LO3- Citizens and Communities: The Greek City-States

•  Tribal communities of the Dark Ages began to develop into city-states
•  Polis - Social and political development of the Greek city-state
•  City-states were small usually consisting of a small town and a few square miles of countryside surrounding it
•  Athens and Sparta which were no bigger then a few U.S. counties were giants compared to the City-States
•  The towns were usually built around hills so the Acropolis would stand atop the hill
•  Acropolis - The high fortified citadel and religious center of an ancient Greek town
•  Fortresses and Temples were a huge part of the City-States
•  The City-states fought among each other
•  Most important civic activity was the worship on the go or goddess on which they depended on
•  The notion on citizen participation seems to have originated partly in geography
•  Hoplite - A heavily armed and armored citizen-soldier of ancient Greece
•  Phalanx - a unit of several hundred hoplites, who closed ranks by joining shields when approaching the enemy
• Monarchy - A state in which supreme power is held by a single, usually hereditary ruler (a monarch)
• Oligarchy - A state in which supreme power is held by a small group
• Triremes - Massive fighting vessels with three banks of oars, used to ram or board enemy ships
• Tyranny - Rule by a self proclaimed dictator
• Democracy - In ancient Greece, a form of government in which all adult male citizens were entitled to take part in decision making
• The Spartans were the descendants of Greeks who had conquered part of the southern mainland, the territory of Laconia
• By 8th century B.C., they were a minority of landholders
• Helots - Noncitizens forced to work for landholders in the ancient city-state of Sparta
• As the Spartans moved west and conquered they became outnumbered 10-1 by noncitizens
• How the Spartans developed their government is unknown
• Girls were required to participate in drills and exercises that were designed to develop them into healthy, child bearing women
• They lived relatively free and active lives
• The freedom of Spartan women aroused both admiration and disapproval among the other Greeks
• To the Athenians, Spartan life was not worth living
• Athens was a warlike community
• Athens eventually grew to become the wealthiest and one of the most powerful of Greek city-states
• The Spartans descended from the Greeks
• Cultural Isolation was when they stayed with one culture 
• Spartans wanted there citizens to be elite 
• Spartan kids started military training when they were 7 and married when they were 20
• Spartans had little contact with foreigners
• The 6th century the Persians conqeured a huge area
• Ostricism is the banishment of a citizen for 10 years
• Aliens were the people who were not from greece who traveled there