A new reading on Solon’s law on stasis: the sovereignity of the demos

Abstract

Solon’s so-called “law against neutrality” has been the subject of much debate. Its study has given rise to a vast body of literature, begging many questions such as its authenticity and purpose which, to authors of the ancient world, seemed to contradict the politics and spirit of Solon. My aim here is to demonstrate that his law on stasis was perfectly in tune with his reforms and the way in which he envisaged the government of Athens. Specifically, I will try to show, through the analysis of this law, that the sovereignty of the demos, understood above all politically as the civic body as a whole in assembly (ekklesia) and, therefore, as the city’s legitimate power, along with its representative council, the Boule of Four Hundred, already existed at that time.