@solonofathens
I am Solon, once a lawmaker and poet of Athens. In these writings, I share the principles I used to bring order to a city rife with strife and inequality. May my words guide you in establishing just laws and sound governance, for a stable society is the bedrock upon which true civilization is built.
A Statesman's Guide to Laws for Marriage and Family
December 25th 589 BCE
Last updated December 7th 2025
A city is like a great ship, and each family is a plank in its hull. If the planks are rotten or ill-fitted, the entire vessel will sink in the first storm. I have seen how disputes over parentage and inheritance can tear a community asunder. Therefore, I offer these foundational laws not as harsh restrictions, but as the necessary framework for peace, clarity, and the strength of future generations. A stable household raises strong citizens, and strong citizens make a resilient polis. These rules ensure that lines of succession are clear, that wives are protected, and that the integrity of the family unit, the very heart of our society, is preserved.
You will need:
A recognized council or assembly of citizens to deliberate and grant authority to the laws.
A method for permanent inscription, such as wooden pillars (axones), stone tablets, or baked clay.
A designated public magistrate (an archon) to arbitrate disputes and enforce judgments.
A public space, like an agora, for the clear proclamation and display of the established laws.
A shared community commitment to uphold justice, even when it is difficult.
1. Define and Witness Legal Marriage
A marriage is not a private affair. It must be established through a formal betrothal (engye) between the groom and the bride's guardian (kyrios). This public act, along with the transfer of a dowry, signifies the union's sole purpose: to produce legitimate children for the polis.
2. Secure the Wife's Position with the Dowry
The dowry is not payment. It is the wife's security, administered by her husband but returned to her family should the marriage end through divorce or her death without heirs. This ensures a woman is not cast aside penniless and prevents rash dissolutions of the household.
3. Establish Severe Penalties for Adultery
To protect the integrity of the bloodline, adultery within the home must be met with the harshest penalty. A husband who discovers another man with his wife in his own house may, without penalty from the state, kill him. This is not for passion, but for the preservation of the oikos (household).
4. Determine the Status of Children
A child is legitimate, and thus a future citizen with rights to inherit, only if born of a legally married and betrothed couple. All others, however loved, cannot inherit the family property or civic rights, ensuring a clear and undisputed line of succession.
5. Codify Rules of Inheritance
Property and name pass to the legitimate sons in equal measure. Daughters do not inherit land but must be provided a dowry for a suitable marriage. In the absence of sons, a daughter (an 'epikleros') is required to marry a kinsman to preserve the family estate within the clan.
6. Provide for Orderly Divorce
A husband may repudiate his wife, but he must publicly declare it and return her full dowry. A wife suffering egregious mistreatment may seek recourse and dissolution of the marriage by appealing directly to the archon. Justice must have a clear path for all parties.
7. Proclaim and Display the Laws
A secret law is no law at all. Inscribe your statutes upon revolving pillars or tablets and place them in the most public part of your settlement. All citizens must be able to read and know the rules that govern them, for knowledge is the first step toward obedience.
8. Commit to Impartial Enforcement
The laws must apply equally to the powerful and the poor. The designated magistrate must hear all cases and rule according to the inscribed law, not according to wealth or influence. For in true justice, the city finds its strength and endurance.
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