Greek City States

Greek Colonization
 reasons: overpopulation – there was not enough food to sustain many people in
some areas
 New land for farming / mining
 new trading routes – some crops / materials were not accessible on the
mainland, so they needed to make contact with other nations
 Political exile – sometimes, people were sent away from their comunity for
political reasons, so they were forced to search for a new place for living
 Strategic control of important areas
 Adventurous spirit of Greeks – many Greeks were competitive and ready to
venture beyond the known seas
 they were connected to their mother cities (Athens, Corinth,
Megara...), they had similar government
 Before voyages Greeks visited oracle in Delphi to predict the
outcome of the journey
 Delphi was an important religious center where many people went
to communicate with gods through oracles
 Priestesses were possessed by gods and revealed their will or hint
about the future
 Sometimes, governments of the cities would be influenced by their
prophecy
 Olympic Games
 First Olympic Games took place in 776 B.C., it was mainly a religious event at first to
honor Zeus
 they were held each 4 years, there were other games in different cities, so each year
there was an event like this
 Athletes were at first ordinary people with regular jobs, but as the time passed, they
become solely athletes and dedicated to training
 There was always an Olympic truce during the event, so if the cities wre at the war,
they had to let athletes pass through their territory and not attack each other at the
Games
 There were also games for boys
 Main disciplines were stade (200m run), javelin throw, discus throw, long jump,
wrestling, also chariot races, boxing, ...
Forms of Government

 Monarchy - hereditary rule, divine right, fixed laws

 Aristocracy - nobility in charge, hereditary rule, wealth and social
status are important
 Oligarchy - small group controls the state, based on wealth, control
of the military
 Direct Democracy - state ruled by citizens, majority rule
 Despotism ( tyranny ) - rule of one individual not bound by laws,
support of the army, does not have to mean he is cruel
 Sparta
 Military- oriented society, they were situated in mainland, they only had one colony
 They expanded to Messania and they basically enslaved local population
 Since there were more Messanians who caused some riots, Sparta had to concentrate mainly on
military training
 Social groups: Spartan citizens – 30+ old males born from Spartan mother and father and had to
pass the military training
 Helots - dominated Messanians, farmers, no rights, like slaves
 Perioeci - craftsmen, free people, but not citizens
 Sparta´s government : 2 kings, council of noble elders, assembly, 5 ephors
 military training from age 7, they were taken from their families, state took care of them and
trained them, from 20 they went to the front lines, 30 – citizen and could officialy live with wife,
end of military career at the age of 60
 women were more involved in public life than elsewhere, they also trained and could inherit
property
Athens
 Aristocracy - 9 archons elected for 1 year
 Aeropagus- council of the elders
 Struggles between aristocracy and poor were dividing the society
 Draco´s laws ( 620 B.C.) - very strict, enabled debt slavery – when a person took a loan
which he could pay up, he sold himself to the debtor
 Solon´s reforms (594- 593 B.C. ) - divided citizens into 4 categories according to their
property – system called timocracy
 he also abolished debt slavery, enabled citizens to participate in the assembly
 first 2 classes - could hold office, commanders and cavalrymen3rd class - assembly,
hoplites - heavy infantry (phalanx) 4th class - assembly, light infantry
 However, Athenians were still not satisfied
 after Solon tyrant Pisistratus arrived – he was a populist, who promised to improve the
situation for the poor, he exiled some aristocrats and gave their land to poor, so he
managed to hold his position until his death
 Cleisthenes
 After Pisistratos died, his sons Hipparchos and Hippians unsuccessfully tried to continue father´s
legacy, but one was killed and the other was exiled
 Cleistenes in order to gain support to gain highest political positionneeded to give more power to
people, he brought direct democracy into Athens
 Citizens were organized into demes - local units forming 10 tribes
 Boule - council of 500 members ( 50 from each tribe were randomly chosen for 1 year to be a part
of the council )
 Ecclesia - assembly of all citizens, they had final word in accepting new policies and electing
officials, like strategos – highest military officer, basic principle was majority vote
 ostracism - a vote that could send a citizen into exile for 10 years, his property would not be
touched