594/3 (O1. 46.3)

Archon

solon son of Exekestides PA 12806; APF 322ff.

Specifically dated to this year by Sosikrates apud Diog. 1.62 and a majority of the MSS of Eusebios (Hieron.). Solon's acme is given as Ol. 46 (596/5–593/2: Tatianus ad Graec. 41; Clement Strom. 1.65.3), Ol. 47 or 56 (592/1–589/8 or 566/5–563/2: Suda s.v. Σόλων). Demosthenes 19.251 in 343 speaks of 240 years since Solon. On the chronological problem see Rhodes, Comm. 120ff., 164. Though I place all of Solon's activities here, I believe his archonship saw only the immediate economic measures, with a subsequent nomothesia stretching to 592/1 (see LCM 1984, 155–6).

Plutarch (Solon 14.2) records that Solon was chosen ὁμoῦ κaì διaλλaκτὴς κaì νoμoϑέτης, as well as archon. I very much doubt the suggestion that διαλλaκτὴς was on the archon list (Jacoby, Atthis 175), but rather see it as part of the description of his role. Major sources for his activity are Ath. Pol. 5ff. and Plut. Solon 12ff.; for full references see Martina, Solone TT 260–509. For general bibliography see Rhodes, Comm. 125ff.; add Andrewes, CAH2III.3.375ff.; on economic matters Gallant, ABSA 1982, 111–24; on coinage Kagan, AJA 1982, 343–60; Kroll and Waggoner, AJA 1984, 325–40. I list here general heads of Solon's legislation; fragment references are to Ruschenbusch, ΣO∧ΩNOΣ NOMOI; not all measures are necessarily to be accepted as genuinely Solonian and fragments numbered from 94 to 152 are in Ruschenbusch's category of items at least doubtful.