CHAPTER FOCUS
SECTION 1 The Polis
SECTION 2 Sparta
SECTION 3 Athens
SECTION 4 Decline of the City-States
CHAPTER SUMMARY & STUDY GUIDE
CHAPTER ASSESSMENT
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Overview
• Chapter 10 discusses Greek city-states,
particularly Sparta and Athens. 
– Section 1 discusses the development
of the Greek polis. 
– Section 2 summarizes the way of life
in Sparta. 
– Section 3 describes the growth of
democracy in Athens and its dominance
in the Delian League. 
– Section 4 analyzes the decline of the
Greek city-states.
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Objectives
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
• explain why the polis was the geographic
and political center of Greek life. 
• describe what life was like in Sparta
and Athens. 
• summarize how the Persian Wars
affected Greece. 
• discuss how Athens controlled the other
city-states. 
• explain why Athens and the other
city-states declined.
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Read to Discover
• Why the polis was the geographic and
political center of Greek life 
• What life was like in the city-states of
Sparta and Athens 
• How the Persian Wars affected Greece 
• How Athens controlled other city-states 
• Why the Greek city-states declined
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Terms to Learn
• polis 
• acropolis 
• agora 
• aristocrats 
• oligarchy 
• constitution 
• mercenaries 
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People to Know
• Solon 
• Cleisthenes 
• Darius 
• Xerxes 
• Pericles 
Places to Locate
• Sparta 
• Athens 
• Ionia 
• Delos 
• Thebes
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Why It’s Important
The geography of Greece–the mountains
and the sea–separated communities from
each other. Although these communities
spoke the same language and shared many
of the same customs, no single community
had power over the others. Because of this,
people developed a loyalty to the
community in which they lived. These
communities, known as city-states, became
a feature of Greek civilization.
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The Polis
• The polis, or city-state, was the geographic
and political center of Greek life. 
• At first, each polis was made up of farming
villages, fields, and orchards grouped
around a fortified hill called an acropolis. 
• At the top of the acropolis stood the temple
of the local god. 
• At the foot was the agora, an open area
used as a marketplace.
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The Polis (cont.)
• By 700 B.C., this inner part of the polis had
become a city. 
• Together with the villages and farmland
around it, it formed a city-state. 
• The average city-state contained between
5,000 and 10,000 citizens. 
• For Greek citizens in ancient times, civic
and personal honor were one and the
same. 
• Two of the greatest Greek city-states were
Sparta and Athens.
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Section Assessment
What areas generally made up
each city-state?
Farming villages, fields and orchards
grouped around an acropolis, and an
agora at the foot of the acropolis
generally made up a city-state.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
What rights and duties did Greek
citizens have?
rights–they could own property, hold
public office, and speak for
themselves in court
duties–they were expected to take
part in government and to defend
their polis
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Demonstrating Reasoned Judgment
Which of the requirements for
citizenship in early Greece do you
think were fair and which were not?
Explain.
Answers will vary but could include
references to discrimination by birth.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Draw a web like the one on page
164 of your textbook, and use it to
show characteristics of most
Greek city-states.
Characteristics might include: centered
around an acropolis; had own
governments and laws; contained an
average of 5,000–10,000 citizens;
included an open-air market; only
citizens could vote, own property,
speak for themselves, or hold office
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Sparta
• Sparta was in the south-central region of
Greece, in an area known as the
Peloponnesus. 
• By 500 B.C., it had become the greatest
military power in Greece. 
• Though first ruled by a king, aristocrats, or
nobles, took over the government. 
• Only aristocrats could be Spartan citizens. 
• All citizens over 20 years old were members
of the Assembly, which passed laws and
decided questions of war and peace.
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Sparta (cont.)
• Each year, the Assembly chose five
managers, known as ephors, to take charge
of public affairs and guide the education of
young Spartans. 
• The Council of Elders helped the ephors.
