The Rise of Greece City-States

Polis

• Primary form of political and social organization

• 3 interlocking ideas– Geographical territory– Community– Political and economic independence

• Origin of many modern English words– Policy & politician

Independent City-States

• City built around a defensible fortification called an acropolis

• Average polis covered between 30 to 500 square miles. Athens covered 1,000 square miles

• No professional bureaucracy, no professional army, no professional politicians

• Extended community that included a family, a clan, a brotherhood, and the polis, in that order

Life in the Polis

• Life centered around agora (marketplace)• Divided into three groups

– Adult men: citizens with political rights– Free people (women, children and resident

foreigners: no political rights– Slaves: prisoners of war or for debt

• Girls were considered economic liabilities since they had to be provided with dowries before they could get married

Life in Polis continued

• Aristocrats controlled every aspect of Greek society. – Acted as judges and determined the laws.– Major landowners. – Monopoly over the military

• Colonization was motivated by a hunger for land and a need for new agricultural bases– An explosion in commercial activities.

Change is in the Air• Trade and commercial opportunities allowed commoners

to acquire wealth• Bronze (expensive and materials are hard to find) gives

way to Iron (plentiful and inexpensive)• Military strategy changes

– Hoplites and phalanx formations

Law codes

• Laws were enforced by aristocrats and ruled as they saw fit

• Demands grew to force the aristocrats to codify, or write down, the customary laws and procedures governing the cities

• As the laws were made public for all to see the rule of the aristocrats was brought to an end

Writing stems into Lyric Poetry

• Focused on personal feelings and emotions, subjects with which everyone, not just the aristocracy could identify

• Sappho– “Tenth Muse” ~ Plato– Enormous influence on the

development of poetry (Sapphic meter)

Solon the Lawgiver

• Social unrest leads to new system

• Solon canceled debts and abolished enslavement for debt.

• Citizenship based on wealth– Public office was open to

the three upper classes– Fourth class was ineligible

for public office

• Problems for poor farmers continued

Peisistratus & Cleisthenes• Peisistratus the Tyrant

– Wielding sole political power in violation of the established law, but with the support of the people

– Beautified the city and increased the sense of being a Athenian by civic festivals

• Cleisthenes democracy– Mixed different tribes in hope to destroy the regional power of the

aristocracy – Created Council of Five Hundred– Direct democracy: all legislative and electoral power remained with the

popular assembly, made up of all voting citizens

Sparta

Sparta

• Covered by hills and mountains, isolation contributed to the Spartan’s desire to be left alone?

• Education focused entirely on physical fitness and military training (men were full time soldiers from 20 to 30 years of age)

• Women were to bear children, but were also known for their wealth and indepence

• Almost no interest in the arts or philosophy