Download to be a citizen of a city-state

Greek City-States
• Polis (city)
• Absolutely independent
and self-sufficient
• Typically had a high
stone wall around citystate for protection.
• Streets were organized
in a grid like design.
• Small populations
(most fewer than
10,000)
1
Acropolis
An acropolis, in the simplest
terms, is a hill. A hill city to be
more exact. In ancient Greek
an acropolis served as the site
of assembly for political, social,
and religious activity and
discussion. It was were the
most important temples were
located.
Parthenon
The Parthenon was
located on the
Acropolis. It is a temple
to the Greek goddess
Athena. The Parthenon
is currently undergoing
a restoration and
reconstruction process.
Today the Parthenon is
recognized as one of
the worlds most
treasured cultural
monuments.
Other city-states would
have a different temple
to other gods/goddess.
•
At the foot of the acropolis
near the center of town was
the agora, an open area used
as a marketplace.
•
Governmental buildings,
such as the council building
and courts, surrounded the
agora in Athens.
•
People came to the agora to
discuss politics, meet with
friends, as well as buy items
from the market. Rich women
were not seen in the agora;
instead, their husbands or
slaves would do the shopping
for them. Only poor women,
who had no help, would go to
the market alone.
Agora
• The Greek theatre history
began with festivals honoring
their gods. Athens was the
main center for these
theatrical traditions. Athenians
spread these festivals to its
numerous allies in order to
promote a common identity.
• At the early Greek festivals,
the actors, directors, and
dramatists were all the same
person. After some time, only
three actors were allowed to
perform in each play. Later
few non-speaking roles were
allowed to perform on-stage.
Outdoor Greek
Theatre
Greek Homes
Most homes in ancient Greece had a
courtyard, which was the center of activity.
Children could safely play outside in the warm
climate.
Homes were divided into areas for the men
and areas for the women. The andron was a
room reserved for males to entertain male
guests. The room had a separate entrance to
the street so male guests did not have to cross
paths with any of the ladies of the house.
Houses were made out of sun-dried brick on a
foundation of stones. Sun-dried brick was not
a dependable material and often crumbled.
Roofs were made of overlapping clay tiles.
Greek Homes
The Greeks had a very limited amount
of furniture in their houses. Wooden
chairs, couches and stools were typical.
Food was cooked outside during most
of the year. When the weather was not
conducive to cooking outside, a hearth
or brazier was used in the kitchen.
Kitchens were built with a hole in the
roof so that smoke could escape.
Houses had one or two private rooms.
Bathrooms consisted of a chamber pot,
which was dumped into a gutter or into
the street.
Citizenship
• TO BE A CITIZEN OF A CITY-STATE:
The ancient Greeks referred to themselves, however, as citizens of
their hometown - their city-state. Each city-state (polis) had its own
personality, goals, laws and customs. Ancient Greeks were very
loyal to their city-state.
There were three main forms of government in ancient Greece:
• Monarchy: Rule by a king. One city-state whose government was a
monarchy was the city-state of Corinth.
Oligarchy: Rule by a small group. One city-state whose government
was an oligarchy was the city-state of Sparta.
• Democracy: Rule by the citizens, voting in an assembly. One citystate whose government experimented for about a hundred years
with democracy was the ancient city-state of Athens.