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Aristocrats, Helots, and Perioeci
• The Spartans had little interest in farming. 
• The land was worked by helots, or enslaved
people owned by the city-states. 
• The Spartans were not interested in
business or trade either. 
• They left those to the perioeci, or merchants
and artisans who lived in the villages.
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Aristocrats, Helots, and Perioeci (cont.)
• Helots and perioeci worked, while
aristocrats trained for the army and war. 
• By about 750 B.C., there were 20 times as
many helots and perioeci as there were
aristocrats.
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The Spartan Way of Life
• The Spartans tried to become the strongest
people in Greece. 
• When Spartan boys turned seven, they
were sent to live in military camps. 
• Spartan men were expected to marry at
20 years of age. 
• Spartan women had more freedom than
the women of other Greek city-states. 
• They mixed freely with men and enjoyed
sports such as wrestling and racing.
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The Spartan Way of Life (cont.)
• The Spartans believed new ideas would
weaken their way of life; therefore they
tried to resist change. 
• From its beginnings until its defeat in
371 B.C., Sparta had only one goal–to be
militarily strong.
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Section Assessment
How did the lifestyles of Spartan
women differ from other Greek
women?
Spartan women had more freedom,
mixed freely with their husband’s
friends, enjoyed sports, and
encouraged their men in battle.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Why did Sparta try to prevent
change?
They believed new ideas would
weaken their way of life.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Making Comparisons How was
Sparta similar to other Greek citystates? How was it different?
similarities–made own government
and laws, trained youth in sports
differences–more freedom for
women, spent energy on war, little
interest in trade and the arts,
depended on slave labor
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Draw a chart like the one on page
167 of your textbook, and use it to
weigh the pros and cons of living in
Sparta.
Answers will vary.
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Athens
• Northeast of Sparta, the city-state of Athens
had a very different philosophy about living
than the Spartans. 
• Like all the other Greek city-states, Athens
was first ruled by kings. 
• About 750 B.C., some Athenian nobles,
merchants, and manufacturers took over
the government. 
• They set up an oligarchy, or form of
government in which a few people have
the ruling power.
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Athens (cont.)
• Fights broke out between them and the
farmers and artisans over land ownership.

• The first attempt to change the government
was made by Draco, a noble. 
• Draco, however, failed because his
punishments were too harsh. 
• Then, in 594 B.C., a rich merchant named
Solon was chosen to undertake the task. 
• Solon prepared a constitution, or a set of
principles and rules for governing.
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Athens (cont.)
• This constitution broke the political power of
the rich. 
• Under Solon, more Athenians began to
take part in government, and trade
increased. 
• About 560 B.C., the government was taken
over by another Athenian named
Peisistratus who was supported by the
lower classes. 
• He stated that a person no longer had to
own land to be a citizen.
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A Democratic Constitution
• When Peisistratus died, his sons took over
as leaders of the Athenian government. 
• Not long after that, their government was
overthrown by the Spartans. 
• In 508 B.C., the Spartans themselves were
overthrown by a noble named Cleisthenes.
• A year later, Cleisthenes put into effect
the world’s first constitution that was
democratic, or favoring the equality of
all people.
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
A Democratic Constitution (cont.)
• Cleisthenes opened the Assembly to all
males over 20 years old. 
• The Council of Five Hundred handled the
daily business of Athens. 
• The names of 500 citizens were drawn
from a large pot. 
• Under Cleisthenes, citizens were required
to educate their sons starting when they
were seven years old. 
• When they turned 18 years old, Athenian
males became citizens.
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The Persian Wars
• In 545 B.C., Persian conquered the Greek
city-states in Asia Minor
• About 20 years later, the city-states
revolted. 
• Persians defeated the revolters. 
• In 490 B.C., Darius sent a fleet of 600 ships
and a well-equipped army to Greece.
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The Persian Wars (cont.)
• The Persians fought Athens at the Battle of
Marathon. 
