The birth of the Greek polis. Greek polis. its characteristic features Types of policies in ancient Greece

17.11.2023

THE BIRTH OF THE GREEK POLIS

The Archaic era was a unique period in ancient Greek history. In just three centuries, completely new, never before existing types of civilization, society and statehood appeared in Hellas. The starting point of their occurrence is the appearance of the policy. If at the beginning of the archaic period Greece was a country of primitive, economically, politically and culturally underdeveloped tiny rural communities, then by the end of this period it created statehood and became a country of poleis. The civilization of Ancient Greece is, first of all, polis civilization.

In historical literature, a polis is most often defined as a “city-state.” This interpretation can be considered correct with one significant caveat: in connection with the polis, both the concept of “city” and the concept of “state” should be interpreted exclusively in the “ancient” sense. The word “polis” in ancient Greek really means “city,” but not as “a complex of buildings, streets, defensive structures, etc.,” but as “the totality of its free, full-fledged residents - citizens.” Ancient authors by the word “polis” primarily meant urban civic community. At the same time, the word “polis” (and its related term “politaya”) also means a state, but again not in the sense of a certain territory under the control of a certain sovereign power, but in the same sense civil collective, carrying out on his own the management of the territory belonging to him. For the ancient Greeks, a polis abandoned by its citizens could no longer be considered such: this settlement was no longer either a city or a state. But at the same time, say, an army on a campaign could in some situations constitute itself as a polis, since it was a collective of citizens, although it did not have this moment any territory, not to mention urban buildings.

Thus, the concept of “polis” cannot be unconditionally equated with either the concept of “city” or the concept of “state”. Thus, there were policies in which there were two or more urban centers (although one of them necessarily stood out, playing the role of the capital). There were also (but quite rarely) policies that did not have a city center at all; This is exactly what the polis of Sparta or the Phocidian polis of Ponopius was, in particular, which no one called a city. And yet, despite some shortcomings, the definition of a polis as an urban civil community that constitutes itself as a state seems most preferable to the term “city-state,” since the role of the civil collective was fundamental to the polis type of statehood.

However, in addition to citizens, people who did not enjoy civil rights also lived on the territory of the policy (slaves, foreigners who moved to the policy, women, etc.). They were members of society, but were not part of the civil community or the polis as such.

The category “citizen” (as opposed to the category “subject”, which had long existed in the Ancient East) was of key importance for the entire existence of the polis. The citizen was endowed with a set of inalienable rights and obligations, Moreover, in fact, each of his rights was at the same time a duty. In order to be a citizen, a person had to possess a certain set of necessary characteristics. First of all he had to be personally free. After the polis type of socio-political structure was formed in its final form, the concepts of “citizen” and “slave” became incompatible. Further, only man: polis civilization was built on the primacy of the male part of the population. Women had not only political, but also no (including property) civil rights at all.

The status of a person in pre-capitalist societies was primarily determined by his attitude towards land ownership. Ancient Greece was no exception. The person was considered full citizen insofar as he had land ownership. These two statuses were, as a rule, inseparable from each other: only a citizen is a landowner and only a landowner can be a citizen. Land ownership in the polis existed simultaneously in two forms - state and private, with state property being primary in relation to private property.

The citizen, i.e., the collective owner of state land, was endowed by the civil community with an individual plot of land on the basis of private property rights, which the man had the right to dispose of at his own discretion. He remained a landowner, even if for some reason he lost his plot, since the status of a citizen provided him with the right to public, state land, on which leased forests, pastures, mines, etc. were located and from the exploitation of which each citizen received his share of the income. In the ancient polis, the political collective of citizens was at the same time a collective of land owners. A personally free, but not a citizen, resident of the policy could never acquire ownership of a land plot, and at the same time the rights of a citizen.

Thus, it was the community, that is, the collective of citizens of the policy, that was the owner of all the land in the state. This form of ownership in which the right of ownership of the main means of production (namely, land in ancient times) in its state (public) and private forms was determined by the status of a citizen and controlled by the civil community is called ancient form of ownership. It should be said that this dual form of ownership is inherent in some inconsistency. After all, a citizen of the polis was the owner of his land, and his private right to land was inalienable only as long as he remained a citizen. As soon as the private owner lost civil rights(for example, by a court verdict for certain crimes), the policy on a completely legal basis deprived a community member of the plot that belonged to him.

