Solon and the Forgiveness of Debt

Well, maybe I exaggerated. It is no longer breaking news unless you are new to history. Solon and the laws that made him famous were written over 2600 years ago in the far off land of Athens. Then, a small city state that was experiencing heavy turmoil, Athens was in dire need of change. Class warfare (the stuff that would make modern class warriors cringe) was on the verge of erupting and engulfing the city state in a dark cloud of Civil War. The Oligarchs, who owned most of the land and wealth, were looking to peacefully solve this problem without losing much of the power they had obtained. They found that man in the figure of Solon, who would lead Athens out of this dark period- at least for a while.

Born within the aristocracy of Athens, Solon was a rich man for his time. Although he claims to have been relatively poor working as a merchant, his background would say otherwise. He came to power around 600 BCE when the aristocrats, as I stated earlier, were desperate to hold onto political and economic power within the polis. "The Hill", a group of Athenians living in the highlands, was in favor of a radical shift towards democracy and the "Coastals" were for a combination of democratic and oligarchic institutions. The wealthy were just looking to hold onto as much power as possible, and this is where Solon found himself. In an incredible position and with much on the line, Solon had a huge decision to make.

But, this is exactly why Solon. He was considered a fair man by the poorer democratic groups and an aristocrat by the wealthy. He was in a wonderful position to compromise with both parties, bringing an end to the class tensions that had erupted every now and then. He knew that, "in great affairs you cannot please all parties," but this did not stop him from doing what he thought could solve the issue. As time would tell, his laws would be the basis of Athenian democracy for his people and even for the modern world.

The situation many Athenians found themselves in was quite brutal when compared to modern debt. The hektemoroi (men who owned a sixth of their produce to a wealthy land owner) were in continual debt to the aristocracy, and in an effort to pay off loans, would sell their relatives as slaves. When the time came the hektemoroi would even sell themselves to the landowner they owed. This destroyed the citizenry of Athens and created major problems. Solon fixed this by a three stage process. The first was to forgive all loans and restore land to the small farmers that once owned them. Second, he abolished debt slavery so that in the future this situation could not rise again. And lastly, he tracked down as many slaves as he could that were sold outside of Attica, brought them home, and freed them.

This was certainly a devastating blow to the wealthy class. Not only would the bushels of grain not be coming in, but much of their workforce was now free to farm independently. The re-born Athenian citizens now could begin their lives from scratch, and were granted, as Solon said, "an adequate amount of power and sufficient prestige." But, the democratic demands of the "Hills" were not quite appeased. They had wanted a total redistribution of property, so as to destroy the monopoly the Aristocrats had consolidated. This is were Solon quickly could have become a hated man. He knew that if he swayed completely one way he would have lost authority and the reforms would have never stuck, but if he forced the two parties to compromise then there might be a chance for settlement at the risk of being hated by both groups.

Although neither side was probably excited, the reforms were installed and Athens became a city-state of free small landowning farmers. However, this would not extinguish the flames that had been burning for quite some time. The merchants of the coast, an upcoming commercial force, had been upset about their exclusion from the political system. The aristocrats had monopolized politics like they had done with land, and the merchants who had been quickly acquiring wealth demanded a change.

Before continuing, let me make one thing quite clear. Democratic Athens is not how people imagine it. This is not a place where the people, no matter their social position, have equal political rights under the law. It is not the direct democracy capital of the ancient world by any means. Each class had acquired certain privileges and responsibilities. Although many historians would argue that the rights of Athenian citizens expanded in time, Solon did not intend for an all-out democratic system. The ancient Athenians were skeptical of an unbalanced political system, and that included one that would be completely democratic.

But, where was I? Oh! Solon now had the task of beginning the process for a new form of city politics. His goal was to start an inclusion policy that would allow all Athenians to participate in one way or the other. Solon did this by first creating a class system of four groups which would be based on the amount of bushels they produce. This could include grain, olives, oil or anything else that could be grown, produced, or sold. These groups are as follows:

1. pentakosiomedimnoi (500 bushels or more)
2. hippeis ("horsemen"... 300-499 bushels)
3. zeugitai (200-299 bushels)
4. thetes ( fewer than 200 bushels)

Each group was given specific roles within a newly formed style of government. In order to assure the aristocrats their power would be retained, the pentakosiomedimnoi were given sole leadership of the highest offices in Athens. These would include the state treasury and archon-ships. The hippeis, which might have represented the upcoming class of merchants were given plenty of power within this new system as well. Apart from the treasury and archon-ships, this group could run for any of the other higher magistrate positions. The zeugitai could run for lower offices and the thetes were allowed to vote in the assembly (ekklesia).

Although the higher offices were not offered to the thetes, it would be silly to think of them as minions to the new aristocracy. The assembly voted for the citizens that would fill the archon and magistrate seats. So, although they could not wield power in the same sense as their wealthier counterparts, the thetes did obtain a considerable amount of power compared to what they had before. And, it is important to remember that in this new class structure, there were no laws regarding it being a closed system. It is quite possible, if not plausible, that this was much like the social ladder that the West adores today. If so, let's take a moment of silence in remembrance of the great Archon Solon who is responsible for its creation..

This is probably not possible, but Solon certainly advanced the concept in 594 BCE when his laws began to be enforced. Not only did he create a pool of potential jurors, called the heliaia, he also allowed any male citizen to indict a fellow citizen. This means that even if the person was not victimized or a victim's family member, he was allowed to bring charges upon the person who supposedly broke the law. This revolutionized the system that was once based on vulgar vendetta's and family justice. Aeschylus, an Athenian playwright, explains the incredible change that took place when Solon's reforms became law.

In his three part Oresteia, Aeschylus journeys to a world just after Troy's defeat. Orestes, Agamemnon's son, comes home to find his dad murdered by his mother, and avenges him through her death. The Furies (a threesome of goddesses that avenge anyone who has been murdered by blood) chase this man to the courts of 6th century Athens where a trial finds Orestes innocent and the Furies guilty of vengeance. Aeschylus does a brilliant job of describing to the modern reader the change that took place from the personal vengeance of old to the courtly justice of new . Solon created a court system where everyone could be heard, and had changed justice from a private issue to a public one.

Although Solon planted the seeds of Athenian democracy, the fruit of his labor could not be picked until after a tyranny ran its course in the city. Pisistratus, ironically a relative of Solon (although distant), seized control around 560 BCE after a continued thirst for power within the new system. He was exiled once but returned to rule the city until his death. It was not until after the tyrant's rule that Solon's sytem was restored, but it would be changed once again by Cleisthenes- who swung the city-state further towards democracy. That is a story for another time.

What is practical about knowing this information and how can we use it in our day-to-day lives? To be honest, it probably won't help you with much. Your understanding of Solon will probably not land you a job, an intimate partner, or an influx of money. But, even though it won't give you anything tangible, it will give you a sense of identity. The paths of human advancement defines the spirit, will, and downright beauty of our species. The conflict that arose in the early 6th century is not much different than any other. A few groups were demanding to be heard and acknowledged, and were willing (sometimes halfheartedly) to change the entire system to obtain their goals. The fiery passion felt by the citizens of Athens is the same one felt by all Americans, whether "conservative" or "liberal". Humanity is connected by a long piece of thread that I call history. Thanks for reading.