It has been suggested that, as the normal number of a court was 500, the
maximum number of 6000 jurors was probably divided into ten sections of
500 each, with 1000 reserves. There is evidence in the 4th century for
courts of 200, 400, 500, 700 and (in important political trials)
various multiples of 500, namely, 1000, 1500, 2000 or 2500. To some of
these numbers one juror is added; it was probably added to all, to
obviate the risk of the votes being exactly equal.
The evidence as to the organization of the jurors in the early part of
the 4th century is imperfect. Passages in Aristophanes (_Ecclesiazusae_,
682-688; _Plutus_, 1166 f.) imply that in 392-388 B.C. the total number
was divided into ten sections distinguished by the first ten letters of
the Greek alphabet, A to K. Every juror, on his first appointment,
received a ticket of boxwood (or of bronze) bearing his name with that
of his father and his deme, and with one of the above letters in the
upper left-hand corner. Of the bronze tickets many have been found (see
notes on Aristotle's _Constitution of Athens_, c. 63, and fig. 1 in
frontispiece, ed. Sandys). These tickets formed part of the machinery
for allotting the jurors to the several courts. To guard against the
possibility of bribery or other undue influence, the allotment did not
take place until immediately before the hearing of the case. Each court
contained an equal number of jurors from each of the ten tribes, and
thus represented the whole body of the state. The juror, on entering the
court assigned him, received a counter (see fig. 3 in frontispiece,
_u.s._), on presenting which at the end of the day he received his fee.
The machinery for carrying out the above arrangements is minutely
described at the end of Aristotle's _Constitution of Athens_ (for
details, cf. Gilbert, 397-399, Eng. trans., or Wyse in Whibley's
_Companion to Greek Studies_, 387 f.).
Jurisdiction of the council and assembly.
Eisangelia.
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