traditionally considered the first king of Attica in ancient Greece. Cecrops succeeded King Actaeus, whose daughter, Aglauros, he married. He was said to have instituted the laws of marriage and property and a new form of worship. The abolition of human 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 (the west pediment of the Parthenon shows the two gods in conflict for the honour). As one of the autochthons of Attica—i.e., literally sprung from its soil—Cecrops was represented as human in the upper part of his body, while the lower part was shaped like a snake.