Solon of Athens: Poet, Philosopher, Soldier, Statesman - Hardcover

Owens, Ron

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845194039 ISBN 13: 9781845194031

Publisher: Liverpool University Press, 2010

Synopsis

Solon of Athens was an historical figure of great significance, quoted by some 115 classical and post-classical authors. Yet in terms of recent scholarship, no one since Woodhouse (1938) has written exclusively on Solon, and not since Linforth (1919) has there been a commentary on each individual fragment of Solon's poetry. This book fills a significant gap in Greek scholarship in terms of historical analysis, political development, and the beginnings of philosophy in the Greek archaic period. The book addresses the historical, social, and political contexts within which Solon of Athens instituted wide-ranging reforms to the Athenian constitution (594-93 BCE). It also looks at the impact of those reforms on the growing political self-awareness of the archaic Athenians themselves and the developing ethical and political philosophies that drove reform. The book provides a detailed and comprehensive commentary on each of the 43 extant fragments of Solon's poetry. In the light of modern scholarship, the book sets out the story of Solon's life and examines the nature of the entrenched and threatening political and economic crisis which led to his appointment to high political office. It discusses the manner and consequences of Solon's appointment, identifying both the underlying causes of the crisis and the general outlines of the reform measures adopted by Solon. As well, the book explores both the philosophy and the concept of 'justice' that appears to have underpinned Solon's reform agenda.

About this title

About the Author:

Ron Owens Owens is a Conjoint Lecturer and Honorary Associate with the School of Humanities and Social Science, at Australia's University of Newcastle. His academic interests are the beginnings of philosophy and the origins of moral concepts in early Greek thought. He holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the Australian National University and puts his academic training in moral philosophy to practical use by serving as the Deputy Chair of the Human Research Ethics Committee of the local area Health Authority.

Review:

“The figure of Solon is central to all accounts of the very birth of western democracy. He was also an accomplished thinker and poet, important to any account of the birth of Greek intellectual life and culture. His life was complex, and his name legendary within a very short time. ... Politically, Solon was a figure to whose authority every Athenian democrat wanted to be able to appeal. The technique of making spurious reference to Solon’s democratic thought became a part of the new political armory in late fifth century Athens, and is mocked by Aristophanes in the Clouds, when reintroducing Pheidippides after his sophistic studies. He is selected, alongside Lycurgus, at the high-point of Plato’s Symposium as somebody who engendered laws far finer than any human progeny could. While there was considerable debate about how natural or artificial law of any kind might be, lawgiving was in any case highly thought of, often as a supremely rational or god-given activity. ... As a poet his early impact is attested again by Plato, when his character ‘Critias’ introduces the Atlantis story. Critias’ grandfather had supposedly said that ‘because they were new at that time many of us boys (scere at the feast of the Apaturia) recited the poems of Solon’ (21b). Chronology remains hazy, as the identity of Plato’s ‘Critias’ and the dramatic date of the dialogue itself remain hazy, but one message is still clear: the admiration for, and classic status of, Solon’s poetry came early. As a result of this classic status, at least at Athens, he would become a central part of Athenian consciousness and cultural identity. A poet’s status in ancient Greece was generally bound up with the perception that they had something valuable to say, either for the individual or for the community at large. Solon therefore played a part in moral and intellectual life for several generations. The artificial divisions that have separated him off from the Presocratic Philosophers have more to do with Aristotle than with any lack of perceived connection between moral principles and universal forces, either on Solon’s part or on the part of the canonical Presocratics. Political and cosmic forces were repeatedly joined together in the same discourse, and in classical Athens neither were seen as beyond the reach of the common man. Hence, in spite of the much-discussed ‘ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry’ Solon’s poetry had a special part to play in the development of philosophy at Athens. ... Dr. Ron Owens has, for many years, persisted with the study of all aspects of this remarkable man, and his dedication has been rewarded by numerous and important insights that help one to read the poems through the history and the man through the poems. I am delighted, therefore, that this useful volume presents to us a biography in several chapters, an edition of the poems in Greek and English, and a wealth of additional material, including vocabulary, concordance, glossary of Greek terms, bibliography, and index. This makes it an exceptionally well-equipped piece of work, and shows the seriousness with which the task has been taken. I see a wide range of uses for this volume, and it deserves a correspondingly wide readership.”  —From the Foreword, Prof. Harold Tarrant, University of Newcastle, Australia

About this edition

• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1845194039
• ISBN 13: 9781845194031
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 385