Life The Solon Letters (Σόλωνος Ἐπιστολαί) are a collection of eleven epistles spuriously attributed to the Athenian statesman and poet Solon (c. 630–560 BCE) [1][2]. The historical Solon was an Archaic-period lawmaker, one of the Seven Sages, credited with foundational democratic reforms in 594/3 BCE. The letters are a later literary fabrication, likely from the Hellenistic or Roman period, which adopt Solon’s persona to discuss his reforms, travels, and philosophy [3]. Their actual author is unknown.

Works The corpus consists solely of the Epistles (Ἐπιστολαί), preserved within the larger pseudepigraphical tradition of letters attributed to famous Greek figures [3].

Significance The collection is significant as an example of pseudepigraphical literature, illustrating the later reception and idealization of Solon. While providing no reliable historical data about sixth-century Athens, the letters are valuable for understanding how later antiquity constructed the legacy of early lawgivers and sages, testifying to Solon’s enduring symbolic status as a wise statesman and political thinker.

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Solon): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/solon/ 2. Encyclopædia Britannica (Solon): https://www.britannica.com/biography/Solon 3. Perseus Digital Library (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, includes the text of the Solon letters): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0258:book=1:chapter=2&highlight=solon%2Cletters