Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

Historical Outline 19
founding city was not a particularly close one. Corinth alone established
something resembling a colonial empire by maintaining close
ties with its colonies. Far from serving to forge links between various
parts of the Greek world, therefore, colonization further contributed
to its disunity and particularism. It is important to appreciate that
the limits of Greek colonization did not define the limits of Greek
influence. Greek artifacts have been found as far afield as northern
France, Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden.
ARCHAIC GREECE
The period from about 650 to 480 b.c.e. is called the Archaic
Period. This name, which derives from the Greek word archaios,
meaning “ancient,” was originally coined by the late eighteenthcentury
German archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann to
identify a period of Greek history whose artistic productions were
regarded as crude compared with those of its successor. The term
thus constitutes a value judgment on the achievements of an era to
which many contemporary scholars, who now judge Archaic art
much more favorably, would not subscribe.
Solon
We know little about Athenian history until the beginning of the
sixth century b.c.e., when a lawgiver called Solon came to power.
At the time, Athens was experiencing economic hardship and
agrarian distress, probably aggravated by drought and famine.
The crisis had become so severe that heavily indebted Athenians
were becoming enslaved to their fellow citizens. Solon solved this
problem by adopting the radical procedure of canceling all debts.
In addition, he legislated that no Athenian was permitted to incur
a debt on condition that if he failed to repay it he would become
the slave of his creditor. Second, if a father omitted to teach his son
a profession, the son was released from the obligation of having
to support his father in old age. Third, Solon forbade the export
of corn and other agricultural products, with the single exception
of olive oil, of which Athens had a surplus. Finally, he introduced
measures that set Athens on the road to democracy. An assembly
of citizens now met on a regular basis, and a court of appeal was
established to check the abuse of power by magistrates. His laws
were written on wooden tablets and placed in revolving frames for
easy consultation.