There arises the difficulty in designating In any democracy, the common people have power. He developed a council of 400 chosen from all but the poorest groups of Athenians. The city receives many favours from Rome, until an unwise act of rebellion in 86 BC leads to Athens being besieged and looted by a Roman army led by Sulla. Democracy: Starting with Solon In the present day, the term “democracy” is well known. The poet-tyrant Solon produced sweeping reforms in sixth-century Athens. Solon was elected to an archon position. By the 6th century BC, widespread social unrest led to the reforms of Solon. The founding of the city of Athens remains shrouded in legend, but the fact is that once the Greeks became established here, they were never driven out by the area's previous inhabitants, the way they were in many … Indeed, one of the problems about knowing the truth about what Solon did is that it’s pretty clear that lots of stories that had nothing to do with Solon were attached to Solon in later ages, because he was the prominent figure that everybody had heard about and knew something about, and so it isn’t easy to know, if somebody says Solon did this or Solon said that, whether he really did. Many were getting forced into slavery to pay off their debts. But the hardest and bitterest part of the constitution in the eyes of the masses was their state of serfdom. The poorest had no representation in the government, but … While in the Egyptian city of Sais Solon received the story of Atlantis from priests. In 594 B.C. Among them, Solon introduced the liberalization of slave laws (which freed many slaves), attempted to rebalance political power between the aristocrats and the poor majority, and created a new class system in Athens based on earned income. During this time, many farmers became indebted to money lenders who charged high interest rates. Unsucessful rebellions against Macedonia, from as early as 323, incline the Athenians a century later to support an imperial rival of Macedonia - Rome. Evolution of the Athenian Political System: from Monarchy to Aristocracy to Democracy. Athens had by this time become a significant naval power with a large fleet, and helped the rebellion of the Ionian cities against Persian rule. The Athenian Constitution by Aristotle, part of the Internet Classics Archive ... All loans secured upon the debtor's person, a custom which prevailed until the time of Solon, who was the first to appear as the champion of the people. These would pave the way for the eventual introduction of democracy by Cleisthenes in 508 BC. The story of the Isle of Atlantis first occurs in Plato's two dialogues the "Timaeus" and the "Citius. We can only try to sort of … Introduction to Athenian Democracy of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries BCE John A. Rothchild∗ Abstract: This essay serves to introduce students to the institutions of the democratic constitution of ancient Athens, during its flowering in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. Solon forgave all debts and developed a fairer system. "Plato's story centers around Solon, a great Greek legislator and poet who journeyed to Egypt some 150 years earlier. Greece languishes under Roman rule. However, each democratic government has a unique way of implementing this concept of common rule.