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Atimia was a form of disenfranchisement used under classical Athenian democracy. A person who was made atimos (literally without honour or value) was unable to carry out the political functions of a citizen: he could not attend assembly meetings, serve as a juror or bring actions before the courts.

Being barred from assembly would effectively end to a citizen's political ambition. Not being able to use the courts to defend oneself against enemies could be crippling socially. On a more humble level, atimia meant the loss of the small income that jury service and attendence at the assembly provided, which could be significant for poor people unable to work. Such political activity was no doubt also significant psychologically as well. Atimia was the loss of a citizen's ability to assert themselves in the public arena.

Atimia could be inflicted as a penalty by the courts, but it was also automatically imposed if a debt to the state was unpaid after a certain time, for instance if someone was unable to pay a fine (there was no upper limit on the fines courts could impose and they could well be larger than a person's entire estate). Just as this debt was inheritable, so was the status. In one lawcase a son is defending his disenfranchised father before the father dies and he himself loses his rights.

Failing to abide by atimia, seen as an attack on the power of the people, could, if someone chose to act on it by taking you before the courts, lead to the death penalty.

References

Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes, Mogens Hansen (Oxford 1991)