This biography provides detailed information about his childhood, life, career, works, achievements and timeline. Life solon sohluhn achieved prominence in athens as a statesman, legislator, reformer, poet, and war veteran during an age of social crisis. Solon reworked the structure of athenian society to make it more fair and publicola was one of the men who founded the roman republic taking power from the kings and giving it to the people. However, confronting them in a book entitled on sparta by a historian the calibre of plutarch is a bit anticlimactic. For they all unite in saying that he was a son of execestides, a man of moderate wealth and influence in the city, but a member. Solon was an athenian statesman, poet, and lawgiver. Plutarch s many other varied extant works, about 60 in number, are known as moralia or moral essays. We offer it to be used freely, and hope it will be a. The loeb classical library edition of the lives is in eleven volumes. He is best known for reforming his citys laws and economic policies, beginning an era of political, economic. And the two men were at first great friends, largely because of their kinship, and largely because of the youthful beauty of peisistratus, with whom, as some say, solon was passionately in love. Life of plutarch life of theseus life of romulus comparison of theseus and romulus life of lykurgus life of numa comparison of numa with lykurgus life of solon life of poplicola comparison of solon and poplicola life of themistokles life of camillus life of perikles life of fabius maximus comparison of. We consider how a mans life is so much subject to chance, and how disaster can. Parallel lives a historical lesson in ethical behavior plutarch, a greek aristocrat and a writer by profession, was born in the middle of first century ad.
Plutarch was the son of aristobulus, himself a biographer and philosopher. Plutarch s lives translated by aubrey stewart and george long volume i. Plutarch life of lycurgus pdf all of plutarchs lives are onsite in turn part of a very large site on. Plutarch represents solons way of dealing with rulers and tyrants peisistratus. Hide browse bar your current position in the text is marked in blue. Kathleen freeman, the work and life of solon, with a translation of his poems, cardiff, university of wales. Plutarchs account of solons reforms greek, roman, and. In addition to the translation of the life of the theseus the book contains the lives of romulus, lycurgus, numa, solon and poplicola, source greek texts, perrins introduction and footnotes and an index of proper names. Eros and moderation in plutarchs life of solon the. Plutarch s third pair of biographies are a good example of the influence that they had over art. The internet classics archive themistocles by plutarch. We offer it to be used freely, and hope it will be a blessing to many students and parents.
The greek biographer and essayist plutarch wrote a biography of him at the beginning of the second century ad, as one of his parallel lives. Parallel lives wikisource, the free online library. Plutarch s lives has been preserved through the centuries. The constitution written by solon mitigated the class struggle between rich and poor, and allowed for the growth of democratic institutions. Parallel lives parallel parallel lives mit opencourseware.
We also see solon construct a class system, and as an american its hard not to think that thats a dick move. They not only record careers and illustrious deeds but also offer rounded portraits of statesmen, orators, and military leaders. This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for. Plutarch, later named, upon becoming a roman citizen, lucius mestrius plutarchus. Ad 46 ad 120 was a greek historian, biographer, and essayist, known primarily for his parallel lives and moralia. Solons softness and profuseness, his popular rather than philosophical tone about pleasure in his poems, have been ascribed to his trading life. According to plutarch in his solon, the lawgiver was the son of execestides and so born into a distinguished family, even if their wealth was modest. Anacharsis, who was one of these wise men, came to visit solon in athens. Lycurgus legendary, lived legendary, 9th century b. Plutarchs lives, volume 1 of 4 by plutarch free ebook. Plutarch s surviving works were written in greek, but intended for both greek and roman readers. Didymus, the grammarian, in his answer to asclepiades concerning solon s tables of law, mentions a passage of one philocles, who states. The lawmaker of athens by plutarch history of greece.
The project gutenberg ebook of plutarchs lives, volume i. His father, neocles, was not of the distinguished people of athens, but of the township phrearrhi, and of the tribe leontis. Public duties later took him several times to rome, where he lectured on philosophy, made many friends, and perhaps enjoyed the acquaintance of the emperors trajan and hadrian. According to plutarch, solon was related to the tyrant peisistratos, for their mothers were cousins. Perrin translation the translation of bernadotte perrin, as printed in plutarch s lives loeb classical library.
