Solon: The Story of a Wise Lawgiver of Athens - Essay Example

Solon: The Story of a Wise Lawgiver of Athens Biography of Solon of Athens This is the narrative of a remarkable individual; a prosperous merchant, a statesman, a warrior, a philosopher, and a poet. He was perhaps a son of a minority but upper-class, and perhaps religious, family that recognized Kodros, Athens’s famous last king, as its ancestor. He is one of the four men who were called the Seven Wise Men of Ancient Greece (Osborne 2009, 203). Moreover, he is identified as the very first poet of Athens whose creations survive until today. According to historical records, Solon was born in 648 BCE and died around 568 BCE (Osborne 2009, 212). The name of Solon in the ancient world was momentous; a claim which is highlighted by the fact that more than a large number of ancient intellectuals mention him by name, by his ideas, by his laws, and by his poems. The narrative of Solon is also a narrative of the wisdom of the Athenians who resorted to appeasement and negotiation, instead of resorting to the exercise of force and hostility, to resolve a lingering internal political conflict which was weakening their society’s core foundation. The narrative also concerns an extensive political and economic disaster at the advent of the 6th century BCE that endangered the central structure of Athenian society (Osborne 2009, 213). It involves the response of the Athenians to that disaster; it tries to illustrate the methods, guidelines, structures, and systems established by Solon to alleviate hardships; and to explain both his values, beliefs, and his idea of justice which add force to that response. Solon: The Lawmaker of Athens by Plutarch (2012, para 3) states that Solon was a part of an aristocratic family. He originally attained prominence in Athens due to his contribution in the battle against Megara for Salamis. During this period, Athens was beleaguered with political conflict between the wealthy and the destitute and the residents of various regions. According to Plutarch (2012, para 11), the poor of Athens had been severely weighed down by debt to the rich. A large portion of the poor population farmed the lands of the wealthy, giving them one-sixth of the yield in return. Nevertheless, other portions of the poor population had given themselves as guarantee for debts; when these poor people are not capable of paying their debts, their creditors are allowed to seize them and sell them as slaves. In such situations, Solon was chosen archon to develop political policies. After embarking on social and political reforms, Solon planned to abandon Athens for several years, and he mandated that his policies would not be replaced throughout that period. Solon was held in the highest regard as both a lawgiver and a great philosopher. Throughout the 4th century, spokespersons of Athens ascribed practically every law to Solon (Osborne 2009, 207). In ancient times Solon was grouped among the seven erudite of antiquity. A great deal of what is known about the Athenian lawgiver is sealed in his poems. According to Osborne (2009, 206 & 210), Life of Solon by Plutarch and the Constitution of the Athenians consider his poems as surviving proof of his character and accomplishments. Significance of Solon of Athens in Western History Athens, virtually, although not completely, was unscathed by the numerous attacks before the time of Solon, had been vigorously engaged in the Ionian migration. In the 8th and 9th centuries, the pottery of Athens had thrived; however, after these periods of bustling activity and success there is no proof that Athens was of any value until Solon’s arrival (Osborne 2009, 280). Democracy’s historical root was in the latter part of the 6th century BCE, but the major stride in the formation of Athenian democracy was Solon’s attempt to purge enslavement by debt at the advent of the century. Athenians of the 4th and 5th century had contrary opinions and beliefs about the origins of democracy (Osborne 2009, 209). Several Athenians attribute the development of democracy to their renowned ruler Theseus (p. 209), but for the majority, Solon was a very important figure. In the course of political conflicts in later 5th century, the laws of Solon were cited by both democrats and oligarchs to add integrity and legitimacy to their judgments. The main objective of Solon seems to have been to bring back order and security to his homeland when it was besieged by furious civil conflicts and to discourage power usurping. Several of his reforms safeguarded some basic human rights (Plutarch 2012, para 15). Specifically, they safeguarded the individual freedom of Athenians against debt-enslavement, they allowed anybody to pursue reparations for an individual who had been maltreated, and they guaranteed the right of appeal to the individuals against the rulings of authorities and arkhons. Furthermore, Solon opened the way for leadership in Athens by weakening the patrician—upper-class—domination of public positions (Osborne 2009, 213). In general, Solon generally transformed three areas: moral principles, economy, and law. But apparently the major accomplishment of Solon was the development and institution of democracy, the system of government that would define Athenian history and would influence practically all nations across the globe in the centuries to come. Solon grouped the society of Athens into classes