Ambleside Online: Solon summary by an Ambleside student

When Solon's father had given away most of his (Solon's) property for kindnesses and charities, Solon went traveling, some say, to gain learning, though others say he was a merchant. He had many friends that would willingly have helped him, but being used to helping others, instead of them helping him, he did not go this route. It is certain that he was a lover of knowledge, for, when he was old, he would say that, "every day he grew older, and learned something new". It is also certain that he did not want to be rich, for he said that many wicked men are rich, and many good men are poor, and that no one can take away virtue, but money changes men.

It is said that Solon, Anacharsis, and Thales were friends, and some have quoted their discourse together. Once, Anacharsis came to Solon's house, with the purpose of making friends with him. But Solon told him that it was, "better to make friends at home". Anacharsis then said, "since you are home, why do you not make friends with me?" Solon asked him in, and they became good friends.

When Anacharsis heard that Solon was trying to make laws for his country, he laughed at him, saying that laws were like spider webs, catching the weak and poor, but the strong and rich could easily break them. Solon, however, said that he would make his laws so that everyone would see that it was better to be just than to break the laws. It turned out that Anacharsis was right. Later, Anacharsis expressed his surprise at the fact that in Greece, where Solon lived, "Wise men speak, but Fools make the laws".

Athens, the city in which Solon lived, had been for sometime trying to take the island of Salamis, and, after fighting for a long time, finally gave it up, and declared that anyone who said that they should take the island would be killed. Solon, seeing this, and being angry, concocted a plan. He had it spread about by his own family that he was insane, and then in secret wrote some verses, and memorized them, and then one day ran out into the streets and recited them. They said that Athens should try again to take Salamis, and that it was disgraceful not to.

Then the Athenians got together a plan. They sent one of their men to Salamis, and he told them (the people of Salamis) that if they wanted to capture some of the chief women of Athens, then they should come now, because they were sacrificing on a nearby island. They did as he advised, but in the meantime, some of the other Athenian men had dressed up as women, and waited there for the enemy to come. When they came, the Athenians surprised and killed all of them. For this, Solon became famous. Another of the things that he became famous for was his defending of the Oracle of Delphi, saying that the Cirrhaeans should not profane it, and so doing profane the gods. (The Oracle of Delphi was thought to be a message from the gods, especially Apollo.)

Some men, having started a rebellion, and then taken sanctuary in the Temple of Athena, were finally persuaded by Megacles to come down and receive a "fair trial". So they tied a string to the image of Athena, and came down to receive the trial. But when they came to the Temple of the Furies, the string broke, as if the goddess (Athena) did not wish to protect them. Then Megacles with the magistrates ambushed them, and killed most of them, the only ones saved being those who asked the magistrate's wives for mercy.

The rebellion being over, the people of Athens went back to their old quarrels about the government. Some wanted a democracy. Others wanted Oligarchy. Others. Wanted a sort of mixed government, and so prevented either of the others from succeeding. Not only that, the difference between the rich and the poor was coming to its greatest point, so that it looked like the only way to solve the problems was a despotism. Then the people asked Solon to be their ruler, for the rich liked him because he was rich, and the poor because he was honest. He accepted, having an oracle from Apollo.

Because he declined the kingship, he was made fun of with a poem that said he didn't take fortune when the gods offered it to him.

One of the fist things he did was to lower interest rates on the debts that people owed. Also, he increased the value of the pound, from 73 drachmas to 100.

While he was doing this, he told his friends that, though he would decrease the debts that people owed, he would not touch the land that they had bought. On hearing this they went out and bought great quantities of land, and when he put the law into practice, they kept the land. The people were suspicious of Solon at this, but he relieved their suspicion by releasing all of his debtors at 5 talents each (though some say it was 15).

The people were so pleased with him for reducing their debts that they made him in charge of the making and keeping of all their laws. One of the first things he did was to repeal all of the laws made by Draco, except the one concerning murder, for they were so severe that they had death as a punishment for almost all offenses!