• Greek soldiers launched a strategic attack
and won the battle. 
• A runner set off for Athens with news of
the victory. 
• Upon reaching Athens, he cried out Nike!,
the Greek goddess of victory, and then
died of exhaustion.
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The Persian Wars (cont.)
• Shortly after the Battle of Marathon, rich
silver mines were found near Athens. 
• The Athenians spent their new wealth on
triremes, or warships that had three
levels of rowers on each side, one above
the other. 
• In 480 B.C., Darius’s son Xerxes sent
250,000 soldiers across the sea and
conquered northern Greece. 
• In order to stop the Persians from taking
all of Greece, 20 Greek city-states banded
together.
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The Delian League and the Athenian
Empire
• The Persians had been driven from Greece,
but they still ruled Asia Minor. 
• Because of this, the Athenians suggested
that the Greek city-states form a defensive
league, or protective group, called the
Delian League. 
• Sparta was one of the few Greek city-states
that did not join the League. 
• As time passed, though, Athens gained
more and more power.
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The Delian League and the Athenian
Empire (cont.)
• The more powerful Athens became, the
more resentful other Greek city-states
grew. 
• When the Athenians attacked one of
Sparta’s allies, a group of city-states
led by Sparta declared war on Athens.

• The war, which was called the
Peloponnesian War, lasted almost 30
years, ending in 404 B.C. when Athens
surrendered to Sparta.
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Decline of Athens (cont.)
• Between the war and a plague that struck
during the war, Athens also lost more than
one quarter of its people. 
• Thousands of young Athenian men left
home and became mercenaries, or hired
soldiers, in the Persian army. 
• When the Spartans took control of Athens in
404 B.C., they set up an oligarchy and chose
30 Athenian aristocrats to rule there. 
• Not long after that, the Athenians
successfully revolted and once more set up
a democracy.
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Section Assessment
What political reforms did
Cleisthenes introduce?
He set up the first democratic
constitution, opened the assembly to
males over 20 and the council to all
citizens.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
What changes did Pericles bring
to Athens?
He rebuilt the palaces and temples
on the acropolis, including the
Parthenon; built the Long Walls; and
encouraged philosophy and learning.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Understanding Cause and Effect
What were some of the causes and
effects of the Peloponnesian War?
causes–Greek aid to Ionians, Persian
expansion
effects–buildup of Athenian navy,
formation of Delian League
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Draw a diagram like the one shown
on page 175 of your textbook, and
use it to show how the Delian League
affected both Athens and other citystates.
Athens–dominated Greece; gained
wealth to beautify the acropolis
other city-states–lost power; forced to
use Athenian money, courts, and
ships; grew resentful
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Decline of the City-States
• After the Peloponnesian War, most Greeks
began to lose their sense of community. 
• Bitterness developed between the upper
and lower classes within each polis. 
• After the war, Sparta ruled Greece. 
• The Spartans were harsh rulers who
angered the other Greeks. 
• As a result, in 371 B.C., a group of citystates led by Thebes overthrew Spartan
rule.
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Decline of the City-States (cont.)
• The rule of Thebes, however, was no
better than that of Sparta, weakening the
city-states even more. 
• The Greeks were no longer strong
enough or united enough to fight off
invaders. 
• In 338 B.C., Philip II of Macedonia
conquered Greece.
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Section Assessment
How did the Peloponnesian War help
destroy the sense of community in
most Greek city-states?
The war lasted a long time and was
costly; people were discouraged and
they began to lose interest in what
was good for their city-state.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
What were some of the reasons
for the decline of the Greek citystates?
Bitterness developed between the
upper and lower classes within each
polis, the rule of Thebes weakened
the city-states, and the Greeks could
no longer fight off invaders.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Drawing Conclusions Why might the
Greeks have become more interested
in making money for themselves
rather than for the city-state after the
Peloponnesian War?
