Solon - Solon (English spelling)

A Greek politician and poet. One of the Seven Sages of Greece. Born into a noble family in Athens, but of middle-class wealth. He was a relative of Peisistratos, who later became a tyrant. From a young age, he traveled around the world to trade with other countries. In the late 7th century BC, during a war with neighboring Megara over the possession of the island of Salamis, he recited a poem he had written in the agora (public square) to the Athenian citizens who were fed up with the long war, and resumed the fighting. In 594/593 BC, he was elected Archon with full powers as a mediator, and carried out a series of reforms (Solon's reforms). At that time in Athens, there was a strong demand for the upper class of commoners to participate in national politics, which was shaking the rule of the aristocracy, but on the other hand, land was concentrated in the hands of a few people, and the number of people who farmed the land in servitude to the wealthy was increasing, which became a major social problem. According to the custom of the time, poor peasants borrowed money by using their bodies as collateral, but if they could not repay the debt, they became debt slaves called "hektemoloi" (meaning one-sixth), who were obligated to pay a tribute of one-sixth of their harvest. Furthermore, those who could not fulfill their tribute obligations were made slaves, and some were sold abroad.

In the face of the threat of the dissolution of the citizen body, Solon first wrote off all public and private debts (called "unburdening") and prohibited borrowing against the person as collateral, thus blocking the path to enslavement of citizens. This measure clearly defined the status difference between citizens and slaves, and thus established the legal framework of the citizen body. In response to the demand for participation in national affairs by the plebeians, he established a national system in which the qualification to participate in national affairs was based on wealth, not on family background (timokratia, or property politics). In other words, he divided citizens into four classes based on the income from land: 500 koku class, knight class, peasant class, and worker class, and gave state positions to the top three classes according to the evaluation of their wealth, while the worker class was only given the right to participate in the Assembly and the courts. This opened the way for the plebeians to participate in national affairs. He also abolished all the laws of Dracon except those concerning murder, enacted a set of laws governing the general life of citizens, and reformed the system of weights and measures. Through these reforms, Solon is credited with laying the foundations of democracy. However, his reforms did not satisfy either the nobles or the commoners, and chaos followed for several decades afterward. In his later years, Peisistratos came to power as a tyrant.

Solon was also the first Athenian poet, and fragments of his works remain in which, like Hesiod, he laments the injustice of the gods' rule but ultimately argues for faith in their justice.

[Nobuyuki Maezawa]

"Solon" by Plutarch, translated by Murakawa Kentaro (included in "Plutarch, Complete Works of World Classical Literature 23," 1966, Chikuma Shobo) "The Emergence of Greek Democracy" by W.G. Forrest, translated by Ota Hidetsugu (1971, Heibonsha) "Citizen Soldiers of Ancient Greece" by Ando Hiroshi ("The World History of Man 3," 1983, Sanseido) "The Constitution of the Athenians" by Aristotle, translated by Murakawa Kentaro (Iwanami Bunko)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代ギリシアの政治家、詩人。ギリシア七賢人の一人。アテネ（アテナイ）の名門だが資産は中流の家の生まれ。のちに僭主(せんしゅ)となるペイシストラトスとは親類にあたる。若いときから交易を兼ねて諸国を歴訪した。紀元前7世紀後半、サラミス島の領有をめぐって行われた隣国メガラとの戦争の際、長期に及んだため嫌気がさしたアテネの市民に向かって、アゴラ（公共広場）で自作の詩を朗読し、戦闘を再開させた。前594／593年、調停者として全権を委託されてアルコンに選出され、一連の改革を断行した（ソロンの改革）。当時のアテネは、上層平民の国政参加への要求が強く、貴族支配を揺るがせつつあったが、他方、土地が少数者へ集中、富裕者に隷属して土地を耕作する人々が増大し、大きな社会問題となっていた。貧しい農民は、当時の慣習から自己の身体を担保として借財を仰いだが、返済できない場合は収穫の6分の1の貢納義務を負う「ヘクテーモロイ」（6分の1の意）とよばれる債務隷属者となった。さらに、貢納義務を果たすことのできない者は奴隷とされ、なかには外国へ売却される者もいた。

　こうした市民団解体の危機に直面して、ソロンは、まず公私の債務の帳消し（「重荷おろし」とよばれた）を行うとともに、身体を担保とする借財を禁じて、以後の市民の奴隷化への道を断った。この措置によって市民と奴隷との身分的格差が明確とされ、ここに市民団の法制的枠組みが確立したといえる。平民層の国政参加の要求に対しては、家柄ではなく財産を基準として国政への参加資格を与える国制を定めた（ティモクラティア＝財産政治）。すなわち、土地からの収益に基づいて市民を五百石級、騎士級、農民級、労働者級の4等級に分け、国家の役職は財産評価に応じて上位3等級にゆだね、労働者級には民会と法廷に参与する権限のみを与えた。これによって平民層の国政参加への道が開けた。さらに彼は、殺人に関する法以外のドラコンの法を廃止して、市民生活全般を律する一群の法を制定し、また度量衡の改革を行った。これら一連の改革を通じて、ソロンは民主政の礎石を築いたと評価されている。しかし、ソロンの改革は貴族をも平民をも満足させるに至らず、この後数十年にわたり混乱が続き、彼の晩年にはペイシストラトスが僭主として政権を獲得した。

　ソロンはまたアテネ最初の詩人であり、その作品の断片が残されている。そこでは、ヘシオドスと同じく、神の支配の不公平を嘆きながらも最終的には神の正義を信ずべきことが主張されている。

［前沢伸行］

『プルタルコス著、村川堅太郎訳「ソロン」（『世界古典文学全集23　プルタルコス』所収・1966・筑摩書房）』▽『W・G・フォレスト著、太田秀通訳『ギリシア民主政治の出現』（1971・平凡社）』▽『安藤弘著「古代ギリシァの市民戦士」（『人間の世界歴史3』1983・三省堂）』▽『アリストテレス著、村川堅太郎訳『アテナイ人の国制』（岩波文庫）』

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