Ancient GreeceGreek City-States

Society & Government

The Mycenaeans established a society on the Greek peninsula beginning with migrations in 2200 B.C.

From 1500 to 1100 B.C., they expanded their influence beyond the Greek peninsula, overpowering Minoan society in Crete

Mycenaean Society

The collapse of the Mycenaeans About 1200 B.C., the Mycenaeans fought a

war with the city of Troy in Anatolia. There are still today discussions on whether or not this battle was the one described by Homer in The Illiad.

At the same time, foreigners invaded the Mycenaean homeland

From 1100 to 800 B.C., chaos reigned throughout the eastern Mediterranean

In the absence of a centralized state or empire, local institutions took the lead in restoring political order to Greece

Greek City-States In about 700 BC, there was no single ruler of

Greece. Instead, the country was divided into a number of city-states which traded with one another, and sometimes fought one another.

As one city became large or powerful it might try to take over more of the countryside around it. But no city-state was strong enough to control the whole Greece.

The center of each city-state was one town or city known as polis (Greek name: )

The city-state or polis was originally a fortified site that provided refuge in war or other emergencies Gradually they attracted increasing

populations, took on an urban character, and began to exert authority over the surrounding regions

Levied taxes on their hinterlands and appropriated a portion of the agriculture surplus to support the urban population

Greek Cities: The Polis

Greek City-States Poleis were different because they developed

independently of each other Different traditions, economies, political

systems, etc Athens and Sparta are the best known

examples of Greek poleis. The city-states began to expand by setting up

colonies on islands or parts of the coast around the Mediterranean Sea.

By the fifth century BC, small groups of states began to join together to defend themselves. They would form a league of alliance, such as the Delian League (478 BC)

The Polis Every Greek polis had basically the same geographical

structure: they all had an acropolis, the agora, and the surrounding lands destined to agriculture.

The Polis (I) Acropolis means 'high city' in Greek. Most city-

states in ancient Greece had at their centre a rocky mound or hill where they built their important temples and where the people could retreat to if under attack. The most famous acropolis is the one in Athens.

The Athenian Acropolis is home to one of the most famous buildings in the world: the Parthenon. This temple was built for the goddess Athena. It was decorated with beautiful sculptures which represent the greatest achievement of Greek artists.

The Polis (II) The Agora was central to the life of the polis, it was

a marketplace and meeting place. In some cities, local councils met in nearby

buildings; other buildings were used to store public records and important political documents. Public spectators could watch criminals being placed on trial in the agora.

Farmers, craftsmen and merchants had their stalls, workshops or shops where the could exchange their products.

Men seeking employment would mix with employers looking for labourers. Some of those seeking work could be professionals or tradesmen, or they could have no skills.

Slave trade also took place in the agora

Society – Citizens & non-citizens Greek Society was mainly broken up between

Free people and Slaves, who were owned by the free people. Slaves were used as servants and labourers, without any

legal rights. Sometimes the slaves were prisoners of war or bought from foreign slave traders. Although many slaves lived closely with their owners, few were skilled craftsmen and even fewer were paid.

Among the free people, it existed the division between citizens and non-citizens. If somebody was born outside Greece, he lack the rights all the citizens had. Citizens could vote (if there existed a democracy), fight

in army, hold office, speak for themselves in court.

Society – The importance of the army About 650 BC, Greek generals in various different

city-states came up with a new way of fighting battles that gave Greek soldiers of the Archaic period a big advantage over the soldiers of other countries: the hoplite phalanx.

Greek generals trained their soldiers to fight in lines, shoulder to shoulder. In this way each man (women were not allowed to be soldiers) was protected by the shield of the man standing next to him. When they all marched forward together, no enemy spears or arrows could get through their wall of shields.

A soldier who fought this way was called a hoplite. Hoplites were middle-class freemen who had to pay for their own weapon and shield. Therefore this kept a lot of poor citizens from being in the army.

Government in Greek City-States (I)

c.800 BC: The majority of Greek states were governed by groups of rich landowners, called aristocrats; this word is derived from aristoi, meaning best people. This was a system known as oligarchy, the rule by the few.

These early oligarchies were mostly overthrown by tyrants who took total control of the city. The tyranny was a form of governing very unstable, with the tyrant's power relying on their control of armies and holding the citizens in fear. Tyrannies most often began when a city was faced with a crisis, and this opportunity was seized by a political figure to take control of the city, frequently with the support of the people.

Government in Greek City-States (II) c.500 BC: in Athens democracy was

introduced by an aristocrat, Cleisthenes. Who was from family of the Alcmaeonids in 508 BC, after 2 years of civil war, they used the help of Spartans to secure power.

Male citizens in Athens could vote on all the decisions that affected the city and serve on juries. However, democracy was not open to everyone. Citizen women and children were not allowed to vote. Slaves and foreigners living in Athens (known as metics) were banned from participating in government.