Introduction: The Name Solon

Solon was a lawgiver from Ancient Greece responsible for reforming the Athenian law system around 594 B.C. Often times Solon is contrasted with another Athenian lawyer, Drakon. The development of Western law owes much to the Greco-Roman tradition of government and codification of laws. Drakon's approach to law enforcement was hard-line and often extreme. Today, harsh regulations are commonly referred to as "draconian". In contrast, Solon provided a more reasoned approach. Although not much is said about Solon, a statue of Solon resides on the mantlepiece over a fireplace in the Supreme Court of the United States conference room that contains the portraits of the first fifteen justices. Solon's place in that room signifies the fact that the lawyers who served on the U.S. Supreme Court in its first century were influenced heavily by Greco-Roman and other classical traditions.

Solon is also the name of a small, eastern suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A., and is where the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN) is based. While only a coincidence, I believe that there is a need to develop law for cyberspace. Hence, I have adopted the name CyberSolon for this Legal Information Center and as my pseudonym for my e-mail account at America Online: "cybersolon@aol.com".

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Last Modified: May 26, 1995

Page Author: Peter F. Harter
Technical Support: John M. Kurilec (jmk@ofcn.org)