Life
- Athenian statesman, law-giver and poet
- ~630–560 BC
Reforms
- Seisachteia
- = “shaking of burdens”
- One time cancellation of debts
- Before the reforms, it was established that if an Athenian couldn’t pay his debts, he would either be sold into slavery or he could flee
- So lots of Athenians started coming back to Athens after this reform
- No Athenian could hold other Athenian as a slave
- Replacing the criterion of birth with the criterion of wealth
- Establishing 4 property classes
- Pentacosiomeimnoi
- “500 measure men”
- The traditionally wealthy landowners
- Hippeis
- “Horsemen” or “knights”
- Citizens wealthy enoigh to afford cavalry outfit
- Zeutigae
- “Yokemen”
- Wealthy enough farmers to afford a hoplite armor
- Thetes
- All other citizens
- Pentacosiomeimnoi
- Most political offices were limited only to some classes, but all citizens could participate in the assembly
- Ecclesia
- Assembly of all citizens
- Ecclesia
- Right of legal intervention
- Any citizen could intervene on behalf of other citizens legally
- Right to transfer a legal case, before delivery of a verdict, from a magistrate to a jury court
- Establishing 4 property classes