A characteristic feature of the policy was that all its citizens had the right to accept participation in government. It is the civilian collective in uniform people's assembly exercised - really or nominally - the highest power in the polis. Polis statehood did not provide for the existence of special government bodies. Polis were states without bureaucracy, and all magistrates(i.e. officials) were chosen by citizens by voting (or by lot, the choice of which was considered a manifestation of the will of the gods). A citizen of the polis could rightfully say about himself that in the 18th century. stated french king Louis XIV: “The State is me!” But at the same time, a citizen of the polis was a representative of the state not in himself, but only as part of a civil collective. Thus, in the Greek polis, for the first time in world history, a republican statehood, in which society and the state are not separated from each other, but represent a single whole.

The citizen was obliged to participate in the military activities of the policy, that is, to be a member of its military organization. Actually, the army of the polis was militia of citizens - land owners. At the same time, military service, associated with the need to protect the freedom and integrity of the polis, its statehood and laws, as well as the property of members of the civil community, was at the same time not only the duty of a citizen, but also his right, since it was also one of the criteria for civil status. Persons who were not members of the civilian collective were recruited into the army only in cases of extreme necessity.

Thus, in ancient Greece, the concepts of “citizen”, “member of the national assembly”, “bearer of supreme power”, “member of the polis militia” and “ land owner"were inextricably linked. All citizens were equal before the law, and the policy guaranteed personal freedom to everyone. This led to the manifestation in a number of policies egalitarian(i.e. equalizing) trends, trends which is natural in conditions of collective government. Thus, in order to maintain equality in the collective, the richest noble citizens were often forced to bear the greatest costs in the interests of society. In fairness, it should be said that in the era of the heyday of the polis, these demands of polis life were met by representatives of the elite with understanding.

Naturally, due to its structure, the Greek polis could only be very small in territory and population. Thus, Sparta (the largest polis in the Greek world in territorial terms), including Messenia, conquered by the Spartans, had an area of 8,400 square kilometers and a population of 200-300 thousand people, the Athenian polis - respectively 2,500 square kilometers and 250-350 thousand people. But such large policies were rather exceptions. The territory of most policies did not exceed 200 square kilometers, and the population was 10 thousand people. There were also very small policies with a territory of 30-40 square kilometers, where several hundred people lived. Thus, the typical polis was a tiny state consisting of cities(or town) and rural areas. Most of the residents of such a policy, which could be circumvented in a few hours, knew each other by sight.

The city was the center, the capital of the polis, often (though by no means always) more than half of the state's population lived in it. However, the city has not yet been opposed to the village. Greek polis society is fundamentally different from the societies of many other eras, when the city was the focus of activity only for traders and artisans leading a specific urban lifestyle, and the peasantry inhabited exclusively the countryside. In almost any city of Hellas, a very significant, and sometimes the predominant part of the inhabitants were the same peasants, who daily went from the city to their plots of land on the choir. Thus, each member of the civil collective, no matter what he did (he could be, for example, the owner of a craft workshop, a large wholesale merchant, a professional politician), was at the same time landowner(at least owned a share of public land). And for most citizens, a piece of land was undoubtedly the main means of subsistence.

The main characteristics of the policy are to a certain extent inherent in the “ideal” policy. Of course, given the presence of general trends, the historical development of specific, actually existing policies had its own characteristics.

Sources

Since the archaic era is less covered than subsequent ones in the works of ancient authors, much attention is naturally attracted to the material monuments that have come down from these times, obtained during archaeological excavations. Important information for science was provided by systematic studies by historians of the archaic buildings of Athens (the remains of the ancient temples of the Acropolis, early public buildings on the Agora), and the religious complexes of the largest sanctuaries in Hellas (Delphi, Olympia). Very important results were brought by the study of the territories of those policies that were destroyed back in the archaic era and have not been restored since then: old Smyrna in Asia Minor, Emporion on the island of Chios, etc. Since the oldest layers there were preserved intact, without later inclusions, this greatly facilitates their analysis.

These epigraphs for the archaic era are not of great importance, since writing appeared only recently and the number of inscriptions was still small. However, the earliest Greek inscriptions are extremely interesting due to their rarity and uniqueness. Among the archaic epigraphic monuments are texts of laws (for example, the law of the 6th century BC from the island of Chios contains references to state bodies of a democratic nature), agreements between policies, lists of officials, as well as private inscriptions. For example, in 591 BC. e. Greek mercenary soldiers in Egyptian service during one of their campaigns, while having fun, inscribed their names on the leg of the colossal statue of Ramesses II in Southern Egypt. But even these few pieces of evidence, combined with other types of sources, make it possible to see more clearly the specific realities of that era.

