Why Did Athens Use Solon To Revise Their Law

In 594, the Athenians selected Solon to revise their laws. Solon’s laws, even though they did not establish a total democracy like what would follow, nevertheless became the template for all future Athenian governments. (Aristotle 9) Following the brief rule of the “Thirty Tyrants” at the end of the 5th century BCE, when the Athenians were restoring their democracy, the first thing they did was to reaffirm the Laws of Solon, using that as a base to reconstruct their constitution. Solon attempted to solve the debt crisis that the had been plaguing the poor of the city, and to make the constitution of Athens more egalitarian. He abolished the practice of giving loans with a citizen’s freedom as the collateral, the practice that had made slaves
of many Athenians. He gave every Athenian the right to appeal to a jury, which made the act of interpreting the law now in the hands of a more democratic body, since any citizen could serve on a jury. Solon also divided the population into four classes, based on wealth, and limited the office of Archon to members of the top three classes.