Knowra Greek city-state Greek city-state An independent Greek political community centered on a city and its surrounding territory. Known as a polis, it combined civic institutions, religious life, and a distinct local identity.
Polis : A self-governing community in ancient Greece, usually comprising a town and its surrounding territory. The Greek city-state is the most familiar historical form of the polis.
Athenian democracy : A system of direct political participation developed in Athens, chiefly during the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. Athens organized citizen decision-making through assemblies, councils, and popular courts.
Athens : An ancient Greek city-state in Attica, known for democracy, naval power, and cultural production. Athens became the most prominent example of a democratic polis.
Peloponnesian War : A prolonged conflict between Athens and Sparta and their allies from 431 to 404 BCE. The war exposed the costs of rivalry between powerful Greek city-states.
Acropolis : A fortified high point in an ancient Greek settlement, often containing major temples and public buildings. Its elevated religious and defensive center often dominated the city-state’s landscape.
Spartan constitution : The mixed political system of Sparta, combining kingship, a council of elders, magistrates, and an assembly. Sparta’s institutions concentrated power differently from those of democratic Athens.
Sparta : An ancient Greek city-state in Laconia, renowned for its military society and distinctive institutions. Sparta offers a sharply different political and social model from Athens.
Delian League : An alliance led by Athens, founded after the Persian Wars to defend Greek communities against Persia. Its transformation into Athenian imperial power strained relations among poleis.
Agora : An open public space in an ancient Greek city used for markets, assembly, and civic life. The agora brought commerce and public interaction into the urban core.
Greek tyrant : A sole ruler who seized power in a Greek community outside its customary constitutional arrangements. Tyrants could overturn existing elite control within a polis.
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