Answers will vary but might include
the idea that they were tired of being
involved in war and decided to pay
attention to themselves.
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Section Assessment (cont.)
Draw a flow chart like the one on
page 176 of your textbook, and
use it to trace the decline of the
Greek city-states after the
Peloponnesian War.
Sample responses: lost sense of
community, increased interest in
money-making, increased bitterness
between upper and lower classes in
each polis, harsh rule by Sparta,
rebellion and rule by Thebes, lack of
strength to resist invaders
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Chapter Summary & Study Guide
• Around 700 B.C., city-states became the
center of Greek life. 
• The two greatest city-states were Sparta
and Athens. 
• Sparta spent most of its time training its
citizens for war. 
• Spartan women had more freedom than
women in other city-states. 
• Spartans believed new ideas would
weaken their way of life, so they tried to
prevent change.
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Chapter Summary & Study Guide (cont.)
• Between 750 and 507 B.C., Athens went
through a series of reforms to
broaden democracy. 
• In 507 B.C., Cleisthenes put into effect the
first democratic constitution. 
• After several wars with Persia, Athens
became Greece’s leading polis. 
• Sparta defeated Athens in the
Peloponnesian War, which was fought
between 431 and 404 B.C.
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Chapter Summary & Study Guide (cont.)
• The Peloponnesian War weakened
the Greek city-states, leading to the
conquest of Greece by Philip II of
Macedonia in 338 B.C.
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Understanding the Main Idea
Why did Greek communities have
little contact with one another?
They had little contact with one
another because they were
separated by mountains and by
the sea.
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Understanding the Main Idea
What did the citizens of a polis
consider most important?
They considered the good of the polis
to be most important.
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Understanding the Main Idea
Why was it important for Spartan
women to be physically fit?
It was important to be physically fit
so they would bear healthy male
warriors.
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Understanding the Main Idea
Why did Sparta remain a poor
farming society?
It remained a poor farming
community because it spent its time
and energy only on the art of war.
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Understanding the Main Idea
Why was the Battle of Marathon
important for the Greeks?
The battle of Marathon was important
because it gave the Greeks a great
sense of confidence.
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Understanding the Main Idea
How did Athenians use the Delian
League to build an empire?
Athens gained more power,
controlled sailing and trade, and
interfered in the politics of other
city-states.
59
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Critical Thinking
Do you think that the Spartan
emphasis on military training
benefited Sparta? Why or why not?
Answers will vary.
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Critical Thinking
What method of choosing
members of the Athenian Council
of Five Hundred would you have
suggested? Explain your answer.
Answers will vary. A blind drawing
might have been more fair but less
qualitative than an election.
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Critical Thinking
Why do you think some people in
Athens might have objected to the
title of “first citizen” for Pericles?
Explain your answer.
Answers will vary.
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Critical Thinking
What may happen to a community
as a result of a long war? Why?
Answers will vary. Possible results
could include that people may
become discouraged, fight among
themselves, and lose their sense
of community.
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Geography in History
Place Note the location of the Greek citystates on the map on page 173. Why do you
think these city-states developed in the
places that they did, and what geographic
features might have affected this
development? Write a paragraph explaining
the relationship between a city’s location and
the surrounding geographic features.
Answers may vary. Possible features could
include references to good farming land,
optimum location for trade and/or sea
access, the safety of highlands or islands,
and heritage.
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What would Cleisthenes say about a
city-state ruled by one woman who
served for life, a council elected by
voting, no organized army, and
public schools for all citizens?
65
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67
700 B.C.
507 B.C.
Greek citystates emerge
Sparta adopts
constitution
594 B.C.
Athens
expands
citizenship
Continued on next slide.
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the information.
338 B.C.
490 B.C.
Philip II
conquers
Greece
Persian Wars
begin
404 B.C.
Sparta wins
Peloponnesian
War
69
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Pericles
c. 495 B.C.-429 B.C.
