Solon and Early Greek Poetry

The poetry of archaic Greece gives voice to the history and politics of the culture of that age. This book explores the types of history that have been, and can be, written from archaic Greek Poetry, and the role this poetry had in articulating the social and political realities and ideologies of that period. In doing so, it pays particular attention to the stance of exhortation adopted in early Greek elegy, and to the political poetry of Solon; it also stresses the importance of considering performance context as a critical factor in interpreting the political expressions of this poetry. Part I of this study argues that the singing of elegiac paraenesis in the élite symposium reflects the attempt of symposiasts to assert a heroic identity for themselves within this wider polis community. Parts II and III turn to the political poetry of Solon: Part II demonstrates how the elegy of Solon both confirms the existence of this élite practise, and subverts it, drawing on the poetic traditions of epic and Hesiod to further different political aims; Part III looks beyond Solon’s appropriations of poetic traditions to argue for another influence on Solon’s political poetry, that of tyranny. The book concludes by exploring the implications of this reading of elegy for a political interpretation of the Homeric epics in Athens.

• Examines the relationship between archaic Greek poetry and political culture • Offers close readings, especially of the works of Solon • Explores the context of performance, especially the symposium

Introduction; Part I. The Politics of Exhortation: Introduction; 1. Understanding the political in martial exhortation; 2. Synthesising content and context; 3. Contextualising the city: archaic verse inscriptions and the ‘rise’ of the polis; Part II. Political Poetics: Solon’s Eunomia: Introduction; 4. Solon 4 and martial poetry; 5. Solon’s Odyssey; 6. Solon 4 and Hesiod; Part III. Poetry and Political Culture: Introduction; 7. Solon and the language of the tyrant; 8. Rewriting (some) history: Solon and Peisistratus; Conclusion.

\'It is simply superb scholarship, impressively documented and combining to a rare degree both literary and historical/political aspects … To reveal all the many virtues of this splendid book would require a multi-page review. It must suffice to say that not only is Irwin\'s book important for understanding some of Solon\'s poetry and the political and social conditions in Athens during his lifetime, but also for much earlier poetry, especially Homer (with particular emphasis on the Odyssey), Hesiod and Tyrtaeus.\'

– The Classical Review