A Critical Analysis of the Sources of Plutarch’s Solon

GREEK HISTORY PAPER TOPIC “A Critical Analysis of the Sources of Plutarch’s Solon” the assingment source should be from Plutarch Greek Lives A new translation by Robin Waterfield Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-954005-1 Plutarch’s biography of Solon (Greek Lives, pp. 46-77) is one of our most important sources of information about that famous Athenian lawgiver. Because Plutarch lived around 700 years after Solon, however, he had to rely on a range of earlier sources. As you read through the biography ask yourself the following questions: • What were the sources Plutarch relied on? • Where it is possible to say, what were their dates and their reasons for dealing with Solon? • Did these sources agree in their views of Solon? • How did these sources and how did Plutarch himself use the evidence of Solon’s poetry and laws? • Are there sections of Plutarch’s Solon whose reliability seems especially doubtful? In light of your answers to these questions, how cautious should modern historians be about using Plutarch’s testimony? Your answer to this final question should serve as the basis for your paper’s argument. By Tuesday, Sept. 19, you must submit your paper’s argument in a sentence or two and your list of reasons, with accompanying citations from Solon, which support your argument. Please bring one hard copy to class and submit a digital copy in the designated dropbox in D2L. The body of your paper should be 6-7 pages in length. No bibliography is necessary. Use only the translation of Plutarch’s Solon in Greek Lives, the notes to the translation, and the “Index of Sources Cited by Plutarch” and the “Index of Proper Names” at Greek Lives, pp. 466-483. Any references or quotations from the biography should be cited directly within the paper with the italicized title Solon and the chapter number placed in parentheses, as in the example, “according to Androtion and the others” (Solon 15). The paper is due by 8:30 on Thursday, September 28. Please bring one hard copy to class and submit a digital copy in the designated dropbox in D2L. Students who would like to revise their paper after they have been graded may do so. Under such circumstances, the first submission will count 8%, the second 4%.