Lycurgus In Sparta Vs. Solon Of Athens

Solon surely was a dreamer, and a man of simple mind;
When the gods would give him fortune, he of his own will declined;
When the net was full of fishes, over-heavy thinking it,
He declined to haul it up, through want of heart and want of wit. (Plutarch, 1992)

The late dark ages in ancient Greece were times of turbulent reform, which gave birth to new styles of governance. The two most important of such changes came from the minds of Lycurgus of Sparta and Solon of Athens, who both brought radical changes to their respective cities. The militaristic society of Lycurgus was completely different from that of Solon, who gave more power to the common people, and sought a compromise between all factions of Athens. By the ideas of equality, economy, and sustainability in each city, it can be proven that Lycurgus’

Without trade partners because of their currency, and by condemning new ideas that could advance them as a society, we can see a militarized camp with a sluggish and practically useless economy that is slowly digging its own grave. In Athens, the economic reforms brought on by Solon bolstered the economy, raising the purchasing power of money, encouraging sustainable economic growth. Going even further, he held the view that “if the freedom of each is the concern of all, then the polis must protect everyone against personal enslavement, even to the extent of ransoming (…) Athenians who had already spent many years as slaves in other lands” (Vlastos, 1946). Essentially he went so far as to find enslaved Athenians in faraway lands to bring them back from economical enslavement. The second of his reforms brought an early form of democracy, giving the power of juror to the common man. With such a strong economy supported by their fair justice system, Solon ensured that Athens had room to grow and