Why did solon go to sardis?

Answer 1

Solon was a politician and lawmaker in Athens during an intense time of turmoil for the Athenian government, c. 6 BCE. The Hoplites (free middle class men who provided their own panoply and fought in a phalanx) were realizing their power, and wanted to reform the government into a democracy. The Attica was essentially run by noble families, the most powerful being the Alcmaeonidae. A man named Cylon and a group of radical democratic rebels attempted to take over Athens during the Olympics, assured they would be granted a victory.(There was confusion with the Delphic oracle about this; the Oracle had said they would be successful if they attacked during the festival of Zeus, Cylon figured the Olympics honored Zeus, why not do it then.) Cylon and his men were driven into the temple of Athena, and trapped. When they began to starve, they begged for mercy, assuming the role of Suppliant. The suppliant in Greece was a very important figure. A person who begged for their life, or mercy, is a person who admits a wrong, and asks you to grant mercy, essentially granting you complete power over them. To kill a suppliant was considered one of the greatest of sins. The leader of the forces starving out Cylon's supporters was Megakles, an Alcmaeonid. He assured the group (Apparently Cylon and his brother had escaped) that they would be safe, but slew them as they left the temple. Not only had he slain suppliants, but he had slain suppliants under the protection of Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, for which it gets its name.

The Alcmaeonidae, it was believed, were cursed for the death of Cylon and his men, and after that outrage, and a general disturbance between the Aristocrats and the Hoplites, Solon was called in to act as a mediator. He agreed, if only the Alcmaeonidae would stand trial for the murder of Cylon. They lost the trial, and their sentence was banishment from Athens. Solon then implemented a set of reforms which were the basis of democracy, creating an assembly out of the people which granted them more agency in the government. It is believed that Solon didn't care so much about the murder of Cylon as he did about the influential presence of the Alcmaeonid, who were a kind of Ancient Greek Mafia, and incredibly wealthy. He basically removed the Almaeonidae so that his reforms would have a chance to take hold and not be crushed by the Aristocrats who felt threatened by the new power structure.

Then, to ensure that he could not be accused of becoming a tyrant (Unlike the modern definition, in Ancient Greece a "tyrant" was not a cruel ruler, but one who usurped the throne, or had no right to it.) Solon left Athens, going into an exile of 10 years. He traveled through the Ionian and Lydian territories, seeking refuge in the various courts of kings. (For a description of one of these visits to King Croesus, read Herodotus, book I, chapter 29.) In his absence, his friend and eromenos (younger male lover) Peisistratus, became a tyrant in an attempt to maintain Solon's reforms.

Solon essentially wanted to remain neutral, so that he couldn't be held responsible for a tyranny. Greeks had a nasty habit of killing leaders who they felt went to far, or gained too much power. Solon's reforms didn't catch on, and Peisistratus' reign was turbulent, with the Alcmaeonidae attempting repeatedly (with the help of the Spartan king Cleomenes,) to return to Athens. Peisistratus' son Hippias became a tyrant, and was assassinated.

Democracy didn't really catch on until, ironically, Cleisthenes, a descendent of Megakles, and a Patriarch of the Alcmaeonidae, defeated Hippias and re-organized Attica to form the ten demes from which the democratic assambly was drawn. In the end, it was an Alcmaeonid who solidified democracy in Athens.

If you're looking for more information, I would recommend reading Herodotus and Thucidides. Thucidides has nothing about Solon, but it shows what happened to Athenian democracy, and if you like history, is a tragic depiction of the cruelty of human nature, and the ability for something as honorable as Athenian Democracy to become corrupted and twisted. I hope this answered your question.