17th century print of Solon (c.638 BCE - 558 BCE), Greek statesman with lines of verse by Roman poet Ausonius. Solon was an Athenian, raised in a time in which position and noble birth meant everything. Himself of the aristocracy, Solon was unusual in being a reformer. He managed to pass constitutional reforms that enfranchised large parts of the Athenian middle and lower classes and instituted economic reforms that increased the potential for trade. He also legislated for moral reform, particularly countering the pervasive usury of tenants in the countryside around Athens. Although many of his reforms were short-lived, they inspired later generations to the founding of democracy. Print by Dutch printer Jacob de Gheyn III in 1616.