With the decline of regional empires in the mid-first millennium BCE, called the Axial Age, came second-generation societies, which borrowed ideas from their predecessors but were marked by innovation politically, socially, and economically. A major second-generation society that arose during this time were the Greeks, whose city-states encircled the Mediterranean. One innovation of city-states around 6th century BCE were their political structures – specifically, governments that put power in the hands of their people. These self-governing poleis, as city-states were called, allowed citizens to select their own leaders. All adult free males were entitled to engage in the polis’ public affairs. This lack of an overarching authority allowed
