The settlement

The first thing Theseus did when he became king was to settle. That is, he united Athens with the eleven small villages that had each been alone before. Now all together they became one kingdom, much stronger and richer.

The Panathenaea

Since then Athens has progressed and in time it became the largest city in Greece. And the Athenians, in order to honour Theseus and his deed, held a great festival every year, the Panathenaea.

The exile

So the years passed happily. Theseus travelled and helped people with whatever they needed. However, at home things were not going well. Phaedra was fighting with his son, Hippolytus, and the people were very angry with him. So when he came back one day, the Athenians banished him.

The death of Theseus

Theseus left and went to Skyros, where Lycomedes, an old friend of his father, was king. At first Lycomedes welcomed him, but after a while he began to worry. He was afraid that Theseus would take the throne from him. And one day, as the two of them were walking high above a cliff, he was pushed and falling, Theseus was killed.