King of Athens
Encyclopedia
Before the Athenian democracy
, the tyrant
s, and the Archon
s, the city-state
of Athens
was ruled by kings
. Most of these are probably myth
ical or only semi-historical. This list is based on that given by the fourth century CE historian and Christian bishop
, Eusebius of Caesarea
.
myth.
. None of these chronologies is scientifically verifiable nowadays. Tradition says that King Menestheus took part in the Trojan War
, and Codrus, the last king, was the one to repel the Dorian Invasion
of Attica
.
After Codrus's death, his heirs ceased to be kings, and became hereditary archons. In 753 BC the hereditary archonship was replaced by a non-hereditary system (see Archons of Athens).
Athenian democracy
Athenian democracy developed in the Greek city-state of Athens, comprising the central city-state of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, around 508 BC. Athens is one of the first known democracies. Other Greek cities set up democracies, and even though most followed an Athenian model,...
, the tyrant
Tyrant
A tyrant was originally one who illegally seized and controlled a governmental power in a polis. Tyrants were a group of individuals who took over many Greek poleis during the uprising of the middle classes in the sixth and seventh centuries BC, ousting the aristocratic governments.Plato and...
s, and the Archon
Archon
Archon is a Greek word that means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy, and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In ancient Greece the...
s, the city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
was ruled by kings
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
. Most of these are probably myth
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
ical or only semi-historical. This list is based on that given by the fourth century CE historian and Christian bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon...
.
Earliest kings
These two kings were supposed to have ruled before the flood of the DeucalionDeucalion
In Greek mythology Deucalion was a son of Prometheus and Pronoia. The anger of Zeus was ignited by the hubris of the Pelasgians, and he decided to put an end to the Bronze Age. Lycaon, the king of Arcadia, had sacrificed a boy to Zeus, who was appalled by this savage offering...
myth.
- PeriphasPeriphasPeriphas in Greek mythology may refer to:1. One of the sons of Aegyptus. He married Actaea, daughter of Danaus.2. A son of Oeneus....
- OgygesOgygesOgyges, Ogygus or Ogygos is a primeval mythological ruler in ancient Greece, generally of Boeotia, but an alternative tradition makes him the first king of Attica.-Etymology:...
(King of Agea, not Athens) - ActaeusActaeusActaeus was the first king of Attica, according to Pausanias. He was the son of Erysichthon, father of Agraulus, and father-in-law to Cecrops, the first king of the city of Athens. Actaeus is said to have ruled over a city named Acte or Akte. The location of this city is uncertain...
Erechthids, or Cecropidae
Cecrops was considered the first true king of Athens, although he was a mythical half-man half-serpent. The dates for the following kings were conjectured centuries later, by historians of the Hellenistic era who tried to backdate events by cross-referencing ancient sources such as the Parian ChronicleParian Chronicle
The Parian Marble or Parian Chronicle is a Greek chronological table, covering the years from 1581 BC to 264 BC, inscribed on a stele...
. None of these chronologies is scientifically verifiable nowadays. Tradition says that King Menestheus took part in the Trojan War
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
, and Codrus, the last king, was the one to repel the Dorian Invasion
Dorian invasion
The Dorian invasion is a concept devised by historians of Ancient Greece to explain the replacement of pre-classical dialects and traditions in southern Greece by the ones that prevailed in Classical Greece...
of Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
.
- Cecrops ICecrops ICecrops was a mythical king of Athens who is said to have reigned for fifty-six years. The name is not of Greek origin according to Strabo, or it might mean 'face with a tail': it is said that, born from the earth itself, he had his top half shaped like a man and the bottom half in serpent or...
1556 - 1506 BC. - CranausCranausIn Greek mythology, Cranaus was the second King of Athens, son of river god Nile and Alkippe, succeeding Cecrops I. He is supposed to have reigned for either nine or ten years....
1506 - 1497 BC. - AmphictyonAmphictyonAmphictyon , in Greek mythology, was the second son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, although there was also a tradition that he was autochthonous ; he is also said to be a son of Hellen son of Deucalion and Pyrrha. Amphictyon was king of Thermopylae and married a daughter of Cranaus of Athens...
1497 - 1487 BC. - ErichthoniusErichthonius of AthensKing Erichthonius was a mythological early ruler of ancient Athens, Greece. He was, according to some legends, autochthonous and raised by the goddess Athena. Early Greek texts do not distinguish between him and Erectheus, his grandson, but by the fourth century B.C...
