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This paper deals with the institute of ostracism by exploring the reasons for its occurrence, the purpose that it was supposed to attain and the significance it had to the development of the Athenian polis and its size. The starting question is whether ostracism was a powerful tool for the protection of the Athenian constitution, one of the more successful reformative measures, a tool for strengthening personal powers of the current leaders, or merely a means of solving crisis situations in the society. The account of the circumstances of its passing, the way it functioned and the consequences it had for certain citizens of Athens and the polis as a whole confirm that this is a very well-designed institute that operated within wide enough limits that made it easy to apply if the need arose, while remaining specific enough so that it could not be abused. The fact that the will of the demos was a prerequisite for ostracizing an individual and that the number of ostracized people is not large, proves that the demos cared for its distinguished and honourable citizens and that the decision on whether one of them should leave Athens was reached very rarely, with awareness of what was gained and what was lost by the polis. What can be deduced from this is that the citizens of Athens were aware of the dangers inherent to this system, but also of all of its positive sides that protected the social order in Athens. It is not a coincidence that the end of the application of this system coincides with the time when democracy in Athens started to lose its momentum. Ostracism made sense while the demos cared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]