Petalism

In ancient Syracuse, Sicily, petalism was a form of banishment similar to ostracism (Ancient Greek: ὀστρακισμός) in Athens. In a special vote, citizens wrote on leaves (πέτᾰλᾰ "leaves") the names of those they wished to banish from public life. In Athens, names were written on ostraka "shells, potsherds". A certain number of such votes could send the victim into exile. The Greek term petalismós (πεταλισμός) is used by the historian Diodorus Siculus, who reports the practice in his Bibliotheca historica, Book 11.

References

Diodorus Siculus, Book 11, Perseus Digital Library:

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wood, James, ed. (1907). "Petalism". The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne.