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Umberto Roberto

Των δέ Αθηναίων έβασΑευσε Κέκροψ τις, όστις εξ Αίγύπτου κατήγετο.
(...) ή μόνον δέ αυτός έβασίΛευσε Κέκροψ Αθηναίων, έκέλευσε
νομοθετήσαί τας γυναίκας τας ύπό τήν βασιλείαν αύτοΰ ούσας, έν ώ
είσιν παρθένοι γαμεΐσθαι ένί άνδρί.
Kekrops, who was originally from Egypt, reigned over the Athenians. (...) As soon
as Kekrops began to reign over the Athenians, he ordered a law to be issued that
the women who were subject to his empire, while virgins, were to marry one man.33
According to Malalas, before Cecrops’ reign:
προ γάρ τής βασιλείας αύτοΰ πάσαι αί γυναίκες των Αττικών καί των
Αθηναίων καί τής πλησίον χώρας θηριώδει μίξει έμίγνυντο, έκάστω
συγγινόμεναι τώ άρεσκομένω αύταΐς, έαν κάκείνη ήβούλετο.
Before Kekrops’reign, all the women of Attica, both the Athenians and those from
the surrounding countryside, had intercourse like wild animals, sleeping with each
man who pleased them, so long as the woman was willing.34
As Cecrops introduced chastity through his law, Athens and Attica became civilized:
Ό δέ Κέκροψ έκ τής Αίγυπτου καταγόμενος έξεφώνησεν τον νόμον
τούτον, είρηκώς, ότι ή Αττική χώρα δια τούτο άπώλετο. καί λοιπόν
έσωφρόνησαν πασαι, καί άνδράσιν έζεύγνυον έαυτάς αί άγαμοι
παρθένοι, ή δέ πορνευθεΐσα έγαμεΐτο ένί ώ ήβούλετο άνδρί· καί
έθαύμασαν οί Αθηναίοι τον τού βασιλέως νόμον.
Kekrops, who was originally from Egypt, promulgated this law, saying that the
land of Attica was being destroyed because of this practice. Then all women learnt
chastity, and the unmarried virgins attached themselves to men, while a woman
who had fornicated married one man whom she chose. The Athenians admired
the emperor’s law.35 36
According to this passage, Malalas affirms that Cecrops was not autochthonous but
an Egyptian who came to Athens from his land. As Cecrops became king, he intro-
duced new laws of civilized behaviour among the Athenians. Actually, before Cecrops
and other civilized colonists arrived from the East, western people lived like savages,
without culture and civil laws. Evidently, these statements indicate that Malalas is
following the tradition of Julius Africanus in this part of his archalologla?^
33 Malalas, Chronographia IV 5 (p. 50,46-52 Thurn); English translation by Jeffreys/Jeffreys/Scott (1986),
p. 34.
34 Malalas, Chronographia IV 5 (p. 50, 54-57 Thurn); English translation by Jeffreys/Jeffreys/Scott (1986),
p. 34.
35 Malalas, Chronographia IV 5 (p. 50, 64-51, 68 Thurn); English translation by Jeffreys/Jeffreys/Scott
(1986), p. 34.
36 Since he considers Cecrops an Egyptian, Malalas joins Africanus in his polemic against the Atthido-
graphy and the alleged autochthony of the Athenians: see Roberto (2010), pp. 535-539· For the rep-
resentation of Cecrops in the Atthidography see Costa (2010). According to Malalas, in the archaic
period Western peoples were culturally inferior to the Easteners: see, e.g., Malalas, Chronographia 113