Lesson 2: The Greek City-States

Because of natural barriers like mountains and sea, many communities in Ancient Greece were isolated and developed independently of each other. These communites were called city-states. Each city-state had its own government, laws, money, and surrounding territory called a hinterland. Many city-states also had colonies in foreign lands. These colonies provided the city-states with valuable natural resources and more living space.

The Greek city-states were—on average—much smaller than the cities of today. This was important to the Greeks as it allowed more people to get to know one another and to participate in public life. Although the average population of a Greek city-state was about 50,000, only ten percent of this number would actually be citizens with a right to participate in politics.

The city-states had many things in common. They shared the same language, worshipped the same gods, and practiced similar customs. Sometimes these city-states traded with each other. They even banded together to defend Greece when threatened by a foreign invader. However, people believed that each city-state must remain free and were never willing for them to be joined together to make one strong nation.

Some of the more important city-states in ancient Greece were Athens, Sparta, Mycenae, and Corinth. You will learn about Athens and Sparta in the next few lessons.

Send In Activity 2:
The Greek City-States