Ancient Greece gave the world the wise men, seven being illustrated. It is unclear why this figure was chosen , because in reality it seems that list is much longer.
A legendary figure in the series of wise men of ancient Greece, the sixth of seven is the legislator Solon.
Solon’s personality is at an unparalleled scale: it is one of the greatest people who had stayed in Greece, was a prominent legislator and one of the earliest Greek poets.
He was born around 640 b.c. the island of Salamis, is a descendant of an impoverished royal family, due to business bankruptcy. As a child he wrote poetry, instead of working and spending time with young people, having not too serious character.
But when his family lost money in business, Solon thought about this problem and dragged his father out of bankruptcy, by sea trade, soon making a fortune and a reputation for skillful and honest man .
Although his family had been banned from going to Athens, Solon goes into the public square where speeches were hold and recited his poem, composed by him which was a bold call to fight for Salamis. Athens was one of the strong states located in Attica peninsula, is one of the most brilliant centers of culture, so the Athenians received him well on that Solon was a man of vast culture and appreciate poetry in particular.
With the victory in the fight for Salamis, Solon became so popular that was elected eponymous archon with broad attributions, confirmed by Oracle of Delphi, whose predictions were believed throughout Greece.
Solon involvement in public life, reducing power of the eupatrds,as Plutarch tells us, “Solon was respected by the rich for his richness and the poor citizens of Athens loved him and respected him for his honesty, his mental wealth , the talent and wisdom and generosity, balance and his pride.
As archon, Solon had the supreme legislative function. Solon gave Athens its first real constitution. His reforms have resulted in legislation considered by contemporaries straight. The big change was made by dividing the population Solon on cenzitara, all citizens were free and subjected to the same law, “he divided into four categories of taxpayers based on income and wealth of each, and their various political rights after they pay taxes each.
If you pour more money into the exchequer was right in peacetime or war to more and more functions.
Following this law Athens becomes a democratic state, that has served model for all other cities. The law initially gave by Solon was best received mostly by poor people, the deletion of all debts.This law restores the social order destroyed by converting debt into slaves, thus abolishing slavery. What makes Solon is a revolution that leads them to substantial losses of money lenders.
