| Solon was an Athenian poet and lawgiver who is | | | | He made laws that would create more equal |
| credited with bringing a certain amount of stability | | | | balance of power between the rich and poor and |
| to Athens during the late 7th century BC | | | | the powerful and the ordinary people. Solon |
| (c.630-600BC). Athens during the later years of | | | | tightened up laws about property, making it clear |
| the 7th century BC suffered much instability. | | | | that if a man made a will it would be made void if |
| Kylon was a great Athenian Olympic victor who | | | | he was senile, drunk, imprisoned or under the |
| believed he had the potential to become the new | | | | influence of a woman. Other laws were made too. |
| tyrant of Athens. There was a power vacuum | | | | A maximum of three items of clothing could be |
| left by the end of Athenian monarchy and the | | | | buried with the deceased, an adulterer could be |
| rise of powerful aristocratic families such as the | | | | killed on the spot if he was sleeping with the |
| Alkmaeonids. Kylon and a number of his followers | | | | punisher's daughter, wife, mother, sister or |
| tried to take Athens, but failed. Kylon then sat in | | | | concubine kept for procreating purposes. If an girl |
| the acropolis boundary (the sacred area of | | | | became the heiress of a family fortune, the next |
| Athens) and made himself a supplicant to the | | | | of kin (normally the girl's uncle) was by law obliged |
| gods. By doing this, Kylon was ensuring that he | | | | to marry her so that the property would be kept |
| would remain safe from any violence from angry | | | | within the family. |
| Athenian rivals. Kylon was wrong. Ancient sources | | | | Solon saw the social hierarchy of Athens as |
| point to members of the Alkmaeonid family | | | | based on how much property a man owned. He |
| carrying out their own punishment against Kylon, | | | | was however concerned with one particular group |
| murdering him after the Athenian magistrates had | | | | of men in the social hierarchy. These men were |
| ruled that no punishment should include death. | | | | known as the hektemoiroi, men who rented land |
| Solon's background was as an advisor to king | | | | and gave one sixth of the produce of that land to |
| Kroisos of Lydia. Solon would come to Athens as | | | | the owner. Solon moved away land boundary |
| a lawgiver and moral reformer. Solon identified | | | | markers (which were placed to record the sixth |
| that the power held by a few could cause internal | | | | of the produce which was to be given to the land |
| strife, which meant there was a lack of good | | | | owner) and gave these men their masters' land. |
| leadership. Selfish self interests over the needs of | | | | Finally a large portion of the Athenian population |
| the community led to dysnomia (bad laws) rather | | | | was free and led to Athens becoming a city of |
| than eunomia (good laws). The idea of fairness | | | | small farmers. The freeing of the hektmoiroi |
| was important to Solon and he believed that | | | | would led to the democratic reforms of the later |
| everyone should get what they deserve. | | | | 5th century and the first ever fully developed |
| Solon was elected as Archon in 594/3 or 592/1. | | | | democracy. |