< Cranaus, son of Telegonus >

1 Origins

Cranaus was born in Sais in the Nile Delta in Egypt in 1557 BC.

There are no historical documents that record the names of Cranaus' parents, but it is assumed that Cranaus was the son of Telegonus and Io based on the following:

1) The Athenians were Pelasgians in ancient times.

2) The Athenians before the return of Peloponnesus of Heracleidae were Pelasgians.

3) The Athenians when they were called Cranaans were Pelasgians.

In other words, it is assumed that the Pelasgians migrated from Egypt to Athens with Cranaus.

In 1560 BC, a great famine occurred in Argos, and the inhabitants migrated to various places.

The Pelasgians, led by Iasus, the son of Triopas, migrated to Egypt.

Iasus' daughter Io married Telegonus.

In 1525 BC Cranaus, likely the son of Io, moved to Athens, taking with him the Pelasgians who had migrated from Argos to Egypt with Iasus and Io.

2 Family

Cranaus married Pedias, daughter of Mynes.

Cranaus had two daughters, Cranae and Menaechme.

Cranaus had a daughter, Atthis (or Athena).

Cranaus had a son, Rharus (or Eleusis).

3 Others

3.1 Successors of Cecrops

In 1511 BC, Cranaus succeeded Cecrops as the second king of Athens.

In 1502 BC, Cranaus was banished from Athens by his son-in-law Amphictyon.

In 1492 BC, Erichthonius, the son of Cranaus' daughter Atthis, banished Amphictyon and became the fourth king of Athens.

3.2 Death of Cranaus

Expelled by Amphictyon, Cranaus fled to Lamptrae, halfway between Athens and Cape Sunium, where he died.

3.3 Son of Erysichthon, son of Cecrops

Cranaus had a son Rharus and a grandson Celeus. Why was Erichthonius, the son of Cranaus' daughter Atthis, able to ascend to the throne as king of Athens instead of them?

This is probably because Erichthonius' father, Hephaestus, was the son of Erysichthon, the son of Cecrops.

Hephaestus and Atthis were married before Cecrops' death, and Erysichthon's son Hephaestus was Cecrops' successor.

Either due to the usurpation of the throne by Cranaus or other circumstances, Hephaestus and Atthis went to Egypt.