The kleroterion is a randomization device used by the Athenian polis

Polis

Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...

 during the period of democracy

Athenian democracy

Athenian democracy developed in the Greek city-state of Athens, comprising the central city-state of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, around 508 BC. Athens is one of the first known democracies. Other Greek cities set up democracies, and even though most followed an Athenian model,...

 to select citizens to the boule

Boule (Ancient Greece)

In cities of ancient Greece, the boule meaning to will ) was a council of citizens appointed to run daily affairs of the city...

, to most state offices, to the Nomothetai, and to court juries. The kleroterion was a slab of stone incised with rows of slots and with an attached tube. Citizens' tokens - pinakia

Pinakion

A pinakion was a small bronze plate used to identify a citizen of a city. Pinakia for candidates for political office or for jury membership were inserted into randomization machines ....

- were placed in the slots and the tube was filled with different-colored dice. The dice were released one by one, each die corresponding to a row of pinakia. The color of each die determined whether of the owners of the pinakia in the corresponding row were selected to hold office or to become jurists.

External links

• Info Tech of Ancient Democracy A discussion of the workings of the kleroterion.