1. a fragment of pottery or bone used in ancient Greece as a writing surface, especially for voting in ostracism.
Usage: historical; often used in plural form 'ostraka'

Examples

• Archaeologists discovered thousands of ostraka bearing the names of Athenian citizens.
• The ostrakon was a practical way for ancient Greeks to cast votes without using expensive papyrus.
• Citizens would scratch the name of a politician they wished to exile onto an ostrakon.
• Many ostraka from the 5th century BCE have been preserved and studied by historians.
• The word 'ostracism' derives from the practice of voting with ostraka in ancient Athens.