and he was brought in because there was a terrible crisis,

梭伦正因一场严重的危机而上台执政
much like the crises in the Middle East--

就像中东地区的债务危机那样
it was a period when Athenian citizens had been seized for debts,

当时的雅典人民正为债务所困
and these were debts incurred typically by farmers,

这些债务多由农民所致
and then they'd be sold off outside of Athens,

他们便被卖到
they'd just sell them offshore and export these debt slaves,

沿海地区或是出口当奴隶
and it created terrible crisis.

这就引发了危机
So, Solon was from a wealthy family,

梭伦生于一个富裕家庭
he was elected by the--sort of the rich people in Athens,

雅典的富人集团推选他为执政官
they thought that he would stand up for property rights

他们认为他会维护财产权
and he wouldn't let the financial system go to hell just because

并阻止金融体系因受穷人阶级所创
of the pain inflicted on the poor portion of society.

而彻底崩溃