Codrus
Codrus | |
---|---|
King of Athens | |
Children | Medon Acastus |
Codrus (
The earliest version of the story of Codrus comes from the 4th oration Against Leocrates by
Disguised as a peasant, he made it to the vicinity of the Dorian encampment across the river, where he provoked a group of Dorian soldiers. He was put to death in the quarrel, and the Dorians, realizing Codrus had been slain, decided to retreat in fear of their prophesied defeat. In the aftermath of these events, it was claimed that no one thought himself worthy to succeed Codrus and so the title of king was abolished, and that of archon substituted for it.
Aristotle (or possibly one of his students), in the Constitution of the Athenians, states that it was indeed the house of Codrus that abolished the title of king in favor of Archon, eventually followed by 11 more.[7]
References
- ^ Avery, Catherine B., ed. (1962). New Century Classical Handbook. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. p. 314.
- ^ Smith, Benjamin E., ed. (1895). Century Cyclopedia of Names. Vol. i. New York: Century. p. 264.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ The Great Books of the Western World, Biographical Note
- ^ Diogenes Laertius Plato 1
- ^ Lycurgus, Against Leocrates, 84-87
- ^ Aristotle Constitution of Athens 3 Archived 2017-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, page 6