based on their wages and not their aristocratic ancestry. Public positions or political rights were only provided for the top three classes (Osborne 2009, 213-214). However, according to Plutarch (2012, para 14), Solon allowed every citizen to take part in the Ekklesia, the committee that talked about public concerns, and had the privilege to take part in a decision for any given issue. With specific laws, Solon attempted to transform Athenian morality. He eradicated a number of laws that granted only men the privilege to own property. In addition, he granted all citizens the right to seek legal measures for another citizen and obliged all men to participate in battles (Osborne 2009, 207). In so doing, Solon emphasized the value of being politically engaged for the benefit and interest of the state. The legal reforms of Solon moderated the ruthless punishments of Draco’s laws of around 621 BCE, which are believed to have endorsed death as the punishment for even minor wrongdoings (Plutarch 2012, para 18). Solon, on the other hand, limited the punishment of death to murder. According to some historians, Solon had identified a properly and successfully managed society by claiming, “That city were those who have not been injured take up the cause of one who has, and prosecute the case as earnestly as if the wrong had been done to themselves” (Plutarch 2012, para 20). In view of that he permitted anybody to fight for the cause of an impoverished individual who had been harmed and changed the law into a solution for a huge number of social problems than at any period in the history of Athens. In the chaos of political life in Athens, another of his policies mandated that, in case of an uprising, anybody remaining neutral or uninvolved would be stripped off of civil liberties. This prevented righteous men, scared to getting involved and trying to save themselves, from staying distant from the issues and activities of their city in periods of turmoil (Plutarch 2012, para 20-21). Solon purposely advanced through law to reach a settlement between the demands of the poor population and the wealthy. Because of this move, both the poor and the rich resented Solon (Osborne 2009, 206). The wealthy fumed because of the removal of their birthrights, whereas the poor clamored for a complete redistribution of wealth and resources. Solon was viewed by some people as an extraordinary and wise lawgiver because he stopped the oligarchy that was unduly superior and discriminatory, he abolished enslavement, and he instituted traditional democracy by ingenious legal measures; for the democratic judicial courts, the aristocratic elective magistracies, and the oligarchic Council of the Areiopagos. However, it appears possible that Solon simply did not eliminate the latter two, namely, the election of magistrates and the council, but that he did institute democracy by opening the judicial courts to all citizens (Osborne 2009, 206-208). For that reason, several people hold him culpable for disentangling his other reforms by forming the judicial court, which is decided by the people, highest over the rest. Because when the judicial court became dominant, the law was transformed into modern democracy to satisfy the citizens, just like an autocrat; and Ephialtes reduced the authority of Council of Areiopagos, just like what Pericles did, whereas Pericles introduced fees for the judicial courts, and through this all the prominent leaders expanded and advanced it into the democratic system of today (Osborne 2009, 206-210). However, it seems that this took place not in accordance to Solon’s intention, but instead by fate because Solon seems to have granted the citizens only the authority that was totally appropriate and required, that of voting for their officials and of monitoring their actions, and he made sure that every magistracy would be dominated by the prominent and affluent individuals. Conclusions In a distinctive Greek way, Solon was as complex as numerous other remarkable Greeks in the ancient times; he was a wise lawgiver and a poet honored for his ingenious accomplishments in his own lifetime and after. His name kept on rising until the Athenian spokespersons attributed every judicious Athenian law to his name. Solon’s biography written by Plutarch is neatly Roman in its interest in facts and the numerous myths that had surfaced about this notable individual. Nonetheless, historians present compelling proofs that Solon was worthy of his standing in Western history. He contributed to the creation of a free labor force while destabilizing the aristocracy and bolstering the law courts and the Assembly. In the following years Solon would be honored for the legal measures that thwarted an all-out Athenian revolution and which paved the way for the strong ingenuity Athens would express in the coming decades. In the decades after his demise, Solon was commemorated as an individual full of wisdom and creativity. Several years afterward, Pericles, based on the insights of Solon, instituted the famed Athenian democracy. Therefore, nowadays, Solon is highly regarded as the founder of democracy. Works Cited Osborne, Robin. Greece in the Making, 1200-479 BC. London: Taylor & Francis, 2009. Print. Plutarch. “Solon: The Lawmaker of Athens.” A History of Greece. 24 April 2012. Web. 30 April 2012. < http://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/biography/solon.htm> Read More