# Pinakion > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pinakion > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pinakion.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinakion > Source revision: 1288847403 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Ancient Greek voting token A bronze jury pinakion from about 370–362 BCE, reused after 350 BCE, held in the [British Museum](/source/British_Museum). In [ancient Greece](/source/Ancient_Greece), a **pinakion** ([Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek_language): πινάκιον, pl. *pinakia*) was a small bronze or wooden plate used as a form of citizen's token. Pinakia for candidates for political office or for jury membership were designed to be inserted into randomization machines ([kleroteria](/source/Kleroterion)) so votes could be as accurate as possible to a wider community. Pinakia were common in Athens, but there are examples of non-Athenian pinakia as well.[1] ## Origins During the [Golden Age of Athens](/source/Golden_Age_of_Athens), the use of pinakia developed from earlier forms of voting. These early methods included dropping pebbles in labelled vases and voting by raising hands.[2] The first pinakia and secret vote in Athens were recorded in the mid-5th century BCE.[2] While wood was occasionally used, the best surviving pinakia are bronze. The use of bronze to create these Athenian ballots began c. 388 BCE and ended c. 322 BCE.[3] The owner's name was engraved on line 1, and his deme was on line 2.[3] The words and symbols were added by using the technique of [punching](/source/Punching).[3] ## Sorting process Pinakia were inscribed with a "section letter"[1] that matched a column of slots on the kleroteria. After the votes were cast, a pre-selected group of jurors counted them and reported the results.[2] ## Dikastic and nondikastic pinakia The pinakion was a method of secret voting. They were labeled with names, but these were only seen and counted by a select group, of the general public.[2] There were nondikastic and dikastic types of bronze pinakia.[3] A dikastic pinakion had to be returned to the government after use, and the engravings were removed so the bronze could be reinscribed with the name of somebody else. A nondikastic pinakion could be kept as a valuable token throughout a person's life. Because of this, many pinakia are recovered from tombs. ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) Liddel, Peter (2020). ["Timodemides' *Pinakion*, Manchester Museum 42015"](https://web.archive.org/web/20230606201756/https://grammateion.gr/sites/grammateion.gr/files/articles/grammateion_9_2020_77-80.pdf) (PDF). *Grammateion*. **9**: 77–80. Archived from [the original](https://grammateion.gr/sites/grammateion.gr/files/articles/grammateion_9_2020_77-80.pdf) (PDF) on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-06. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:1_2-3) Boegehold, Alan L. (1963). "Toward a Study of Athenian Voting Procedure". *Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens*. **32** (4): 366–374. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/147360](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F147360). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [147360](https://www.jstor.org/stable/147360). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_3-3) Pietilä-Castrén, Leena (2016). "A Lost Pinakion Rediscovered". *Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens*. **85** (1): 201–205. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2972/hesperia.85.1.0201](https://doi.org/10.2972%2Fhesperia.85.1.0201). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [10.2972/hesperia.85.1.020](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2972/hesperia.85.1.020). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [183914066](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:183914066). ## Bibliography - Boegehold, Alan L. (1963). "Toward a Study of Athenian Voting Procedure". *Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens*. **32** (4): 366–374. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/147360](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F147360). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [147360](https://www.jstor.org/stable/147360). - [Brooklyn Museum](/source/Brooklyn_Museum) (2016-01-30). ["Pinakion"](https://web.archive.org/web/20230125124429/https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/37940). Archived from [the original](https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/37940) on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-06-06. - Liddel, Peter (2020). ["Timodemides' *Pinakion*, Manchester Museum 42015"](https://web.archive.org/web/20230606201756/https://grammateion.gr/sites/grammateion.gr/files/articles/grammateion_9_2020_77-80.pdf) (PDF). *Grammateion*. **9**: 77–80. Archived from [the original](https://grammateion.gr/sites/grammateion.gr/files/articles/grammateion_9_2020_77-80.pdf) (PDF) on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-06. - Pietilä-Castrén, Leena (2016). "A Lost Pinakion Rediscovered". *Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens*. **85** (1): 201–205. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2972/hesperia.85.1.0201](https://doi.org/10.2972%2Fhesperia.85.1.0201). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [10.2972/hesperia.85.1.020](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2972/hesperia.85.1.020). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [183914066](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:183914066). This article about the Ancient Greek language is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:AncientGreek-lang-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AAncientGreek-lang-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:AncientGreek-lang-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pinakion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinakion) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinakion?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.