Skip to content
EntityQ500739· pop 35· linked from 91 articles

Also known as Cecrops

mythical king of ancient Athens

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Cecrops on an Attic red-figure cup, c. 440–430 BC (Antikensammlung Berlin)

Cecrops (/ˈsiːkrɒps/; Ancient Greek: Κέκροψ, romanized: Kekrops; gen Κέκροπος, Kékropos) was a legendary king of Attica which derived from him its name Cecropia, according to the Parian Chronicle having previously borne the name of Acte or Actice (from Actaeus). He was the founder and the first king of Athens itself though preceded in the region by the earth-born king Actaeus of Attica. Cecrops was a culture hero, teaching the Athenians marriage, reading and writing, and ceremonial burial.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cecrops I” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.