CLA204H1 Lecture 7: Athens
Document Summary
Foundation stories: how the city was founded is key to the city"s conception of itself. Birth of earliest kings + hero of athens called erichthonius. One of the characters is gaea (below the horizon line), she"s handed over a baby (erichthonius) to athena. Half snake, half person is cecrops; one of the founding kings of athens. Of the same earth = native, always lived there: athenians, unlike the other greek city states were not immigrants. They"ve always been there: pride of the athenians, bragging to the other city states. Cecrops: half-snake, born of the earth. (founding father is born from the earth: first ruler of the land athens, he first called it after himself, called cropia, later called athens, portrayed with snake attributes. Erichthonius, son of gaea (earth: chthon = earth, a later king after cecrops, portrayed with snake attributes = common system used for earth- born.
