List of kings of Athens facts for kids
Before Athens became a democracy (where people vote for their leaders) or was led by rulers called Archons, the ancient city-state was governed by kings. Many of these kings are likely part of mythology (old stories) rather than real historical figures. This article lists these kings in the order they were believed to have ruled Athens, which was also known as Attica.
The Earliest Kings of Athens
These first three kings are said to have ruled a very long time ago, even before a great flood mentioned in ancient Greek myths.
| King | What We Know About Them |
|---|---|
| Periphas | According to myths, Zeus, the king of the gods, turned him into an eagle. |
| Ogyges | He was the king of the Ectenes, who were some of the first people to live in the area of Boeotia. |
| Actaeus | He was the father of Agraulus and the father-in-law of Cecrops. |
The Erechtheid Dynasty: Mythical Kings
Ancient Athenian stories, like those recorded in the Parian Chronicle (a stone tablet from the 3rd century BC), say that Cecrops I was the very first king of Athens. He was a mythical being, half-man and half-serpent!
Historians much later, during the Hellenistic era (a period after Alexander the Great), tried to figure out the exact dates for these kings. They used old sources like the Parian Chronicle to guess when these events happened. It's also said that King Menestheus took part in the famous Trojan War.
The list below follows the order given by Castor of Rhodes, a historian from the 1st century BC. The dates are shown in modern terms.
| Reign | King | Interesting Facts |
|---|---|---|
| 1556–1506 BC | Cecrops I | He was believed to be "born from the Earth" (meaning he had no parents). He married Actaeus' daughter, Agraulus, and became king after Actaeus. |
| 1506–1497 BC | Cranaus | Also "born from the Earth." He was removed from power by Amphictyon. |
| 1497–1487 BC | Amphictyon | He was either the son of Deucalion or "born from the Earth." He took the throne from Cranaus but was later removed by Erichthonius. |
| 1487–1437 BC | Erichthonius | He was "born from the Earth" and was said to be the son of the god Hephaestus. |
| 1437–1397 BC | Pandion I | He was the son of Erichthonius. |
| 1397–1347 BC | Erechtheus | He was the son of Pandion I. |
| 1347–1307 BC | Cecrops II | He was the son of Erechtheus. Some old writings don't mention him. |
| 1307–1282 BC | Pandion II | He was the son of Cecrops II. Around this time, the gods Poseidon and Apollo were said to have helped build the walls of Troy. |
| 1282–1234 BC | Aegeus | He was the son of Pandion II. |
| 1234–1205 BC | Theseus | He was the son of Aegeus and a famous hero in Greek mythology. |
| 1205–1183 BC | Menestheus | He was involved in the Trojan War, which ended around 1183 BC with the Sack of Troy. |
| 1183–1150 BC | Demophon | He was the son of Theseus. |
| 1150–1136 BC | Oxyntes | He was the son of Demophon. |
| 1136–1135 BC | Apheidas | He was the son of Oxyntes. |
| 1135–1127 BC | Thymoetes | He was the son of Oxyntes and the brother of Apheidas. |
The Melanthid Dynasty: The Last Kings
Melanthus was a king from Pylos in Messenia. He was forced to leave his home because of the Dorian invasion (when new groups of people, the Dorians and Heraclidae, moved into Greece). He came to Athens, where King Thymoestes gave up his crown to him.
Codrus, the last king of Athens, is famous for bravely stopping the Dorian invasion of Attica (the region around Athens).
| Reign | King | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1126–1089 BC | Melanthus | |
| 1089–1068 BC | Codrus |
After Codrus died, his sons, Medon and Acastus, either ruled as kings or became hereditary archons. An archon was a chief magistrate or ruler. By 753 BC, the system changed, and archons were no longer chosen by family but by other means.
