Chapter X

IONIC PORTION OF HELLAS. — ATHENS BEFORE SOLON.

History of Athens before Drako — only a list of names. — No king
after Kodrus. — Life archons. — Decennial archons. — Annual
archons, nine in number. — Archonship of Kreôn. B. C. 683 —
commencement of Attic chronology. — Obscurity of the civil
condition of Attica before Solon. — Alleged duodecimal division
of Attica in early times. — Four Ionic tribes — Geleontes,
Hoplêtes, Ægikoreis, Argadeis. — These names are not names of
castes or professions. — Component portions of the four tribes.
— The Trittys and the Naukrary. — The Phratry and the Gens. —
What constituted the gens or gentile communion. — Artificial
enlargement of the primitive family association. Ideas of
worship and ancestry coalesce. — Belief in a common divine
ancestor. — This ancestry fabulous, yet still accredited. —
Analogies from other nations. — Roman and Grecian gentes. —
Rights and obligations of the gentile and phratric brethren. —
The gens and phratry after the revolution of Kleisthenês became
extra-political. — Many distinct political communities originally
in Athens. — Theseus. — Long continuance of the cantonal feeling.
— What demes were originally independent of Athens. — Eleusis.
— Eupatridæ, Geômori, and Demiurgi. — Eupatridæ originally held
all political power. — Senate of Areopagus. — The nine archons
— their functions. — Drako and his laws. — Different tribunals
for homicide at Athens. — Regulations of Drako about the Ephetæ.
— Local superstitions at Athens about trial of homicide. —
Attempted usurpation by Kylôn. — His failure, and massacre of his
partisans by order of the Alkmæônids. — Trial and condemnation of
the Alkmæônids. — Pestilence and suffering at Athens. — Mystic
sects and brotherhoods in the sixth century B. C. — Epimenidês of
Krete. — Epimenidês visits and purifies Athens. — His life and
character. — Contrast of his age with that of Plato. 48-88