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Athens and Sparta were the big two
city-states in ancient Greece, or so they believed. But they were not the only city-states. 4000 years ago, there were many city-states in the ancient Greek world. The Greeks who lived in each city-state were proud of their hometown. They were also proud to be Greek. All Greeks, wherever they made their home, had things in common. 

TO BE GREEK: The ancient Greeks all spoke the same language. They believed in the same gods. They shared a common heritage. They perceived themselves as Greeks. 


TO BE A CITIZEN OF A CITY-STATE: The ancient Greeks referred to themselves, however, as citizens of their individual city-states. Each city-state (polis) had its own personality, goals, laws and customs. Ancient Greeks were very loyal to their city-state. 

There were three main forms of government in ancient Greece:

  • Monarchy: Rule by a king. One city-state whose government was a monarchy was the city-state of Corinth.

  • Oligarchy: Rule by a small group. One city-state whose government was an oligarchy was the city-state of Sparta.

  • Democracy: Rule by the citizens, voting in an assembly. One city-state whose government experimented for about a hundred years with democracy was the ancient city-state of Athens. 

 

Roots of Democracy in Athens

Athens Justice System

Explore More—Government and the Idea of Citizenship

 

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