LO3- Greece

Greek city- states consisted of usually one town and some square miles of countryside. Athens and Sparta were considered the giant city-states. Sometimes the town was built around a hill and around the top was an acropolis. An acropolis is a high fortified citadel and religious center of an ancient Greek town. Each community was competitive with each other because of the activity of worshipping the Gods. Who worshipped who and so on. The Greek’s language was the language that created the word “citizen” referring to a member of such a community. Some types of government that are important to know are oligarchy, monarchy, democracy, and tyranny. Oligarchy is a state in which supreme power is held by a small group. Monarchy is a state in which supreme power is held by a single, usually hereditary ruler. Tyranny is a rule by self-proclaimed dictator. Democracy was in ancient Greece, a form of government in which all adult male citizens were entitled to take part in decision making. The Spartans were descendants of Greeks who conquered the territory of Laconia. Soon the Spartans pushed westward into the plains of Messenia because the land of Laconia was infertile. When they moved to the plains of Messenia they turned the Greek inhabitants into helots. Helots were non-citizens forced to work for landholders in the ancient city-state of Sparta.