He is one of the Seven Sages of Greece and credited with laying the foundations for Athenian democracy. Solon's reforms included debt relief later known and celebrated among Athenians as the seisachtheia shaking off of burdens. He is described by Aristotle in the Athenian Constitution as "the first people's champion". Demosthenes credited Solon's reforms with starting a golden age. Modern knowledge of Solon is limited by the fact that his works only survive in fragments and appear to feature interpolations by later authors.
It is further limited by the general paucity of documentary and archaeological evidence covering Athens in the early 6th century BC. Ancient authors such as Philo of Alexandria , [ 7 ] Herodotus , and Plutarch are the main sources, but wrote about Solon long after his death.
Fourth-century BC orators, such as Aeschines , tended to attribute to Solon all the laws of their own, much later times. Solon was born in Athens around BC. If so, his lineage could be traced back to Codrus , the last King of Athens. When Athens and its neighbor and rival in the Saronic Gulf , Megara , were contesting the possession of Salamis , Solon was made leader of the Athenian forces.
After repeated disasters, Solon was able to improve the morale of his troops through a nationalist poem he wrote about the island. Supported by Pisistratus, he defeated the Megarians either by means of a cunning trick [ 14 ] or more directly through heroic battle around BC.
The dispute was referred to the Spartans, who eventually awarded possession of the island to Athens on the strength of the case that Solon put to them. Let us go to Salamis to fight for the island We desire, and drive away from our bitter shame! One fragment describes assorted breads and cakes: [ 18 ]. They drink and some nibble honey and sesame cakes itria , others their bread, other gouroi mixed with lentils.
