evolution of Greek city states

The Greek City-States

Introduction

One of the more interesting s in the civilization of man is the civilization of Ancient Greece . Not only are people familiar with the Greek mythology , but history in the western world could also be traced back in this familiar culture . Beginnings of philosophy and education could be attributed to Greek civilization , as well as the beginnings of democracy . The establishment of the Greek city-states paved the way for these improvements , and in turn , these improvements were the reasons behind its success

The Early History of

Greece

The earliest Greeks came to the lands that we know of today as Greece in a series of migrations from the North . There were few reliable source to be sure of its history from 1100 BC to 800 BC . It is for this reason that this stag of Greek history is conveniently known as the dark age

The mainland Greece is divided by irregular highlands and cantons ancient settlers tended to concentrate in inland valleys and coastal plains . The land is divided by arms of sea and by mountains and displays an interlocked pattern of land and sea , mountains and mountainous districts , plains and valleys , and islands and peninsulas . Thus , the result was a wealth of many small independent regions as the terrain favored the development of a large number of independent communities that we come to know today as city-states

The Greek City-States

The Greek city-states , or poleis (sing . polis ) consists of clusters of dwellings and have dependent territories . A typical polis would have an urban center and agricultural lands within a few miles of the center Political institutions and authorities are concentrated within the centers , which , with the exception of some , have a defensible citadel The central institutions usually found were the king , the council and the public assembly . Powerful families acquired large quantities of land which gave rise to nobility . Private property was the economic basis of the household before the classical period , and each household enjoyed a very high degree of self-sufficiency . However , it must be noted that not all states were considered polis . States which were characterized by a more primitive structure are called ethnos

Although it appears that the Greek city-states were ruled by the king he does not have absolute dominion over the subjects . As immigrants began to settle , the warlord naturally became its ruler . Normally during war , the warlord would seek advice from the council before announcing his decision , which were applauded or opposed by the soldiers . This tradition continued as the immigrants find a suitable land to settle . Political decisions were made by the king with the advice of his council . Moreover , the Greek 's strong adherence to cult and custom restricts the king from over exercising his powers , as Raphael Sealey explained : there was no institutional check on the king , but the force of custom and convention was strong enough to restrain him from outrages (24

This political characterization was evidently inherited from during migration . Each migrating group would...