Poleis were self-governing city-states that were located on bodies of water, and

the government of poleis was established and run by the people.. Poleis were first
established during the end of the Greek Dark Ages. The Greeks were divided into
many tribes, and the Greek world was fueled by a cycle of revenge. Tribes would
attack each other, and tribes would attack back. This cycle was ended by the
formation of poleis. Tribes created a mutual meeting spot to settle their affairs.
This meeting spot soon turned into a city, and different tribes would start to live
in that city. The polis was run by the citizens. Citizens included adult, male
property owners who served in the military. The reason for this was to prevent
people who did not care about the polis from voting. If you own property in the
polis, you are attached to the polis, meaning that you want the polis to do well.
Being in the military means that you are loyal to your polis. Citizens were given
basic rights, such as speaking in the assembly and voting. The citizens would meet
in the agora, where they would discuss politics and vote on laws and issues.
Different poleis had different forms of running the government, such as electing a
council or electing kings. Regardless, all poleis were based on the people, who
would vote for their leaders. The agora was an important spot, as all of the
politics and trade would happen there. The duty of the citizens was to be a good
citizen. This meant being well informed on politics so that you can make the best
decisions for your polis. The government was democratic, meaning that it was
entirely run by the people, and all of the decisions were made by them. This caused
the people to feel a connection to their polis. They saw themselves as citizens of
their polis and not of Greece. This democratic form of government gave rise to many
great leaders who had the ability to sway the opinions of the people (rhetoric).
They portrayed themselves to be an ordinary citizen (not rich and not poor). They
stated that they wanted the best for the average citizen, meaning that the citizens
of the polis would be more likely to support them. They would then use their power
to be elected as an official, or even become a tyrant. An important part of the
polis was the Acropolis. This was where all of the religious activities took place,
and all of the temples were located here. In addition to the city itself, the polis
also consisted of the surrounding land outside of the city. This land was used to
grow food for the polis. Growing food requires water, which resulted in poleis
being located on bodies of water. The water also allowed for trade, connecting
poleis to each other. However, there was still not enough land for all the people
of the polis, resulting in colonies being formed. Colonies would branch off from
their mother polis in order to form a new polis in order to provide more land for
more people. Although the 2 poleis would be separate, the new polis would bring a
sacred fire from the mother polis, signifying their connection. Ancient poleis were
still mainly divided from one another. The reason for this was the mountainous
terrain of Greece. Different poleis were not able to interact with each other
because the mountains divided them. During the time of the poleis, the Greek
identity had not yet been established. Poleis were a turning point in history in
that they developed many concepts that are still used in today’s government, such
as citizenship and rights of the people. Overall, poleis were very important, and
they helped shape our world today.