Polis

What is a Polis?

A polis was a special kind of city in Ancient Greek times. It was more than just buildings and streets. It was a place where people lived together and made their own rules. Every polis had its own government, and people worked hard for it. For the ancient Greeks, the polis was like their home country, not just a town.

Where Were These Cities?

These ancient cities were not only in what we now call Greece. There were about 1,500 such poleis. They spread from Southern Russia to Southern Spain. They reached from the Caucasus to Northern Egypt. They were along the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Some of these places, like Marseille and Syracuse, still exist today.

Why Do We Know About Them?

Ancient Greeks often started new poleis far away from their homelands. They did this to solve problems or find better land. These new cities were called colonies. The original city was known as a metropolis or "mother city." Even though these colonies were far away, they kept strong ties to their mother city. The Greeks also sometimes used the word polis for important cities that were not Greek-speaking, like Carthage.

Thinking About the Polis

Big thinkers like Plato and Aristotle talked about the perfect polis. They thought about good ways for governments to work and what makes a city fair. Aristotle wrote a book called Politics where he described what makes up a polis. He believed that a polis forms when families and small villages join together to take care of their needs.