The Surprising Truth About Kings in Ancient Athens, Greece

The Surprising Truth About Kings in Ancient Athens, Greece

The ruins of the Temple of Athena Nike, Athens, 427-424 BC. Credit: Thanos Matanis / Greek Reporter Ancient Athens is famous as the birthplace of democracy. According to tradition, the kings of Athens were replaced by elected archons in the 11th century BC, not long after the Bronze Age. However, modern scholarship suggests that Athens continued to have kings until as late as the eighth (or possibly even the seventh) century BC—but what evidence…