Solon

About the lecture

In this module, we discuss Solon, the Athenian law-giver who was active in the early sixth century BC. In particular, we think the kinds of rules that all Greek city-states were introducing at this time - rules that tended to dictate how the people in charge should behave, rather than how the general populace should behave - as well as the particular changes that Solon made at Athens, changes that included the abolition of bond-slavery, the introduction of new property classes, and a redistribution of land.

About the lecturer

Robin Osborne is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge and of the British Academy. He works on Greek History (political, social, economic, cultural) and Greek Archaeology (field archaeology and art history) between 1000 B.C. and 200 B.C, and has published extensively across a range of topics.