Athenian General
As leader of Athens, Pericles turned
the city-state into a center of learning.
His influence was so great that
historians call the period of his power
the “Age of Pericles.”
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The Marathon
The runner Pheidippides carried the
news of the victory at Marathon back to
Athens, about 26 miles away. He
delivered his message and fell dead of
exhaustion. Today, a marathon is a
footrace of 26 miles, 385 yards, or the
term may describe any longdistance race.
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Recognizing Bias
• Cats make better pets than dogs. 
• If you say this–without ever having owned
a dog–then you are stating a bias. 
• A bias is a prejudice. 
• It can prevent one from looking at a situation
in a reasonable or truthful way. 
• Most people have feelings and ideas that
affect their point of view.
Continued on next slide.
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Recognizing Bias
• This viewpoint, or bias, influences the way
they interpret events. 
• For this reason, an idea that is stated as a
fact may really be only an opinion. 
• Recognizing bias will help you judge the
accuracy of what you read.
Continued on next slide.
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Recognizing Bias
To recognize bias, follow these steps: 
• Identify the author of the statement and
examine his or her views and possible
reasons for writing the material. 
• Look for language that reflects an emotion
or opinion–words such as all, never, best,
worst, might, or should.
Continued on next slide.
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Recognizing Bias
• Examine the writing for imbalances–leaning
only to one viewpoint and failing to provide
equal coverage of other possible
viewpoints. 
• Identify statements of fact. Factual
statements usually answer the Who? What?
Where? and When? questions.
• Determine how the author’s bias is reflected
in the work.
Continued on next slide.
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Recognizing Bias
Read the excerpt on page 170 of your textbook in
which a supporter of oligarchy–government by the
few–evaluates how Athens dealt with members of
the Delian League. Then answer the questions
that follow.
Continued on next slide.
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Recognizing Bias
Is the writer expressing a proAthens or anti-Athens bias?
The writer is expressing an anti-Athens
bias.
Continued on next slide.
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the answer.
Recognizing Bias
What prejudice does the writer hold
toward the lower classes?
The author does not think they
should be promoted to places
of honor.
Continued on next slide.
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the answer.
Recognizing Bias
What bias does the writer have
toward the system of justice
in Athens?
The author resents being tried by
the people.
Continued on next slide.
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the answer.
Recognizing Bias
What bias does the writer hold
toward democracy?
The writer dislikes democracy and
believes the “better sort of people”
should rule.
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Reading Physical Maps
• Physical maps are used to show something
about the surface of Earth. 
• The colors used on physical maps may
show the rainfall of a certain area. 
• They may also be used to show an area’s
temperatures or elevations. 
• In the physical map on page 165 of your
textbook, the colors indicate elevation.
Continued on next slide.
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Reading Physical Maps
• Colors ranging from green to brown
are used. 
• The meaning of each color is explained in
the legend. 
• Look at the map “Elevation of Ancient
Greece” shown on page 165. 
• The legend days that light brown means
above 5,000 feet, or above 1,500 meters.
Continued on next slide.
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Reading Physical Maps
• This means that any area on the map that is
shaded light brown is at least 5,000 feet, or
1,500 meters, above sea level. 
• Remember that having an elevation of
above 5,000 feet does not necessarily mean
that an area is covered with mountains. 
• The area may actually be a plateau.
Continued on next slide.
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Reading Physical Maps
Study the elevation map on page 165 of your
textbook showing the elevation of ancient Greece.
Then answer the questions that follow.
Continued on next slide.
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Reading Physical Maps
What color shows an elevation of
1,000 to 2,000 feet, or 300 to
600 meters?
yellow
Continued on next slide.
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Reading Physical Maps
What elevation is shown by the color
dark green?
Dark green shows 0 to 500 feet.
Continued on next slide.
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Reading Physical Maps
What generalization can you make
about the elevation of ancient
Greece?
It has steep mountains and small,
narrow plains.
87
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the answer.
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