Solon as Prophet and Diviner: Was the Athenian Mediator and Archon of 594 BC Inspired by Mania?

Abstract

Solon is not described by any of the ancient sources as a diviner ('mantis') or a prophet ('prophetes'). Yet his poetry written in the 590s BC indicates that he acted precisely as the inspired 'manteis' of mythology: making predictions, interpreting events, and giving advice and warnings based on his knowledge of what events were to take place in the near and remote future. He was not the only archaic poet to make criticisms about their cities and their political state of affairs: Theognis and Hesiod did so also. Solon's poetry about Athens is however quite extensive and provides not merely social criticism, but contains a body of prophecies and predictions which are the most extensive surviving from the archaic and classical periods. Moreover, he was the only archaic poet to transform his society. Solon claimed he knew of Zeus' 'aisa' - his decree or plan - for Athens, as well as knowing the mind of the gods (Poem 4). Such knowledge of Zeus' 'aisa' can only have come about in of two specific ways: an epiphany either from Zeus himself - which would be rather unusual - or through some form of divination. To know the mind of Zeus is in fact not considered unusual in Greek thinking about prophecy, but it was not a routine gift: as Solon himself notes; 'the mind ('noos') of the immortals is completely unseen to mortals'. It is not at all normal in modern scholarship to consider Solon as a 'mantis' or more generally as an inspired prophet. His poetry is examined in its political context and from the point of view of concepts such as 'dike', justice.