Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/120

76 General History of Europe Ionia and the islands. The members were to contribute money or ships, and Athens was to have command of the fleet, which could be used in case of a new attack by the Persian hosts. The treasury, in charge of Athens, was on the island of Delos, and hence the name of the new union was the Delian League. It seemed to the suspicious and jealous Sparta that this was a step toward a powerful Athenian empire. 114. Athens a Democracy. A council of five hundred paid members had grown up in Athens and played a great part in the AN ANCIENT GREEK BALLOT After the repulse of the Persians Themistocles became unpopular, and the ungrateful Athenians voted him down and sent him into exile. The cut shows the name of Themistocles scratched on a fragment of a pottery jar (ostracon, 100) by some citizen of the six thousand who secured the ostracism of Themistocles in 472 B.C., or it may have served a similar purpose in an earlier but unsuccessful attempt to ostracize him government. It was created by the poorer classes in their conflict with the nobles in order to form a government by the people which we call democracy. To enable the poorest citizens to serve on the juries established by Solon, a law was passed paying jurors for their services. The citizen courts and the Assembly 'finally gained the power to enact all the new laws. Moreover, all the higher offices in the state were, with the exception of the general in chief (who was elected), to be chosen by lot. This gave every citizen a chance to be an officeholder. The system was certainly demo- cratic, but it did not work very smoothly. There was constant friction between the common people and the nobles, and some- times fighting. The people were often untrue to their best leaders, and they even ostracized Themistocles, the ablest statesman in