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For a well-governed city is the greatest stronghold; everything is contained in it, and as long as it is preserved, everything is whole, but when it perishes, everything perishes.

In general, πόλις is simply “city” from Greek. However, the cities of ancient Greece were significantly different from all other cities of all other times. They are most similar only to the cities of Italy during the Renaissance.

Polis appeared after the Dark Ages of the Ancient World. Once upon a time there was a very developed Cretan-Minoan civilization in Greece, but it developed more in an Asian direction. It was a peaceful, matriarchal society dominated by the arts, trade and navigation. It fell under the onslaught of the invading Achaeans, who were illiterate, but were warlike and possessed strong bronze weapons. Civilization collapsed, and the primitive state practically returned. The Achaeans believed that these huge buildings were clearly built by the gods.

However, the degradation of Greece ultimately allowed the emergence of such a unique phenomenon, which is the poleis. These were city-states, but their form of organization was unique. There was a large mass of citizens who could influence the political life of society. In addition to them, free non-citizens lived in the polis, who had slightly less rights - they did not vote, but did not perform military service, but otherwise everything was the same for them - they owned the land, they were protected by laws. Finally, slaves lived in the policies and had no rights.

Although the city-states were initially ruled by kings, they were soon replaced by oligarchic rule. The oligarchs, seeing that citizens were about to begin to demand power for themselves, led them; oligarchies in some places became the power of kings and geronts (Sparta), in others they became full-fledged democracies (Athens).

Signs that a city must have in order for it to be called a polis:

Independence, self-government (city-state);
An agora is a large open space located in the center of a city where people meet to socialize and trade.
The Acropolis is a fortress in which, instead of a temple, there is a palace or meeting hall.
the city should be drawn up according to the plan of Hippodamus of Miletus: many buildings for public meetings, temples, as well as houses built according to the canons of Greek architecture;
Temples and altars, sacred places dedicated to the patron (or several) of the city (for example, Athena in Athens); priests should not form a church or have special rights, but simply be ordinary members of society;
Gymnasiums, schools where they learn wisdom and do gymnastics;
Theaters;
Walls built around the city;
unique coins forged by the city itself;
colonies founded by the city;
active political life;
public presentation of government affairs: announcement of adopted laws, decrees, expenses;
the city's absorption of adjacent villages and suburbs;
stratification into classes: citizens, free non-citizens, visitors, slaves;

Slavery was very important in the policies. It, however, slowed down the development of science: why invent a fan if a slave can stand and wave a fan? The Greeks, however, could not become slaves, at least not at some point; the way there was open only to barbarians.

Questions:

1. Polis of Ancient Greece.

2. Sparta.

3. Athens.

Polis of Ancient Greece.

The first states in Greece appeared in the 3rd millennium BC. Already by 2200 states are allocated on the island. Crete: Knossos, Mallia, Fest. The local leaders become kings before others ( basilei ). From the end of the 2nd millennium the decline of the Cretan kingdom and the rise of Mycenae began. Back in the 1st third of the 2nd millennium BC, a number of Achaean tribes created an early class state in the form of kingdoms headed vanaktami . The remaining Hellenic tribes, due to the fact that communal institutions continued to play the main role in their social system, embarked on the path of forming a state, bypassing monarchical rule. This is how they appear policies.

First policy is a small state with a single city - the center of political, religious and cultural life. Polis is the totality of all citizens of a given city-state, which included all urban and rural settlements, arable and garden lands, mines and quarries. Slaves are the property of the policy. Usually the policy territory was small. The most extensive policy - Sparta(8400 sq. km). Attica– 2550 sq. km. All citizens living both in the city itself and on their land holdings or in villages on its rural territory were residents of the policy and were called by its name. Citizens of the polis community were only local natives who owned land plots.

The aristocratic leadership of archaic cities always resisted the writing of laws, because It was the aristocratic elite that concentrated in its hands the highest administrative functions, which relied on the priestly stratum. The writing of laws was itself the result of socio-economic developments that brought forward those slaveholding groups that were not necessarily aristocrats. These new groups, to one degree or another, limited the dominance of the aristocracy or sought equal rights with it, which was recorded in written legislation.

Sparta.

