- Polis: city-state; made up of a city and some surrounding countryside which included numerous villages
- At the agora, or marketplace, or on a fortified hilltop called an acropolis, citizens gathered to discuss city government
Greek Political Structures
- Many different forms of government
- In some, a single person, called a King, ruled in a government called a monarchy
- Others adopted aristocracy, a government ruled by a small group of noble, landowning families
- Wealthy merchants and artisans would form an oligarchy which is a government ruled by a few powerful people
Tyrants Seize Power
- Tyrant: a powerful individual who gained control of a city-state's government by appealing to the poor for support
Athens Builds a Limited Democracy
- Democracy: rule by the people
Building Democracy
- A nobleman named Draco took power in early 600's B.C.
- He developed a legal code based on the idea that all Athenians, rich and poor, were equal under the law
- He made death the punishment for practically every crime
- Another ruler, solon, came to power in 594 B.C. and stated that no citizen should own another citizen
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