Greek City States

Greek City States

The single greatest political innovation of the ancient Greeks was the establishment of the polis, or city-state. 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 city-states 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.