Obituary for Solon c. 630 BC–560 BC
Moderate Reformer
Archon
Constitutional reforms
Poet
Solon died suddenly yesterday during a symposium with his closest friends in Northeast Athens. His life was a flash in the pan, he instituted a series of reforms, but in the end will leave no lasting legacy.
Elected to bring unity between the rich and poor in 594 BC. A moderate. He removed the marker stones that enslaved the land. Brought back Athenians to the land, granting citizenship to foreign craftsmen who wanted to live in Athens. if you couldn’t sell your land, it was your person that sold if you had economic crisis. He shook off these burdens. Farmers had been reduced to share croppers (1/6 share men).
Changed the criteria for access to public office. Instead of family, it was wealth that determined your status.
Laws were written down for all to read so they could refer to them.
Limited produce exports to olive oil.
Adopted Euboean system of weights and measures, which was more widely used in the world than the Athenian system.
Formalized the distinction between public and private law.
Most will remember his flurry of initiatives in the late 6th Century: emphasis on the rule of law, freeing workers from their land debts, and . An impressive list to be sure. But this was quickly followed by 10 years of travel around the Mediterranean while the rest of Athens was left to sort out the details, proving that old societies can not be taught new tricks.
In this age of tyrants, the lust for power will no-doubt snuff out whatever remains of such proto-democratic ideals. He is survived by his wife Lambda and his herd of 12,000 goats.
What did you admire about Solon?
On the side of the poor
Passed a law not to talk about Salamis any more
Free the land from debt
Repealed Draco’s laws (death penalty for minor offenses)
Why did Solon do things differently than Lycurgus? Solon seems wise. Is he ahead of his time in insisting on the rule of law?
He gave the Athenians all the laws they could take.
Had the people participate in government, and the rich continue to be officers.
How did they write laws down: on boards? with a machine to turn them?
Lycurgus:
Came to power differently from Solon: through family connection
divided the people into groups, eliminating the aristocracy
He seemed to want what was best for the people. Eliminating classes produces socialism, where you also take away some of the initiative (ambition).
Interesting parallels to today:
contrast Spartan raising of kids (tough, community oriented) to ours today (pampered, individualistic)
education: the public school system out of industrialism, compare/contrast with Spartan system.