Editing Solon (section)

====Classes====
There is consensus among scholars that Solon lowered the requirements – those that existed in terms of financial and social qualifications – which applied to election to public office. The Solonian constitution divided citizens into four political classes defined according to assessable property<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="ReferenceC">Plutarch, ''Solon'' [[s:Lives (Dryden translation)/Solon#18|18]].</ref> a classification that might previously have served the state for military or taxation purposes only.<ref>Stanton, G. R. ''Athenian Politics c. 800–500 BC: A Sourcebook'', Routledge, London (1990), p. 71, n. 6.</ref> The standard unit for this assessment was one ''[[medimnos]]'' (approximately 12 gallons) of cereals and yet the kind of classification set out below might be considered too simplistic to be historically accurate.<ref>V. Ehrenberg, ''From Solon to Socrates: Greek History and Civilization'', Routledge, London (1973).</ref>

*'''{{lang|grc-Latn|[[Pentakosiomedimnoi]]}}'''
**valued at 500 {{lang|grc-Latn|medimnoi}} or more of cereals annually.
**eligible to serve as {{lang|grc-Latn|[[strategoi]]}} (generals or military governors)
*'''{{lang|grc-Latn|[[Hippeis]]}}'''
**valued at 300 {{lang|grc-Latn|medimnoi}} or more annually.
**approximating to the [[medieval]] class of [[knights]], they had enough wealth to equip themselves for the [[Greek cavalry|cavalry]]
*'''{{lang|grc-Latn|[[Zeugitai]]}}'''
**valued at 200 {{lang|grc-Latn|medimnoi}} or more annually.
**approximating to the medieval class of [[yeoman]], they had enough wealth to equip themselves for the infantry ([[hoplite]])
*'''{{lang|grc-Latn|[[Thetes]]}}'''
**valued up to 199 {{lang|grc-Latn|medimnoi}} annually or less
**manual workers or sharecroppers, they served voluntarily in the role of personal servant, or as auxiliaries armed for instance with the [[sling (weapon)|sling]] or as rowers in the navy.

According to the ''Athenian Constitution'', only the {{lang|grc-Latn|pentakosiomedimnoi}} were eligible for election to high office as archons and therefore only they gained admission into the Areopagus.<ref>''Athenaion Politeia'' [[s:Athenian Constitution#7|7–8]].</ref> A modern view affords the same privilege to the {{lang|grc-Latn|hippeis}}.<ref>''Oxford Classical Dictionary'' (3rd edition 1996), s. v. 'Solon'.</ref> The top three classes were eligible for a variety of lesser posts and only the {{lang|grc-Latn|thetes}} were excluded from all public office.