Ancient Sparta known primarily from the period of the Trojan War (1240 BC) Dorian conquest of the 12th century. BC. led to the capture of the Peloponnese by aliens. Exactly Dorians founded a new Sparta, which had only the name in common with the old one. During the Messenian Wars, the Spartan state finally took shape as a state of a slave-owning aristocracy, organized militarily in order to ensure the exploitation of the conquered population of Laconia (Achaeans) and Messenia (Dorians).

Only the Spartans themselves were considered full citizens of Sparta. During the conquest of Laconia, the conquered population received the name helots , which were considered the property of all of Sparta - aristocratic "communities of equals", as the Spartiates called their corporation based on unbridled slavery. Part of the conquered population living in the least fertile areas was not converted into helots - perieki , were engaged in trade and crafts, because the Spartiates themselves were engaged in only one type of activity - military service. Each Spartiate had to be part of a group that dined together ( fidity), whose members had political rights.

The Spartan state retained remnants of military democracy in its organization. Aristotle believed that the political system of Sparta was modeled on the ancient Cretan system created by the legendary king Minos. Existing organization state and society was attributed to one person - the legendary royal guardian Lycurgus , who supposedly even met Homer at one time. After the name of the legendary legislator, Spartan law was called "Lycurgian laws".

The military-state organization of Sparta was headed by two kings (archagetes), from the Dorian and Achaean dynasties. Kings retained the highest priestly and partially judicial functions. The kings were part of the council of elders (gerusia), which was the highest authority in Sparta. Gerusia consisted of 28 elected lifelong elders (geronts) at least 60 years of age, and 2 kings at least 30 years of age, or their guardians. The highest formal power belonged to the people's assembly ( appella ) – warriors from the age of 30. But the appella had no right to discuss questions prepared by the gerusia, but could only vote for or against. The highest executive body of government – college of 5 ephors , which appeared at one time as a body of control over the gerusia and kings, due to the growth of social contradictions in the Spartan state. The ephors were elected from among all the Spartiates for a period of 1 year, and had the highest control power, had the right to prosecute and judge any Spartiate, incl. Geronts and kings.

Athens.

Of all the Greek city-states, Athens reached the highest level of economic, political and cultural development. Legend of the feat Theseus, the legendary Basileus - the creator of the Athenian state, says that the Cretans managed to subjugate Attica, the weakest region of Hellas in the 1st half. 2nd millennium BC In the Archaic period, the population of Attica was divided into 4 phyla (tribes), divided into phratries and clans. At this time, a privileged layer of the clan nobility stood out - eupatrids , while other free citizens received the name demos - people.

The supreme governing body was the People's Assembly - ecclesia . Real power was concentrated in the hands of the council of elders - Areopagus , whose members consisted of the clan nobility. The Areopagus was the highest supervisory and judicial body that concentrated the government of the state in its hands after the abolition of the institution of the Basilei (around the 8th century BC). After the expulsion of the basileus, senior officials began to be elected from among the eupatrides - archons who received executive branch. Initially, the positions of archons were for life, then for 10 years and, finally, for 1 year. The Areopagus was replenished from among the archons who had served their term.

Government reforms in Greece clearly reflect the process of formation of the most perfect slave-owning democracy of the Ancient World, as well as the evolution of democratic legislation. In 621 Archon Draco wrote down the first laws, which have come down to us only in fragments. "Draconian Laws" They prohibited blood feud, approved private property, and introduced the death penalty for almost any violation of private property (the theft of vegetables). But they reduced collective punishment for crimes, defining the principle of individual responsibility for the first time. Due to the high severity of the standards, these laws were repealed after 30 years. In 594 archon Solon carried out a number of reforms:

Sisakhfiyya (shaking off the burden) - cancellation of debts (removal of debt stones from those pledged for debts) land plots poor),

Prohibition of guaranteeing a debt by the person of the debtor, and the sale of a citizen into slavery for debts,

Reform state system: Tip 400 (bule): 400 representatives elected by clan phyla, where each of the 4 phyla sent 100 representatives. This is the main advisory body that prepared the decisions of the people's assembly. Ecclesia elected senior officials and heard their reports. Introduction of jury trials – helium.

Since 509 BC. Archon reforms were carried out in Athens Cleisthene:

- Council of Five Hundred: 50 people each from each phylum,

- Board of 10 strategists at the head of the army. Strategists were elected 1 from each phylum,

- ostracism: every spring a special meeting identified people dangerous to the existing system.

