ncient Greece Greek ity-states ncient Greece wasn't a single country or empire united under a single government, it was made up of a number of city-states. t the center of each city-state was a powerful city. The city ruled the lands and area around it. Sometimes it also ruled smaller less-powerful cities. The Greek name for a city-state was "polis". ach city-state, or polis, had its own government. Some city states were monarchies ruled by kings or tyrants. Others were oligarchies ruled by a few powerful men on councils. The city of thens invented the government of democracy and was ruled by the people for many years. The two most powerful and famous city-states were thens and Sparta, but there were other important and influential city-states in the history of ncient Greece. Here are a few examples: orinth orinth was a trade city in an ideal location that allowed it to have two seaports, one on the Saronic Gulf and one on the orinthian Gulf. s a result, the city was one of the wealthiest cities in ncient Greece. The orinthians developed their own coins and required that traders use them when in their city. orinth is perhaps most famous for its architecture. The orinthians developed the orinthian order of Greek architecture which is the third major form of classical Greek architecture along with the oric and Ionic. The government of orinth was a monarchy ruled by a king. orinth provided soldiers to the Greeks during the Persian Wars. They also allied with Sparta against thens in the Peloponnesian War. was a powerful city-state to the north of orinth and thens that was constantly switching sides in the various Greek wars. uring the Persian Wars they originally sent men to Thermopylae to fight the Persians, but later, they allied with King Xerxes I of Persia to fight against Sparta and thens. uring different times in history they allied with thens against Sparta and then switched sides to ally with Sparta against thens. In 371, marched against Sparta and defeated the Spartans at the attle of Leuctra. This put an end to the power of the Spartan city-state and set many of the Spartan slaves free. was famous in Greek legend and literature as well. It is known as the birthplace of the Greek hero Hercules and played a major role in the stories of Oedipus and ionysus. lso, perhaps the most famous Greek poet of the time, Pindar, lived in. rgos rgos was one of the oldest city-states in ncient Greece, but it first became a major power under the tyrant Pheidon during the 7th century. uring Pheidon's reign, rgos introduced silver coins as well as a standard system of weights and measures that later became known as the Pheidonian measures. ccording to Greek Mythology, rgos was founded by rgos, the son of the god Zeus. The land became dry and arid after the gods Hera and Poseidon had an argument over the city. Hera won and became the patron of the city, but Poseidon got his revenge by drying out the land.
elphi elphi was the religious center of the Greek city-states. People from all over ncient Greece visited the city to receive guidance from the famous elphic oracle Pythia. uring the classical Greek period the city became the shrine to the god pollo after he slew the Python. elphi was also a center of the arts, education, literature, and trade. Located in the center of Greece, it was often called the "navel (center) of the world". elphi was also home to the Pythian Games, one of the most famous athletic competitions in early Greece. The city-state of was formed in 408 on a Greek island when three smaller cities (Ialyssos, Kamiros, and Lindos) decided to unite and make one large city. The city was prosperous for hundreds of years due to its prime location as a trade port. The city was famous for its shipbuilders as well as its giant statue called the olossus of. The olossus of was considered one of the Seven ncient Wonders of the World. It was a statue of the Greek Titan Helios and it stood over 100 feet high. Interesting Facts about the Greek ity-state People living in ncient Greece did not think of themselves as "Greek", but as citizens of their citystate. For example, people from orinth considered themselves orinthians and people from Sparta considered themselves Spartans. The Michigan State University mascot is the Spartan. Many of these cities, such as,, and orinth were also important cities during the Roman mpire.
lass Period: Name: ncient Greece - ity State 1) Which were the two most powerful city-states of ncient Greece? orinth and rgos and Sparta thens and Sparta and thens and elphi 2) Which of the below statements best describes a city-state? division of a large country similar to a province city that independently rules the lands around it small section of a larger city region that is part of an empire The capital city of a state 3) Which type of government ruled the Greek city-states? Monarchy emocracy Oligarchy ll of the above None of the above
4) Which city-state was famous for defeating the Spartans at the attle of Leuctra in 371? orinth rgos thens 5) For which of the following achievements was the city of rgos famous for? The birthplace of democracy The home of the famous poet Pindar standard system of weights and measures called the Pheidonian measures Having the strongest army and warriors The center of the Greek religion including the oracle Pythia 6) Which city-state was often called the center or navel of the world? elphi thens Sparta 7) What two things was the city of famous for? Theatre and poetry Shipbuilders and a giant statue called the olossus mysterious religious oracle and standard weights and measures The first silver coins and the home of the poet Pindar
emocracy and a powerful army 8) Which city-state allied with the Persians against Sparta and thens? orinth rgos elphi 9) True or False: Most people living in the region of ncient Greece considered themselves to be Greek first and a member of a city-state second. TRU FLS 10) What was the city of elphi famous for? It was the religious center of the ncient Greek world It was home to the oracle Pythia It was home to the athletic competition called the Pythian Games It was a center of the arts, literature, and education ll of the above