Definition: Ostraka is the name for potsherds most notably used in the process of ostracism. Ostrakon is the singular form of the Greek noun. A person's name would be scratched into the broken piece of pottery for ostracism (as a vote for exile), but ostraka could also be used the way we might use scratch paper. In addition to scratching a name on the surface, ostraka could also be painted.
Alternate Spellings: ostraca
Common Misspellings: ostrakon (ostracon) - not a misspelling per se, but ostrakon is singular and ostraka (ostraca) is plural.
Examples:
"At Dinggong
was recovered several ostraca, pottery sherds with incised Chinese characters. The Dinggong ostraca are very early examples of writing, predating the written history of China by about 800 years." - From Kris Hirst: Archaeology at About.com
