Greek Geography, the
Polis, and Government
Geography
“The Greeks are like frogs around a pond.”
~ Plato, Greek philosopher
Ancient Greece: Geography
● rocky landscape
surrounded by sea
● long coastline
● mountainous
● hundreds of islands
Geography and agriculture
● “Mediterranean climate”
ideal for grapes and
olives
● Greeks raised sheep and
goats
● Hilly, rocky land made it
difficult to produce grain
surpluses
Crossing the seas
● Sailing important for trade
● Sailors and merchants
traveled all across
Mediterranean Sea
● Olive oil = major export
Grain = major import
Geography questions
● What method of transportation was the quickest in
ancient Greece?
● Why was farming a challenge in Greece?
● What effects did geography have on the ways ancient
Greeks met their needs?
● How did ancient Greeks use the sea to spread their
products and culture to other civilizations?
What is a polis?
In Greek, the word “polis”
means city-state.
However, a polis is more
than just a place. It is a
community.
How do you define “community?” Is Blake a community?
Is Medfield a community? Are all cities communities?
The polis: small and independent
The Greek polis was a small community. Athens had as many as 40,000 citizens at its high
point, but this was huge by Greek standards. The typical polis probably contained between
500-1,000 citizens. This was a very close knit community. You might not personally know
every other citizen, but you could certain that when you met anyone new, the two of you would
have some relative or acquaintance in common.
Most poleis consisted of an urban center, which served as the seat of government and trade, and
a surrounding countryside that provided most of the food and raw materials. The citizens were
all male and women played almost no role in public life. Most poleis were divided between the
wealthy few and the many poor. To be poor in ancient Greece meant that you had to work for a
living; you were not wealthy enough to have slaves do all your work.
But this city, small as it was, was politically independent. The polis made its own laws, executed
them, and had its own courts and judges. The polis decided on its own when to go to war and
when to make peace.
A typical polis
● built around an acropolis, or large hill, in the
center of the city
● included a public gathering space (often a
marketplace) called an agora
● farmlands surround the polis
The Acropolis, Athens
The agora, Athens
the agora, or marketplace
Think about this quote...
“[Humans are] creatures who live in the polis.”
~ Aristotle (Greek philosopher)
What does Aristotle mean?
Types of government
Who runs the polis? Well, it depends…
What are some different ways that the polis
could be run? Brainstorm!
Monarchy
- Rule by one (king, queen, emperor,
empress)
- Power is inherited (passed down from
parents to children)
- Sometimes ask aristocrats for advice
Oligarchy
- rule by a few aristocrats
- focused on maintaining their power
- focused on the rich, not concerned about
poor people
Democracy
- all citizens share power
- citizens do not include women, slaves, or foreigners
- citizens can vote
- Athens:
- out of 300,000 people, 40,000 citizens
- only 13% of the population were citizens!