Solon

Solon (c.640–559 B.C.), Athenian politician and poet, and one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece (Seven Sages). Solon gained fame in 612 B.C. with his poems, which compelled the Athenians to recover the Island of Salamis. He was elected leader (archon) of the government in 594 B.C. During his leadership many political and economic reforms were initiated. They included the abolition of unfair debt laws, the institution of habeas corpus, emancipation of slaves, and reforms in the representation of the common citizens in the assembly and in courts of law.

See also: Athens; Greece, Ancient.