THE EMERGENCE OF THE CITY-STATES

(800 B.C.E.) The villages grow into large units centered on towns on hills that were really just fortified marketplaces. City-state (polis) emerged with a single city and all its surrounding territory. Examples include Sparta, Athens, Thebes, etc. This became the standard form of Hellenic political organization and created our notion of politics. They varied in size. The rise of the polis had 2 interrelated developments: a trade revival with western Asia through Cyprus and Syria to gain access to Mesopotamia. This led to learning artisan skills, especially metalcraft. They also learned how to write: Phoenician system + vowels. Literacy was widespread, records were kept of trade, and the Greek economy/population/cities grew. Greeks would establish marketplaces in overseas coastal settlements for trading for a small amount of people. As overpopulation began, Greeks established lives of farming in autonomous city-states abroad (many in Italy). Greek city-states moved towards a large sharing of power because of newly rich people (from trade) seeking power. In 650 B.C.E. Greek warfare saw a shift from chariots to tight formation infantries called phalanxes. These phalanxes were made up of modest farmers which led to a shift in power and they earned a say in government. The Greek city-state governments were different from ours because everything was done by the citizens (very participatory), and only males were involved. (P.87-93)