EPANGĔLĬA

( ἐπαγγελία ). If a citizen of Athens had incurred atimia , the privilege of taking part or speaking in the public a embly was forfeited. But as it sometimes might happen that a person, though not formally declared atimus , had committed such crimes as would, on accusation, draw upon him this punishment, it was of course desirable that such individuals, like real atimi , should be excluded from the exercise of the rights of citizens. Whenever, therefore, such a person ventured to speak in the a embly, any A then i an citizen had the right to come forward in the a embly itself and demand of him to establish his right to speak by a trial or examination of his conduct ( δοκιμασία τοῦ βίου ), and this demand, denouncement, or threat, was called epangelia , or epangelia docimasias ( ἐπαγγελία δοκιμασίας ). The impeached individual was then compelled to desist from speaking, and to submit to a scrutiny into his conduct, and, if he was convicted, a formal declaration of atimia followed.