1487 - 1437 BC. - Pandion IPandion IIn Greek mythology, Pandion I was a legendary king of Athens, the son and heir to Erichthonius of Athens and his wife, the naiad Praxithea. He married a naiad, Zeuxippe, and they had four children, Erechtheus, Butes, Procne, and Philomela. His rule was unremarkable...
1437 - 1397 BC. - ErechtheusErechtheusErechtheus in Greek mythology was the name of an archaic king of Athens, the re-founder of the polis and a double at Athens for Poseidon, as "Poseidon Erechtheus"...
1397 - 1347 BC. - Cecrops IICecrops IICecrops II was the legendary or semi-legendary son of Pandion I and inherited the Athenian throne from his brother Erechtheus.Cecrops is said to have divided his territory into twelve districts; to which Strabo assigns the names Cecropia, Tetrapolis, Exacria, Decelea, Eleusis, Aphidna;, Thoricus,...
1347 - 1307 BC. - Pandion IIPandion IIIn Greek mythology, Pandion II was son and heir of Cecrops II, King of Athens. and his wife Metiadusa. He was exiled from Athens by the sons of his uncle Metion who sought to put Metion on the throne. Pandion fled to Megara where he married Pylia, daughter of King Pylas. Later, Pylas went into...
1307 - 1282 BC1280s BC-Events and trends:*1290 BC—Seti I becomes Pharaoh of Egypt.*c. 1285 BC—Judgement of Hunefer before Osiris, illustration from a Book of the Dead is painted. 19th dynasty. It is now in the British Museum, London....
. - AegeusAegeusIn Greek mythology, Aegeus , also Aigeus, Aegeas or Aigeas , was an archaic figure in the founding myth of Athens. The "goat-man" who gave his name to the Aegean Sea was, next to Poseidon, the father of Theseus, the founder of Athenian institutions and one of the kings of Athens.-His reign:Upon the...
12821280s BC-Events and trends:*1290 BC—Seti I becomes Pharaoh of Egypt.*c. 1285 BC—Judgement of Hunefer before Osiris, illustration from a Book of the Dead is painted. 19th dynasty. It is now in the British Museum, London....
- 1234 BC1230s BC-Significant people:* 1231 BC—King Telephus of Mysia is born in Arcadia ....
. - TheseusTheseusFor other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
12341230s BC-Significant people:* 1231 BC—King Telephus of Mysia is born in Arcadia ....
- 1204 BC1200s BC-Events and trends:*1204 BC—Theseus, legendary King of Athens, is deposed after a reign of 30 years and succeeded by Menestheus, great-grandson of Erichthonius II of Athens and second cousin of Theseus' father Aegeus. Menestheus is reportedly assisted by Castor and Polydeuces of Sparta, who want to...
. (or 1213 BC1210s BC-Events and trends:*1213–1203 BC—Merneptah Stele makes the earliest recorded mention of Israel.*1213 BC—Theseus, legendary King of Athens, is deposed and succeeded by Menestheus, great-grandson of Erechtheus and second cousin of Theseus' father Aegeus...
). - MenestheusMenestheusMenestheus , the son of Peteus, son of Orneus, son of Erechtheus, was a legendary King of Athens during the Trojan War. He was set up as king by the Dioscuri when Theseus travelled to the underworld, and at his return Menestheus exiled him from the city.Menestheus was one of the suitors of Helen of...
12041210s BC-Events and trends:*1213–1203 BC—Merneptah Stele makes the earliest recorded mention of Israel.*1213 BC—Theseus, legendary King of Athens, is deposed and succeeded by Menestheus, great-grandson of Erechtheus and second cousin of Theseus' father Aegeus...
- 1181 BC1180s BC-Events and trends:* 1186 BC—End of the Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt, start of the Twentieth Dynasty.* 1184 BC—April 24, the traditional date of the fall of Troy....
(or 12131210s BC-Events and trends:*1213–1203 BC—Merneptah Stele makes the earliest recorded mention of Israel.*1213 BC—Theseus, legendary King of Athens, is deposed and succeeded by Menestheus, great-grandson of Erechtheus and second cousin of Theseus' father Aegeus...
- 1191 BC1190s BC-Events and trends:* 1197 BC—The beginning of first period by Sau Yung's concept of the I Ching and history.* 1194 BC—The beginning of the legendary Trojan War.* 1192 BC—Wu Ding king of Shang Dynasty died....
). - DemophonDemophon (King of Athens)Demophon was a king of Athens, according to Pindar, son of Theseus and Phaedra, brother of Acamas. Some say that Demophon's mother was Iope, daughter of Iphicles. He fought in the Trojan War and was among those who entered the city in the Trojan Horse...
