CECROPS

traditionally the first king of Attica in ancient Greece. He was said to have instituted the laws of marriage and property and a new form of worship. The introduction of bloodless sacrifice, the burial of the dead, and the invention of writing were also attributed to him. He acted as arbiter during the dispute between the deities Athena and Poseidon for the possession of Attica. As one of the aborigines of Attica, Cecrops was represented as human in the upper part of his body, while the lower part was shaped like a snake.