After the victory in the Greco-Persian Wars of the 6th century. BC, reforms were carried out by Pericles, who for a long time held the post of 1st strategist (444-429), whose period of leadership is considered the heyday of Athenian democracy:

Gelieia (6000 people) was elected annually by lot from all 4 categories,

The selection of officials was carried out not by voting, but by lot, with the exception of strategists and treasurers,

The supreme body of power finally became the ecclesia, which included all male citizens over the age of 20, without qualification restrictions. Every citizen had the right to submit a bill to the People's Assembly and raise any issue

- adoption of a law there were 4 stages: 1.introduction of the bill to the people's assembly as a legislative initiative, which every full-fledged Athenian citizen had, 2.preliminary consideration by the Council of 500, 3.adoption of the bill by the people's assembly. 4. confirmation of the law of helium.

Greek polis- “city-state”, the form of organization of which was based on communal relations.

A feature of the policy was the ownership of land by the entire civil collective, a member of which had his own plot of land, and therefore was a full citizen of the policy.

The formation of the Greek polis during the archaic period (VIII - VI centuries BC).

This period is sometimes called the time of formation of the “Greek miracle”. In fact, in just three centuries the foundations of civilization were formed: a more advanced economic system based on market relations, the Greeks are moving from a tribal society to a civil society, where relations are built on the basis of existing (written) laws. At this time, a worldview emerges, characterized by a rational view of the world, Greek art is developing, embodying high aesthetic ideals. But the main phenomenon that determined the essence of the era was the formation of the Greek polis.

A characteristic feature of the policy was its small size. A typical Greek polis, as a rule, had its own chora (i.e., agricultural territory), reaching several tens or even hundreds of kilometers. Approximately 5 - 10 thousand people lived in such a policy, of which no more than 2000 had citizenship rights.

There were also larger policies: up to 200 thousand people lived in Athens, although there were no more than 35 thousand citizens in it. There could also be very small policies where only a few hundred people lived. But each policy was a sovereign state, which had its own citizenship, its own laws and its own governing bodies.

The center of the polis has always been the city, and Greek civilization, in essence, was an urban civilization. It was the city, with its economic opportunities and dynamic life, that created a higher level of needs than traditional village life.

The Greek polis became a form of ancient society and state where the existence of the concepts of “citizen” and “civil society” became possible for the first time.

In the archaic era, simultaneously with the formation of the Greek polis, the idea of civil status was formed. The first quality of a citizen was his status as a free man. After the widespread abolition of debt slavery, a citizen in his state could under no circumstances be enslaved. In principle, the conviction is gradually emerging that a Greek, any Greek, cannot be a slave.

The most important right of a citizen was the right to land ownership. Agriculture for a long time remained the main occupation of citizens, and it was considered as the most appropriate thing for a free person. Peasant labor was associated with such an important concept for the Greeks as autarky, economic self-sufficiency, since it was believed that economic independence is a necessary prerequisite for political freedom.

Because of this, the work of an artisan, merchant, or money changer was considered less prestigious, since it made a person dependent on the elements of the market. Wage labor, work for another person, was generally impossible for a citizen. A citizen works for himself, a slave works for another person.

Another right and at the same time duty of a citizen was personal participation in the protection of his policy. Every citizen was a warrior. Since the policies, as very small political entities, could not maintain a standing army, the entire male population had to defend their homeland from external threats.

During the archaic period, due to the growing prosperity of a significant part of the demos, heavy weapons, previously available only to members of the aristocracy, became more widespread. Now in the Greek army the main figure is hoplite- a heavily armed infantryman.

Having the opportunity to well arm a large detachment of warriors, the Greeks created phalanx- a closely knit tactical formation of hoplites acting as a single unit. Closely closing the formation, putting their spears forward, to the sounds of music that set the rhythm of the movement, the phalanx, like an armored wall, swept away the enemy’s battle formations. It was in the solidity of the entire formation, in the coherence of the actions of all soldiers that the striking force of the phalanx lay. There was no place for manifestations of individual courage and personal bravery; the courage and discipline of everyone was required here.

The Greeks were excellent warriors, and this was due both to the special physical training of citizens, to the development of Greek sports agonism, and to the high volitional qualities that they demonstrated on the battlefield. Military clashes, and especially wars with the Persians in the 5th century. BC e., proved the ability of Greek warriors to fight to the last drop of blood, defending their state.

