Answer to Question #291734 in History for ERIC

Question

Discuss the role of the polis in Archaic and Classical-era Greece, supporting your response with examples and detail from your reading. 

Answer 1

Before the archaic age, the small communities scattered across the land, and they lived in self-sufficient farms. During the transition time to archaic age, these small communities came together as a more significant community creating the setting for the rise of a Greek polis. A polis means a city-state, a central urban area. The role of the polis was to be the governing body of that city-state. The largest polis among that was the polis of Athens, the birthplace of democracy, and also Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, and Delphi, which are some other significant poleis in Archaic and Classical-era Greece.

Even though the role of the polis to govern the state, the type of government was distinct to each other. Each polis was also economically and politically independent. Each polis had its own culture, economic system, a governing system as well as different deities they worship. However, greek poleis came together for the Olympic games.