History 8: Polis
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- What responsibilities did citizens have?
- they had to serve in the government and defend the polis in time of war.
- What is a democracy?
- a government by the people where power lies in the hands of all the citizens
- Which city-states were the most famous?
- Athens & Sparta
- Were the tyrants fair?
- Most were fair but some ruled in a cruel and unjust way
- What industries developed in the cities of Ionia, in Asia Minor?
- Textile & pottery
- Who was a citizen of the polis?
- People who took part in government - had rights and responsibilities.
- What kind of government did Athens have?
- Athens was a democracy.
- What did Greek farmers produce on the mainland?
- They produced wine, olive oil and other cash crops for export.
- How did each colony function?
- Each colony kept close ties with its metropolis ("parent city") and sent grain (wheat & barley).
- What is an oligarchy?
- Is a system in which a few wealthy people hold all the power
- Who were the aristocrats?
- Nobles, members of the upper class, provided cavalry for the king's military
- What is a tyranny?
- a tyranny is created when one man, called a tyrant takes power and rules the polis by himself.
- How did economic growth change Greek political life?
- First, Greek communities were ruled by kings. Kings lost power to aristocrats.
- What was the textile industry like?
- Sheep in the interior of Asia Minor provided the wool. Purple dye was made from mollusks (shells).
- What is an acropolis?
- a fortified hill
- What is a polis?
- Greek city-state - was the basic political unit of Hellenic civilization
- Why did farmers move to the cities?
- Because vineyards & olive groves needed fewer workers than grain fileds, so they moved to the cities to learn crafts.
- What rights did citizens have?
- vote, hold public office, own property, speak for themselves in court.
- What happened during the economic growth of the 600BCs?
- Greeks replaced their barter system with a money economy & expanded their overseas trade. Merchants issued their own coins, eventually city-states took over coin manufacture.
- What happened because of the unrest?
- tyrannies were created
- Why did disputes happen between the aristocrats and the common people?
- Farmers need credit until harvest time. They took loans from aristocrats and had to pledge their fields as security. When they could not pay their loans, farmers lost their land to the aristocrats - then they had to be sharecroppers or day laborers in the city or slaves. SO - farmers demanded political reforms.
- Why were farmers becoming more valuable to Greek armies?
- They were foot soldiers and the Greek army came to rely on phalanx not cavalry (horses) so the aristocrats lost influence.
- Did the tyrants rule the city-states forever?
- No, most city-states eventually became oligarchies or monarchies.
- Why did each polis send out people to establish colonies along coasts of Mediterranean and Black Seas?
- Because after the "dark age" the population of Greece grew so much that farmers no longer grew enough grain to feed everybody.
- What is a phalanx?
- rows of foot soldiers using their shields to form a wall
- What is an agora?
- a public square that served as the political center of the polis. Citizens gathered here to carry out public affairs: coose officials, pass laws. Artisans and merchants did business here.
- Who joined the farmers and wanted a voice in the government?
- Middle-class, non-landowning merchants and artisans. They wanted the polis to encourage industry and protect overseas trade routes.
- What did Greek merchants do ?
- They began trading these goods throughout the Mediterranean.
- Where many people citizens and who was not a citizen?
- Citizens made up a minority of the residents of a polis. In Athens - slaves, foreign born people & men who did not own land - could NOT be citizens. Greek women had no political or legal rights.
- What kind of government did Sparta have?
- Sparta was an oligarchy.
- What was Ionian pottery like?
- It was the earliest Greek pottery to be exported. The styles of the pottery were based on Mycenaean & Middle Eastern pots. They had geometric designs with birds and humans on them.
- What did a typical polis include?
- a city and surrounding villages, fields and orchards, Center of city - on top of an acropolis was temple of local deity. At foot of acropolis: agora.