Patriotism was an important component in the system of spiritual values of citizens. A resident of the Greek polis did not defend some abstract idea, but himself, his loved ones, his property, his freedom, his civil status. A citizen who could not defend his homeland lost his status, which means, according to the Greeks, he became an inferior person. The phalanx taught the citizen to the idea that his interests, his status and property can only be protected by the joint efforts of all citizen-soldiers, that only the collective is a guarantee of his existence as a citizen.

In a society where a citizen is part of an armed people and, besides this people's militia, there is no other force to force an individual to perform any actions, a different system of relations develops between the authorities and the individual, between members of this society. With the withering away of tribal institutions that previously controlled various spheres of life, in the archaic era a system arises legal regulation relations, the determining factor becomes the law.

In the polis, the source of legal norms was the people themselves, and the highest legislative body was the people's assembly. Participation in the adoption of laws or decisions affecting the interests of the entire population was an important right of a citizen of the polis. The conviction that both the fate of the state and your personal well-being depends on you personally, your decisions, stimulated the political activity of citizens. Social indifference was considered unworthy of the status of a citizen. It was participation in the political life of the state that made a person a citizen, which, according to Aristotle, fundamentally distinguished the Greeks from the barbarians.

Thus, the trinity of concepts: landowner, warrior, participant in political life characterizes the status of a citizen of the polis. The totality of citizens of the polis is civil society.

Greek policies

Despite the fact that in modern historiography all the city-states of Greece are usually called poleis, their size and structure differed significantly:

Sparta - 8400 km2;
Attica - 2650 km2;
Corinth - 880 km2;
Samos - 470 km2;
Aegina - 85 km2.

An interesting example of poleis that cannot be called city-states in the traditional sense are Boeotia and Phocis. The first occupied an area of 2580 km2 and included a maximum of 20 independent micro-states, and Phocis, with an area of 1650 km2, consisted of 22. Despite the fact that they were perceived as a single whole, those within the association had a certain degree of independence. At the same time, the modest size of the territories does not allow them to be classified as traditional states.
The largest city-states of Greece included:

Athens.
Sparta.
Miletus.
Corinth.
Thebes.
Olympia.
Chios.
Syracuse.
Mycenae.
Delphi.

Athens - the main city at all times

The current capital of Greece and at the same time the most famous city-state, since ancient times it has played a leading role and was considered a powerful association. Athens is called the cradle of European civilization, where the foundations of theater, sculpture, architecture, philosophy and, of course, democracy were born.

In the classical period, power was in the hands of the people, that is, all free citizens of the polis who had the right to participate in the social and political life of the entity. The supervisory and judicial bodies were called “Grand Juries” and had broad powers. Executive power was transferred to the philes, that is, representatives of certain social and professional groups, who formed a fairly large body called the “Council of Five Hundred”. Both authorities were elected by lot - everything was left to fate.

Thanks to this, any free citizen could become the owner of unlimited power, for example, obtain the position of central judge or supreme Athenian ruler. According to existing norms, it is a sacred duty
Any Athenian was protected by democratic rights and freedoms. On general meetings two bodies resolved issues of peace and war, social structure and distribution of benefits, as well as the deprivation or issuance of citizenship to specific individuals.

This was democracy in its purest form, which has never been realized to such a global and pure extent either before or since. Its principles and foundations have been transferred to the modern electoral system of most European countries, but with significant amendments and restrictions.

Sparta is a military entity with strict rules

Another famous city-state of the ancient world, Sparta, took the opposite path of development, which did not in any way reduce its achievements. Unlike the democracy of Athens, it was ruled by a ruling military regime. Sparta owes its appearance to the warlike Dorians, a tribe famous for its cruelty. Having captured the Peloponnese, it turned local residents into helot slaves who had no rights and freedoms. Throughout its development, tribal features were preserved here:

the power of the nominally ruling kings was minimal;
headed by a council of elders;
real power belonged to the meeting of the highest military ranks.

Despite the presence of a ruling elite, whose election took place without the participation of the bulk of the population, there were no significant class differences in material terms. The reason for this was the peculiar philosophy of life of the polis: the ascetic way of life was valued, which is why today it is called Spartan, simplicity in clothing and home arrangement, as well as unpretentiousness in food and entertainment. They ate together, using the same provisions provided for everyone, and did not use money at all, since they did not recognize or see the value in it.