He made rich persons magistrates, and put the rest of the people into the rest of the offices, dividing them into ranks by the amount of land and money they had. The first were the ones whose land was worth five hundred measures of fruits. The next, three hundred. The next, two hundred. The rest were called "thetes," and not allowed to have any place in government except that of juror, which was a very high office, for he had written his laws rather unclearly on purpose, so people would have to come to court. Next, the people getting rather lazy, and therefore getting into trouble, he devised a new council, consisting of 400 men, 100 from each tribe, that would inspect the cases before they came to the higher council (Areopagus). Another law he made said that everyone had to be on the good guy's side. Another law forbade men to speak evil of the dead. Another law said that, because the country had limited water supply, if there was a well within four furlongs, then they could go to that, but if there was none within that distance, to dig one in their own yard. If, however, they dug 10 fathoms (60 feet) without striking water, then they could take up to 4 1/2 gallons from their neighbors well. Another law he made said that, if someone wanted to plant a new tree, then it could not be less than 5 feet from the boundary line between his neighbor's property and his own, and for figs and olives it was 9. Another law said that if someone dug a ditch, it had to be at least the same amount of feet from the boundary line as it was deep (a 5-foot hole had to be at least 5 feet away, and so on). He also said that nothing could be exported except oil, and anyone caught exporting anything else had to pay a hundred drachmas, or else be cursed by the Areopagus. Another law said that if a dog bit someone, its owner should tie a 4 1/2 foot log to its neck.

Then Solon, not wanting to have to answer the questions that people had about his laws, purchased a merchant vessel, and went away for ten years, hoping that when he came back they would have figured them out. For a while he stayed in Egypt, and studied with a well-known priest. Then he went to Cyprus, where he met a king, who was living in a city founded by the son of Theseus. Solon advised him to build a new city, on a plain within sight of the old one. The king did this, and named the city Soli, in honor of Solon. Also in Cyprus, Solon met another king, who was very rich. The king asked him if he knew any man happier than he (the king) was. Solon replied that many of his friends, who had lived well and died nobly, were happier than he was.

Because of this, the king (Croesus) did not like Solon. But after a while, King Sirus of Persia came and fought with him, defeated him, took away all his riches, and condemned him to be burned. But when he was on the pile, Croesus cried out three times, "Oh, Solon!" Sirus asked him who this Solon was, and, when Croesus had told him the story, he not only let Croesus go, but honored him for the rest of his life.

When Solon returned, he found that Athens was divided up into three parties, the people of the seaside, the people of the plains, and the people of the hills, who were also the poorest. Though they were still using the new laws, they were all looking for some change in government that would favor them. However, when Solon came back, they reverenced him and accepted him as their ruler; and Solon tried to help as much as he could to reconcile them by talking privately with the head men of each party, he not being as active as he used to be.

One of the men he talked to, Pisistratus, tried to deceive Solon and the people, by making them think that he liked things how they were, and that he was prudent and trustworthy; however, he really wanted absolute power of the government. Solon soon found him out, however, but he did not resent him for this.

At one time, Solon went to see one of the plays of Thespis, and afterwards, he went to Thespis, and asked him "how he could tell so many lies in front of so many people?" Thespis answered that it was all right to do it in play. But Solon said that if there was dishonesty in their play now, there would be dishonesty in their business later.

Then Pisistratus wounded himself purposely, and went into the market like that, saying that his political enemies had done it to him. The people all believed him, though Solon spoke out against him, and they got a bodyguard of 50 clubmen for him. However, he soon had many more than fifty, and after a while, seized the Acropolis. Megacles, the leader of the people from the seaside, fled, with his family, but Solon made a speech to the people (for he was old, and could not take action himself), telling them to put down this tyranny. But they did not listen to him.

However, Pisistratus respected Solon, and went to see him many times, and finally made a friend of him, and Solon gave him advice and approved many of the things he did. As for Pisistratus, he kept most of Solon's laws, and obeyed them himself.