11811180s BC-Events and trends:* 1186 BC—End of the Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt, start of the Twentieth Dynasty.* 1184 BC—April 24, the traditional date of the fall of Troy....
- 1147 BC1140s BC-Events and trends:* 1149 BC—The First Trojan War* 1147 BC—Demophon, legendary King of Athens and veteran of the Trojan War, dies after a reign of 33 years and is succeeded by his son Oxyntes....
. - OxyntesOxyntesOxyntes was a mythical king of Athens, son of Demophon . He had two sons, Apheidas and Thymoetes, who succeeded him, one another, in the throne. Thymoetes was the last descendant of Theseus on the Athenian throne....
11471140s BC-Events and trends:* 1149 BC—The First Trojan War* 1147 BC—Demophon, legendary King of Athens and veteran of the Trojan War, dies after a reign of 33 years and is succeeded by his son Oxyntes....
- 1135 BC1130s BC-Events and trends:* 1137 BC—Ramses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt.* 1135 BC—Oxyntes, legendary King of Athens, dies after a reign of 12 years and is succeeded by his elder son Apheidas....
. - ApheidasApheidasIn Greek mythology, the name Apheidas may refer to:*Son of Arcas by either Erato, Leaneira, Meganeira or the nymph Chrysopeleia, brother of Elatus, Azan and others. After his father's death he became king of Tegea. His children were Aleus and Stheneboea.*Son of Polypemon, from Alybas...
11351130s BC-Events and trends:* 1137 BC—Ramses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt.* 1135 BC—Oxyntes, legendary King of Athens, dies after a reign of 12 years and is succeeded by his elder son Apheidas....
- 1134 BC1130s BC-Events and trends:* 1137 BC—Ramses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt.* 1135 BC—Oxyntes, legendary King of Athens, dies after a reign of 12 years and is succeeded by his elder son Apheidas....
. - ThymoetesThymoetesIn Greek mythology, there were at least three different people named Thymoetes .*Thymoetes, one of the elders of Troy , son of Laomedon. A soothsayer had predicted, that on a certain day a boy should be born, by whom Troy should be destroyed. On that very day Paris was born to Priam, king of Troy,...
11341130s BC-Events and trends:* 1137 BC—Ramses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt.* 1135 BC—Oxyntes, legendary King of Athens, dies after a reign of 12 years and is succeeded by his elder son Apheidas....
- 1126 BC1120s BC-Events and trends:* 1126 BC—Thymoetes, legendary King of Athens, dies childless after a reign of 8 years. He is succeeded by his designated heir Melanthus of Pylos, a fifth-generation descendant of Neleus who had reportedly assisted him in battle against the Boeotians.* 1122 BC—Legendary founding...
.
Melanthids, or Codridae
- MelanthusMelanthusIn Greek mythology, Melanthus was a king of Messenia. He was among the descendants of Neleus expelled from Messenia, by the descendants of Heracles, as part of the legendary "Return of the Heracleidae", later associated with the supposed "Dorian invasion". He fled to Athens, along with other...
11261120s BC-Events and trends:* 1126 BC—Thymoetes, legendary King of Athens, dies childless after a reign of 8 years. He is succeeded by his designated heir Melanthus of Pylos, a fifth-generation descendant of Neleus who had reportedly assisted him in battle against the Boeotians.* 1122 BC—Legendary founding...
- 1089 BC1080s BCThe 1080s BC witnessed the early years of the Iron Age. Many of the great powers of the High Bronze Age in the Western Mediterranean had either collapsed or been severely weakened...
. - CodrusCodrusCodrus was the last of the semi-mythical Kings of Athens . He was an ancient exemplar of patriotism and self-sacrifice. He was succeeded by his son Medon, who ruled not as king but as the first Archon of Athens....
10891080s BCThe 1080s BC witnessed the early years of the Iron Age. Many of the great powers of the High Bronze Age in the Western Mediterranean had either collapsed or been severely weakened...
- 1068 BC1060s BC-Events and trends:* c. 1069 BC — End of New Kingdom in Ancient Egypt.* c. 1069 BC - Third Intermediate Period of Egypt starts.* 1069 BC — Ramses XI dies, ending the Twentieth Dynasty. He is succeeded by Smendes I, who founds the Twenty-first Dynasty....
.
After Codrus's death, his heirs ceased to be kings, and became hereditary archons. In 753 BC the hereditary archonship was replaced by a non-hereditary system (see Archons of Athens).