Chapter 5 The Tale of Theseus-5

Theseus buried his father with grief, and then dedicated to Apollo the ship in which the boys and girls of Attica were riding, a ship that could only accommodate 30 sailors.In order to commemorate this magical adventure, the people of Athens tried to preserve the ship and constantly replaced the rotten wood on the ship.Thus, many years later, this ancient and precious monument could still be seen at the time of Alexander the Great. Theseus became king.It turned out that he was not only a hero in battle, but also a genius in governing his country, and he kept his people in peace and happiness.In this he surpassed even Hercules, the example he set himself.Before he came to power, most of the residents of Attica lived in the small city of Athens and surrounding farms and sparse villages.It is very difficult to gather the villagers together.Theseus concentrated all the residents of the entire Attica region in the city, organized scattered villages, and built a unified country.He did not use force to complete this great cause, but traveled around, went to various villages and towns in person, talked to people from all walks of life, and obtained their consent.It was easy to convince the poor or the lowly, that they had no disadvantage in associating with the rich.To convince the rich and powerful, Theseus announced limits to the king's powers and promised a constitution guaranteeing their freedom. "As for myself," he said, "I would only be your chief in time of war. In peacetime a defender of the Constitution. I think that all our inhabitants should enjoy equal rights." Many nobles recognized this The reform may bring benefits to them, so they welcome it. There are also some old-fashioned people who fear the prestige of Theseus among the people, his power and amazing courage. Therefore, before Theseus has forced When they were there, they also expressed their willingness to accept his persuasion.

Theseus abolished the separate councils and independent institutions of the various towns, and he established a common council in the center of the city.He also instituted a holiday for all the inhabitants, which he called the Panathenaic Festival, a festival common to all Athenians.Since then, Athens has developed into a real city, accepted and recited by more and more people.Formerly it was only a king's castle, which its builders called Cecropas Fort, surrounded by only a few dwelling houses.In order to expand the city even more, he guaranteed equal rights to all residents to attract new immigrants, and he hoped that Athens would become a multi-ethnic center.However, in order to avoid a large number of people flooding and causing chaos, he divided the residents into three classes in the new city: nobles, peasants, and handicraftsmen, and stipulated individual rights and obligations for each class.As king, he also limited his own power.As he himself had promised, he made the king's powers subject to the checks of a council of nobles and an assembly of the people.