Why are details about Solon’s life difficult for historians to verify?

Details about the life of Solon are difficult for historians to verify primarily because the Greeks had not yet begun to write formal history or biography during his lifetime.1

Accounts of his life and work were not compiled until the 5th century BCE, relying on a limited collection of his poems, his law code, oral tradition, and inferences from later institutions. Because these sources were often subject to distortion, manipulation, or misunderstanding by later writers—such as Aristotle and Plutarch—many details have acquired a legendary quality.12

Furthermore, by the 4th century, much information regarding early Attica had been forgotten or misinterpreted, leading to anachronisms in how historians and scholars have attempted to reconstruct his era. While the main features of his story are generally considered reliable, the lack of contemporary documentation makes precise verification of specific events challenging.21