Greek city-states
Sparta and Athens
Greek city-states were the independent political units of ancient Greece, each centered on an urban area and its surrounding territory.
Called *poleis* in Greek, they functioned as self-governing nations with their own laws, armies, and currencies.
Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and Thebes were among the most prominent.
The Greek city-states frequently warred with one another but united against Persian invasion.
- phalanxMassed infantry formation
- citizen soldiersArmed civilians in wartime
- citizenshipStatus as state member
- civic dutyObligation owed to community
- direct democracyVoters decide policy personally
hoplite · ephor · oligarchy · Olympics · Peloponnesian War · tyranny · Athens · agora · public square · democracy · coinage · polis · Hellenic · trireme · sea power · colonization · aristocracy · assembly
- ancient GreeceAthens, Sparta, Zeus, Parthenon, Acropolis
- ancient athleticsOlympics, pentathlon, marathon, boxing, wrestling
- ancient politicsAthenian democracy, polis, senate, archon, direct democracy
- Roman GreeceCorinth, Roman conquest, Roman rule, Roman governors, proconsuls
- ancient civilizationsAncient Egypt, Sumer, Ancient Greece, Aztecs, Egypt
- Ancient MacedoniaPhilip II, Alexander the Great, Bucephalus, Eurydice, phalanx
Greek city-statesPersian Empire
Ancient Iranian imperial dominion
Roman Empire · Assyrian Empire · Babylonian Empire · nation-state · federal union