ABSTRACT
Theseus, who became the most signifi cant Athenian hero from the mythical period, is too large a subject to be treated properly in a book of this scope. His myth is presented in detail by Apollodoros (Bibliotheka: 3.15.6 – Epitome 1.24) and a full biography of him was written in antiquity by Plutarch. Since the Atthidographers were clearly a major source for Plutarch’s study, one can get a good idea of what they said by reading his Theseus. In addition, Theseus has been the subject of several very detailed modern investigations, notably those by Herter (1939), Ward (1970), Brommer (1982), Kearns (1989: 117-24, 168-9), Calame (1990), Walker (1995) and Mills (1997). Consequently, after a brief resume of the role he was made to play in Athenian historiography, I shall turn to short notes on the fragments, giving especial attention to what they can tell us about the differences between the treatment he was given by the individual Atthidographers.
