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Rule and Order in Greek city-states

By 750 BCE, the polis was the fundamental political unit in Ancient Greece. The polis was made up of a city and its surrounding countryside. City-states usually covered and controlled 50-500 sq. miles of the territory. It usually housed around 10,000 residents. In the agora or acropolis citizens gathered to discuss political actions.

Types of Government in Greek city-states

Monarchy - A government that is ruled by a single person who holds all the power. (a king)

Aristocracy - Rule by a small group of noble, very rich, landowning families

Oligarchy - Wealthy groups, dissatisfied with Aristocratic rule, who seized power (often with military help.

Democracy in Ancient Greece

In Ancient Greece, at one point that practiced a Direct Democracy. The citizens ruled the city-state. Their rule was based on citizenship. They decided on laws based on majority rule. Their method of voting consisted of using white and black stones which would represent yes and no. They would bring up an issue in the agora and various citizens would argue either side until they thought it was fit to vote. When they voted, they would make piles of the stones, white ones meaning yes, and black ones meaning no. After the citizens voted, whichever pile had a larger pile of stones would decide the outcome of the issue. This was first practiced under Cleisthenes in around 500 BCE.

Aristocracy

The Aristocracy was ruled by members of the ruling class. They attended symposiums, meetings where the elite men would enjoy wine and poetry, performances by dancers and acrobats, and the company of hetaeras (courtesans) while they discussed.