Download Greek City States

Greek City States
The single greatest political
innovation of the ancient Greeks was
the establishment of the polis, or citystate. The early Greeks lived in small,
war-oriented kingdoms. After the
Dorian invasion, they lived in either
sedentary or nomadic tribal groups. The
period is called the Greek Dark Ages
and lasted for about one hundred
years. Over time, trade began to grow
between the peoples of Greece. Marketplaces grew up in Greek
villages and communities began to gather together into large
defensive units, building fortifications to use in common. Hundreds of
city-states formed in ancient Greece. The Greek-speaking people who
lived on the mainland and the coast of Asia Minor, developed political
units that were centrally based on a single city . These city-states were
independent states that controlled a limited amount of territory
surrounding the state.
The ancient Greeks referred to themselves as
citizens of their individual city-states. The Greek citystates determined citizenship by descent. Most cities
demanded that its citizens be able to demonstrate
descent from one parent who was a citizen; but often
the requirements were more difficult, demanding that
the each citizen demonstrate that both parents were
citizens. Every once in a while, however, the administration of a polis
would admit people into the citizenship who could not demonstrate
descent from a citizen, that is, the polis allowed for naturalization.
Each city-state (polis) had its own personality, goals, laws and
customs. Ancient Greeks were very loyal to their city-state.
The city-states had many things in
common. They all believed in the same gods.
They all spoke the same language. But if you
asked an ancient Greek where he was from,
he would not say, "I live in Greece." If he
was from Sparta, he would say, "I am a
Spartan." If he lived in Athens, he would say,
"I am Athenian." The city-states might band
together to fight a common foe. They often
made alliances with other cities, forming into
leagues, confederations, or federations while maintaining an
independent identity. But they also went to war with each other.
Greece was not yet one country. Ancient Greece was a collection of
Greek city-states. When the very rocky landscape around a city no
longer supported the growing population, they sent people to start
colonies in other areas along the Mediterranean Sea.
Because Greece was not yet one country, there was no central
government in ancient Greece. Each city-state had its own form of
government. Some city-states, like Corinth, were ruled by kings.
Some, like Sparta, were ruled by a small group of men. Others, like
Athens, experimented with new forms of government.
The Land and
City States of
Greece