The main goal and meaning of life of the Spartans was war and the conquest of new territories. From childhood, the young residents of Sparta were taught to be strong, dexterous, resilient and unpretentious, and instead of games, combat and military training prevailed here. Since the main goal of every man was considered to be the realization of the destiny of a brave warrior, all weak and sick boys, even in infancy or at a very early age, were killed or, as it went down in history, thrown from a cliff. The reason is this social policy was their unsuitability for war, and they were not suitable for anything else. It was impossible to send them to agricultural or other physically difficult work, since this was considered beneath the dignity of a Spartan: such work fell on the shoulders of helot slaves.

Miletus - the pearl of Ionia

Miletus, founded in the fourth millennium BC, was considered one of the richest and oldest Greek city-states. According to legend, it was founded by the mythological hero Miletus, who migrated from Crete, and the settlement flourished thanks to Thrasybulus, Thoas and Damasenor - one of the most famous tyrants in the ancient world. The association included adjacent lands, as well as about 80 remote colonies located along the Pontic coast and even in Egypt.

Miletus was located in the Asia Minor region: its ruins, where traces of linear writing and Minoan frescoes were found, can today be seen in the territory that belongs to Turkey. In ancient times, this region was called Ionia, which is why the famous historian Herodotus called Miletus the “Ionian pearl.”

Corinth - one of the three leading policies

Corinth's strategic location at the crossroads of trade routes played an important role in its rise and fall. During the heyday of the ancient world, he fought for leadership with Thebes and Athens, and in some periods even occupied a leading position. Thus, in the 6th century before the advent of the new era, the Corinthians were known as the largest producers and suppliers of classical ceramic tableware, including those decorated with the famous black-figure vase painting.

As in other large cities, the center of Corinth was the acropolis, rising on a hill, where there was a traditional agora - a market square, which was also used for meetings, as well as a temple to the goddess of love Aphrodite. It is not surprising that priestesses of love, whose number reached a thousand, gathered near him. They all wore their long black hair uncovered: it was believed that it had miraculous powers. Corinth is also famous for the fact that the famous Isthmian Games were held here: competitions in gymnastics, music, poetry and equestrian skills were organized in honor of the sea deity Poseidon.

Thebes - famous for numerous myths

Thebes was one of the three largest trade and economic associations of Ancient Greece. The fame and power of a city-state can be judged by how often it is mentioned in myths and tales. Going deep into the past, it is considered the birthplace of the god of wine Dionysus, and later Hercules was recorded as one of its indigenous inhabitants.

There is a well-known legend in which the story is about the military campaign of the kings of seven other policies against the powerful and influential Thebes. Also, the works of Orkhomenes of Minis speak of the constant rivalry of the region with Boeotia, which, despite its modest size, had the status of a multi-city association that could pose serious military competition. In addition, one of the most famous rulers of the ancient world lived here - King Oedipus, whose name today is used to name a very unusual psychological complex.

Olympia - birthplace of the Olympic Games

Located in the Peloponnese, Ancient Olympia could not boast of great trade, military and economic potential, but at all times it had the status of the most important religious, cultural and sports center. In ancient times, there were some of the most revered sanctuaries here, dedicated to the earth goddess Gaia and her son Kronos, who is mythologically considered the father of Zeus, the supreme god of thunder and the father of many gods of the ancient Greek pantheon.

The location of Olympia in the Peloponnese determined its role not only in ancient times, but also modern history. The peninsula is named after the hero Pelops, who defeated Oenomaus, the king of Pisa, in a chariot race. It must be said that in ancient times it was one of the most popular sports, accessible only to the rich. Significant funds were invested in the purchase of horses and equipment of the vehicle. However, most of the money was spent on the maintenance of hired riders, and the loser, or rather his family, sometimes received more than the winner. The fact is that the competitions were fierce and were not about speed, but about the destructive force when chariots collided. Therefore, in most cases they ended in the death of one or more riders.

In honor of the events of antiquity, only chariot competitions were initially held at Olympia. Later, the disciplines were replenished with gymnastics, strength exercises, running - it was at the Olympia stadium that the standard marathon distance was created, as well as other competitions. Six months before they started, messengers scattered from Olympia all over Greece to inform and look for participants: killing a messenger or athlete was considered a grave sin, which is why military operations were almost always curtailed throughout the region during the games and preparations. It was this factor that formed the basis of the philosophy of the modern Olympic movement, which promotes the peaceful competition of athletes and the apolitical nature of the games.