Again, i was so looking forward to reading about this. Wikipedia article, commons category, wikidata item although written in greek as the. In 6667 plutarch studied mathematics and philosophy at athens under the philosopher ammonius. Plutarch is generally not considered a philosopher in his own right. He is considered as one of the seven wise men in greek culture. Solon was certainly real there are samples of his poetry around and this is one of the best sources for his life. For example, the life of publicola, a roman aristocrat, is paired with the life of solon, a greek athenian, both of whom were statesmen. Solon s laws do not appear to have been systematic, but provided regulations in the areas of politics, religion, public and private life including marriage, burial, and the use of springs and wells, civil and criminal life, commerce including a prohibition on export of all attic produce except olive oil, although solon encouraged the export. Plutarchs account of solons reforms greek, roman, and byzantine.
As archon in 5943, he instituted broad and enduring reforms in athenian law. From the project gutenberg ebook, plutarch s lives, volume i of 4, by plutarch, et al, translated by aubrey stewart and george long. Plutarch also quotes fragments of solon s poetry, painting a more romantic picture than posterity would remember the matteroffact lawmaker. Solon was an athenian statesman, lawmaker and poet. The project gutenberg ebook of plutarchs lives, volume i of 4, by. It is clear from plutarchs life of solon that the legislators activities encompassed much more than political reforms. This date is inferred from plutarch s own testimony on the e at delphi 385b, according to which he began studying at athens with a platonist philosopher named ammonius see dillon 1977, 189192, donini 1986b, when nero was in greece 6667 ce.
His fortysix lives are biographies planned to be ethical examples in pairs, one greek figure and one similar roman, though the last four lives are single. Didymus the grammarian, in his reply to asclepiades on solon s tables of law, mentions a remark of one philocles, in which it is stated that solon s father was euphorion, contrary to the opinion of all others who have written about solon. The giver of the law cannot be the sole interpreter of the law, in solon s mind. They are of high literary value, besides being of great use to people interested in philosophy, ethics and religion.
Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Plutarch was born to a prominent family in the small town of chaeronea, about 80 kilometres 50 mi east of delphi, in the greek region of boeotia. The birth of themistocles was somewhat too obscure to do him honour. His reforms failed in the shortterm, yet he is often credited with having laid the foundations for athenian democracy. This study represents a great deal of research, thought and work. Plutarch makes sure to mention it that solon s laws were vague, so as to require interpretation. Now, both figures are certainly important to classical history. Samuel i t is clear from plutarch s life of solon that the legislators activities encompassed much more than political reforms. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position.
During his life he produced over two hundred separate titles that focused mostly on moral. Didymus, the grammarian, in his answer to asclepiades concerning solon s tables of law, mentions a passage of one philocles, who states that solon s fathers name was euphorion, contrary to the opinion of all others who have written concerning him. It is also known as the lives of the noble grecians and romans or vitae illustrium virorum. Plutarch ian scottkilvert nine greek biographies illustrate the rise and fall of athens, from the legendary days of theseus, the citys founder, through solon, themistocles, aristides, cimon, pericles, nicias, and alcibiades. The name of plutarch s father has not been preserved, but based on the common greek custom of repeating a name in alternate generations, it was probably nikarchus no.
He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in archaic athens. Plutarch was born in chaeronea, a city of boeotia in central greece around 4547 ce. Also known as parallel lives, written in greek 100 ad. A discussion of plutarch s life of solon, the lawgiver of athens. Athens, unlike sparta, was a moneymad commercial city. Plutarch s account of solon s reforms samuel, alan e greek, roman and byzantine studies. It is a point peculiar to this comparison, and which does not occur in any of the other lives which i have written, that in turn one. The project gutenberg ebook, plutarch s lives, volume i of 4, by plutarch, et al, translated by aubrey stewart and george long this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Classical texts library plutarch, life of theseus plutarch, life of theseus. According to heracleides of pontos, solon survived the beginning of the reign of peisistratus his mothers sisters son by some considerable time.
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