Ostracon

As Ostracon ( τὸ ὄστρακον; ancient Greek for " shard ", plural: ostraca ), are rarely referred shards of pottery and shells, egg shells or limestone shards.

As well available, handy material they served instead of the expensive papyrus throughout antiquity as writing material for notes, homework, bills, receipts and short letters of all kinds was written with ink or the text was inscribed. There are all the archives have been found thereof ( such as the Nikanor archive). In ancient Greece, particularly in Athens, they were ( called ostracism ) as ballots in the process of " ostracism " related.

They therefore provide a valuable source for the understanding of ancient everyday life, in the latter case also for the political history.