Biography of Archont Solon

Athenian politician, legislator and poet, one of the "seven sages" of ancient Greece. Solon came from the noble kind of Codrid, which was previously the royal dynasty. Apparently, even before the beginning of political activity, he was known to the fellow citizens as a poet. He was the first Athenian poet, and besides, the political orientation of some poems was to attract the attention of the listeners.

Solon’s political activity began his expedition to Salamin during the war with megars. After a successfully ended expedition, he initiated the first sacred war. By the year BC. In addition, he was given extraordinary powers. Solon conducted a series of Sisakhfia reforms, property qualifications, a jury and council of four hundred, etc. After his archonism, the reformer went on a trip, during which he visited various regions of the Eastern Mediterranean.

After his trip, Solon no longer took an active part in political life. He died about a year BC. The earliest and authentic source about Solon is his poems, from which a large number of fragments of various content have come to our time. In total, lines of more than 5 thousand lines have been preserved. Probably in ancient times there was a collection of poems of Solon.

Also, modern sources are its laws.

Most of them are given by Plutarch and Diogenes of Laerte. In ancient times, Solon was attributed more than laws, but not all of them were published by him. The Solonovsky legislative set was recorded on the wooden boards of the Kirbach and put on public display. In the middle of the 5th century Some authors of the 5th century briefly mention the solone. The most famous are the stories in the History of Herodotus, especially the famous story about the conversation of Solon and Kreza in the Sardies.

At the end of the 5th century Accordingly, it is mentioned in the writings of many speakers, philosophers and publicists Andikok, foxes, Isocrates, Demosthenes, Aeschin. Plato ascribes him a myth of Atlantis. Solon's activity occupied a large place in the works of attidographers, which have come to our time in minor fragments. These works to the greatest extent of the work of Androtion, probably, was used by Aristotle in his works.

The story about the reforms of Solon in the "Athenian Politia" is one of the most important sources about them. Plutarch also used the works of attidographers when writing a solon biography. Solon, the son of the Exteadid, was born about a year BC. There is also a version that the Father of Solon was called Eugorion. Plutarch conveys both options, but gives preference to the generally accepted.

Some ancient authors Diodorus Sicilian, Diogenes Laerte mistakenly believed that he was born on Salamin. In terms of prosperity, Solon belonged to the “middle circle citizens”, and came from the noble family of Codrid, which was previously a royal dynasty. Since that branch of the Codrid clan to which it belonged, by the end of the 7th century. Solon traveled a lot and met the customs and customs of other states.

Since in sources there are contradictions regarding the sea travel of Solon, some researchers question the fact of his trade activity. Apparently, even before the beginning of the political activity of Solon, he was known to the fellow citizens as a poet. In his poems, Solon condemned the existing atmosphere in the policy and put forward the idea of ​​the ethmia of the nobleness.

The reformal activity of the Solon combined the desire for the necessary transformations and healthy conservatism. In his early poems, he condemned the situation in the policy in particular, the desire of the aristocrats to unjust enrichment, civilian troubles, the hardening of the demos and nominated the idea of ​​the ethmia of goodness. The idea of ​​Evemia is of dolphin origin.

For Solon, no avail meant fair laws and conscious submission of citizens to these laws. Solon fundamentally hated tyranny. After the reforms, Solon's supporters advised to continue the reforms by establishing tyranny, but he refused. In the era of senior tyranny, when tyrants came to power in many Greek policies, a voluntary rejection of being a merepion - a unique case.

He argued his refusal by the fact that this would cover his name with a shame and could destroy him and his family. In addition, he was an opponent of violence. Apparently, even before the beginning of political activity, Solon was known to fellow citizens as a poet. A large number of fragments of his works of various content have come to our time.

In any case, ancient and Byzantine authors had a much large number of poems of Solon than modern researchers. Elegy “to oneself”, for example, came to us completely only in the “Eklogs” of the Byzantine writer Stobe of the 5th century.