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Greek City-States. Polis (city) Absolutely independent and self-sufficient Typically had a high stone wall around city-state for protection. Streets were organized in a grid like design. Small populations (most fewer than 10,000). Acropolis.
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Greek City-States • Polis (city) • Absolutely independent and self-sufficient • Typically had a high stone wall around city-state for protection. • Streets were organized in a grid like design. • Small populations (most fewer than 10,000)
Acropolis An acropolis, in the simplest terms, is a hill. A hill city to be more exact. In ancient Greek an acropolis served as the site of assembly for political, social, and religious activity and discussion. It was were the most important temples were located.
Parthenon The Parthenon was located on the Acropolis. It is a temple to the Greek goddess Athena. The Parthenon is currently undergoing a restoration and reconstruction process. Today the Parthenon is recognized as one of the worlds most treasured cultural monuments. Other city-states would have a different temple to other gods/goddess.
Agora • At the foot of the acropolis near the center of town was the agora, an open area used as a marketplace. • Governmental buildings, such as the council building and courts, surrounded the agora in Athens. • People came to the agora to discuss politics, meet with friends, as well as buy items from the market. Rich women were not seen in the agora; instead, their husbands or slaves would do the shopping for them. Only poor women, who had no help, would go to the market alone.
Outdoor Greek Theatre • The Greek theatre history began with festivals honoring their gods. Athens was the main center for these theatrical traditions. Athenians spread these festivals to its numerous allies in order to promote a common identity. • At the early Greek festivals, the actors, directors, and dramatists were all the same person. After some time, only three actors were allowed to perform in each play. Later few non-speaking roles were allowed to perform on-stage.
Greek Homes Most homes in ancient Greece had a courtyard, which was the center of activity. Children could safely play outside in the warm climate. Homes were divided into areas for the men and areas for the women. The andron was a room reserved for males to entertain male guests. The room had a separate entrance to the street so male guests did not have to cross paths with any of the ladies of the house. Houses were made out of sun-dried brick on a foundation of stones. Sun-dried brick was not a dependable material and often crumbled. Roofs were made of overlapping clay tiles.
Greek Homes The Greeks had a very limited amount of furniture in their houses. Wooden chairs, couches and stools were typical. Food was cooked outside during most of the year. When the weather was not conducive to cooking outside, a hearth or brazier was used in the kitchen. Kitchens were built with a hole in the roof so that smoke could escape. Houses had one or two private rooms. Bathrooms consisted of a chamber pot, which was dumped into a gutter or into the street.
Citizenship • TO BE A CITIZEN OF A CITY-STATE:The ancient Greeks referred to themselves, however, as citizens of their hometown - their city-state. Each city-state (polis) had its own personality, goals, laws and customs. Ancient Greeks were very loyal to their city-state. There were three main forms of government in ancient Greece: • Monarchy: Rule by a king. One city-state whose government was a monarchy was the city-state of Corinth.Oligarchy: Rule by a small group. One city-state whose government was an oligarchy was the city-state of Sparta. • Democracy: Rule by the citizens, voting in an assembly. One city-state whose government experimented for about a hundred years with democracy was the ancient city-state of Athens.
