The number 501 is from Diogenes Laertius There is no earlier account which gives the exact number We know that 500 was the size of a typical jury but we also know that the number in some cases went as high as 2000 There was no problem in the case of a tie because a tie meant acquittal Trials weren t always held in a room they were sometimes held in the open air so there was never a problem of fitting jurors into a room From Plato s Apology 36a we know the ratio but not the exact numbers of jurors who voted for and against conviction