Hippias Driven Out of Athens

After his brother's death, Hippias became cruel and suspicious. The exiled Alcmaeonidae family bribed the oracle at Delphi to tell Sparta to free Athens. The Spartans drove out Hippias, who fled to Asia Minor. Cleisthenes then reformed Athens, creating true democracy. Citizens could now vote to exile dangerous men through ostracism - writing names on ostraka (pottery shards). Aristides was once ostracized when an illiterate man asked him to write "Aristides" on his shard.