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| via Wikimedia Commons |
This article on CNBC tries to find connections between a possible debt default in modern Greece and the cancellation of debts by the archaic Greek statesman Solon of Athens. I have a couple of problems with this. First, modern Greece has truly had so many cultural influences come and go that making this direct comparison is like saying that the modern English-speaking world is directly influenced by
Beowulf. Second, although Solon is important, the claim that he founded democracy by forgiving debts is quite a stretch. It was an effort by many politicians over several generations; Cleisthenes one hundred years later put the framework of the classical Athenian democracy into place.
Solon certainly was multi-talented, however. In addition to his talent for statecraft, he wrote (rather tediously didactic) poetry. Here's a sample:
Some wicked men are rich, some good are poor;
We will not change our virtue for their store:
Virtue's a thing that none can take away,
But money changes owners all the day. (tr. Dryden)
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