< Atthis, daughter of Cranaus >

1 Origin

Atthis was born in 1530 BC in Sais in the Nile Delta of Egypt.

Atthis's father was Cranaus, the third king of Athens.

2 Family

Atthis married Hephaestus.

Hephaestus and Atthis had a son, Erichthonius.

3 Others

3.1 Emigration from Egypt to Greece

From the following, it is assumed that Atthis migrated from Egypt to Greece with his father at a young age and lived in Boeotia.

1) Atthis had another name, Athena.

2) Homer adds Alalcomenae to Athena's name.

3) Eleusis and Athens were located near the Triton River, which flows near Alalcomenae.

4) Cecrops was the founder of Eleusis and Athens.

Cecrops had his successor, Cranaus, build a city, and Atthis is presumably raised on the banks of the River Triton.

3.2 Origin of the name Athens

The name Athens is said to have been named by the first king of Athens, Cecrops, after his hometown, Sais (which means Athena in Egyptian language).

It is also said that the third king of Athens, Amphictyon, named the city Athens after the goddess Athena.

However, it is believed that Athens was not the official name until the time of Theseus, as Cecropia was one of the 12 towns that were merged into one by Theseus, the 10th king of Athens.

It is likely that the city was also called Athens from the time of Erichthonius, the fourth king of Athens, after Erichthonius' mother, Atthis, who was also known as Athena.