WHO WERE THE ‘EXILES FOR THE TEN YEARS’ IN THE THEMISTOCLES DECREE?

Abstract The exiles in the so-called ‘Themistocles Decree’ from Troezen are universally identified with the ostracized who, according to the Athenaion Politeia , were recalled due to Xerxes’ invasion. This identification should be questioned. If the document is a forgery (as is now widely believed), it need not correspond with all available information. The decree’s language suggests instead that, in its author’s mind, the exiles had collectively been in exile for ten years when he thought they returned. Some speculation is offered about their possible identification within the context of fourth-century historiography.