Why Is Poleis Important

The Importance Of The Polis Most Greeks lived in city-states, called poleis. Poleis were a complex community that within them they had temples, theaters, an agora, and several other public buildings. Each poleis was involved in trade, foreign affairs, and had a type of government. Poleis were the center of life for Greeks in Athens and affected their ways of living. As stated, poleis are city-states; each polis is unique from the rest as evidenced by Sparta and Athens. Sparta represented war, while Athens represented arts and democracy. Each poleis acted as states and were independent, had their own government, and trade system. Throughout Greece there were about a thousand poleis, but only a few are mentioned throughout history. The most …show more content…
The word Acropolis is translated to “City on the Edge.” It was a temple built on a hill dedicated to the goddess of their city, Athena. The Acropolis was considered the central meeting area and the main point for religious gatherings. The Acropolis is one of the most famous structures in the ancient world. Around 510 BC Athens became the first polis to have a democracy. Democracy is a government ruled by the people. Soon after Athens created a democracy, in part established by Solon, Cleisthenes, and Ephialtes, other surrounding city-states followed the example. Descended from a noble family, Solon was a well-known politician and lawmaker in Athens. During the great agricultural, social, and economic crisis he was elected tyrant because of the horrible situations that occured city-state such as farmers and their families being sold to pay off their debts. Also, during this time Athens was divided into sections by regions and family social status that determined people's political power. When Solon took over Athens he created several laws to help Athens create a stable government. One of his most significant contributions was that he outlawed slavery debt which made him very popular among the poor people. He also encouraged trade instead of agriculture because he believed that this would help the lives of the slaves and it did. Another contribution Solon made towards Athens’ democracy is that he divided the …show more content…
This helped prevent factions from forming. Each tribe was assigned a different task and within the tribe everyone would have the same job. Also, each tribe elected fifty men and one general to help serve and make decisions in the Council of 500. The Council of 500 also helped plan when an Assembly would be held. The Assembly was a place for Athenian men to gather, vote, and discuss the issues within the Athenian society. Cleisthenes let all Athenian men be apart of the government, even the common