὴν ψῆφον, ἵνα μὴ δὐο ὁ] αὐτὸς ἐμβάλλ]ῃ.
And there are two amphorae placed in the court, one of bronze and the other of wood, kept separate so that no one may secretly cast in ballots; in these the jurors vote, the bronze one being for the valid votes and the wooden one for the invalid.
.
The bronze one has a lid with a slit in it, so that only the single ballot can pass through, in order that the same person may not cast in two.
ἐπειδὰν δὲ διαψηφίζεσ[θ]αι μέλ[λ]ωσιν οἱ δικα]σταί, ὁ κᾶρυξ ἀγορεύει πρῶτον, ἂν ἐ[π]ισκή[πτων]ται οἱ ἀντίδικοι ταῖς μαρτυρίαις.
And when the jurors are about to vote, the herald first asks whether the litigants wish to challenge the testimonies.
ο]ὐ γὰρ ἔστιν] ἐπισκήψασθαι ὅταν αρζωται διαψη[φίζεσ]θαι.
For it is not permitted to challenge them once the voting has begun.
ἔπειτα πάλιν ἀνακηρύττει· “ἡ τε[τρυπη]μένη τοῦ πρότερον λ[έγο]ν[τ]ος, ἡ δ[ὲ] πλή[ρης το]ῦ ὕστερον λέγοντος”. ὁ δὲ δικαστὴς λα[βὲν ἅμα] ἐκ τοῦ λυχνείου τὰς ψήφους, πιέ[ζ]ων τὸν αὐλίσκον] τῆς ψήφου καὶ οὐ δεικνυων τ]οῖς ἀ[γωνίζο]μένοις οὔτε τὸ τετρυπημέ[ν]ον οὔτε τ]ὸ πλῆρες, ἐμβάλλει τὴν μὲν κυ[ρία]ν εἰς τὸν χαλ]κοῦν ἀμφορία, τὴv δὲ ἄκυρο[ν] εἰς τὸν ξύλ]ινον.
Then he makes a proclamation again: "The pierced ballot is for the one who spoke first, and the solid is for the one who spoke later." And the juror, taking the ballots both at once from the tray, and pressing the tube of the ballot and not showing to the litigants either the pierced or the solid part, casts the valid ballot into the bronze amphora, and the invalid one into the wooden one.
§69LXIX. πάντες δ’ ἐπειδὰν ῶσι διε[ψηφισ]μενοι, λαβόντες οἱ ὑπηρέται τὸν ἀ]μφορέα τὸν κύριον ἐ[ξ]ερῶνσιν ἐπὶ ἄβα[κα τρ]υπήματα ἔχοντα ὅ[σ]αιπερ εἰσὶν αἱ ψῆ[φοι, καὶ τ]αῦτα ὅ[πως] αἱ ιαι κείμεναι εὐαρίθμη[τοι ὦσι]ν, καὶ τὰ τρ]υπητὰ καὶ τὰ πλήρη, [δηλονότι [ τοῖς ἀν]τι[δί]κ[οι]ς].
LXIX. When all have finished voting, the attendants take the valid amphora and empty it onto a counting-board containing as many holes as there are ballots, so that they may lie in order and be easy to count, and both the pierced and the solid ballots may be visible, obviously, to the litigants.
οἱ δ[ὲ] ἐπὶ τὰς ψήφους ε]ίλη[χότες] δια[ριθμοῦσιν] αὐτὰς ἐ]πὶ τοῦ ἄβακος, χωρὶ]ς μὲ[v τὰ]ς πλήρεις, χω[ρὶς δὲ τὰς τε[τρυπ]ημένας, καὶ ἀναγορεύει 6 κῆρυξ τὸν ἀριθ]μὸν τῶν ψήφν, τοῦ μὲν διώ[κον]τος τὰς τετρυπημένας, τοῦ δὲ φ[εύ]γον[τος τ]ὰς πλήρεις· ὁποτερῳ ὁ ἂν πλείων γένη[ται, οὖ]τος νικᾷ, νικᾷ, ἂν δὲ ἴσαι, ὁ φ[εύ]γων.
And those who have drawn the lot over the ballots count them on the board, separating the solid ballots and the pierced ones, and the herald announces the number of votes, the pierced ones for the accuser and the solid ones for the defender; and whichever of the two gets more wins, but if they are equal, the defender wins.
ἔ[π]ειτα πά|λιν τιμῶσι, αν δέῃ τιμῆσαι, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ψηφιζόμενοι, τὸ μὲv σύμβολον ἀποδιδόντες, βακτηρίαν δὲ πάλιν παραλαμβάνοντες.
Then they assess the penalty again, if it is necessary to assess, voting in the same manner, returning the token and receiving the staff back again.
ἡ δὲ τίμησίς ἐστιν πρὸς ἡμίχουν ὕδατος ἑκατέρῳ.
The speech for the assessment is timed by half a chous of water for each.
ἐπειδὰν δὲ αὐτοῖς ᾖ δεδικασμένα τὰ ἐκ τῶν νόμων, ἀπολαμβάνουσιν τὸν μισθὸν ἐν τῷ μέρει οὗ ἔλαχον ἕκαστοι.
And when the trials prescribed by the laws have been decided for them, they receive their pay in the section which each drew by lot.

Notes

  1. p.81ἀποδιδοὺς γὰρ γݲ λαμβάνει — This clause shows the mechanism whereby a juror receives a bronze token marked with the letter 'gamma' (or representing the 3-obol pay, triobolon) and receives his pay upon returning it. The letter gamma may signify either the amount of pay or the specific court to which the juror was assigned.
  2. 15ἀγωνιζομένοις — A present middle/passive participle in the dative plural, referring to the litigants (the accuser and the defender) who are 'contending' in the court. The dative functions as the indirect object of the participle `δεικνύων` ('showing').
  3. p.82δηλονότι τοῖς ἀντιδίκοις — A restored phrase in the text. The adverb `δηλονότι` ('clearly', 'obviously') modifies the dative phrase `τοῖς ἀντιδίκοις` ('for the litigants'), emphasizing that the counting of ballots was conducted in full view of both parties to ensure absolute fairness.
  4. 36ἡ δὲ τίμησις ἔστιν πρὸς ἡμίχουν ὕδατος ἑκατέρῳ — This clause describes the time limit for the assessment of penalty. The preposition `πρός` denotes the standard of measurement ('according to', 'at the rate of'), and the dative `ἑκατέρῳ` ('to each') indicates the person to whom the half-chous of water is allocated for their speech.

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians §68-69. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg003.humanitext-grc1:68-69

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