So I guess I could split this question into two main segments. Firstly, do we have any archaeological or literary evidence that Athens ever had a monarchy before its more widely attested rule under tyrants and democracy, (ie. the archaic and classical Athens we are all familiar with). And second, is there any evidence that specific Athenian kings who appear in myth (eg. Cecrops or Codrus) might have really existed? If not, what explains the spontaneous invention of an entire line of mythical kings?