“Family” and “Genus” in the Archaic Era of Ancient Greece: Solon’s Reforms in the Field of Family and Marriage

Abstract

The work is devoted to the study of the reforms of the Athenian policy Solon, which relate to property issues in the field of marriage and family. The information of ancient authors is analyzed in close connection with the historical features of the development of Athens of the archaic era. The paper concludes that after Solon’s transformations, property relations within the family and the genus are fixed in legal form, and cases of marriage because of money are suppressed. In addition, the transformation of Solon leads to the emergence of a will, a document that allows to transfer property outside the genus in case of its suppression. The aim of this work is to review and analyze antique evidence of the reforms of Solon, which affected property issues in the field of family and marriage as well as reforms of Solon which regulate the funeral rite of the archaic Athens. The study provides an overview of the socio-economic and political situation of the Athenian society of the time of Solon. We study the testimonies of Aristotle, Demosthenes, Plutarch, Diogenes of Laertes, which transmit to us information on the reforms of the Athenian family and marriage policy. The author comes to the following conclusions: 1) Solon's reforms led to the legal registration of property relations within the clan and in the event of its suppression; 2) The legal provisions of the Athenian politician were directed against marriage because of economic goals; 3)The laws of Solon limited the magnificent funeral cult, testifying to the elitist position of aristocrats; 4) Reforms of Solon combined both elements of aristocratic conservatism and at the same time innovative principles that contributed to the preservation of property, money of the family within it, but in the absence of heirs, they allowed to transfer property by will to representatives of other families.