Polis Essay ⋆ History Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

The polis was a city-state in ancient Greece and was a significant feature of Greek civilization. Most of Greece was controlled by a polis, and they were organized with sufficient efficiency for the central city to administer large tracts of land. The surrounding areas were dominated by agricultural activities, and any surplus was taxed by the city, which in return provided military security and housed items of ceremonial and religious importance. In many parts of Greece, small city-states existed in close proximity of one another. The study of politics began with the management of the polis.

Most Greek city-states passed through a succession of government types, starting with a hereditary king (vasileus) and moving through tyrants and oligarchs, eventually becoming democracies. Not all states passed through every form of government, and the state could even revert to what might be considered an earlier form of governance. Sparta, for example, retained its kings and its rigid military government while contending with democratic Athens during the Peloponnesian War. Those cities that tended to side with Athens or were influenced by it were more likely to have a democratic basis to their government. However, during the Mycenaean period, early cities were abandoned sometime around 1100–1200 b.c.e., and the people resumed living a tribal, semi nomadic lifestyle.

Under kings and the tyrants such as Peisistratus, members of the polis could scarcely be called citizens since they had few recognizable rights. As tyrants gave way to oligarchs, competing political interests developed a motivation to capture increasing amounts of forms of economic production and use them to reward their own followers. This may have transformed into a continued privilege that became customary in time. Citizens in functioning democracies had the greatest degree of freedom, although Greek democracy, even in Athens, bore little resemblance to modern conceptions. Only a small group of elite males, for example, was permitted to vote. The size of the polis had to be kept comparatively small so that the democratic system could reach decisions with some efficiency. A large city would find democratic norms too unwieldy and would be more likely to resort to tyranny. During the Persian invasions of 490 and 480 b.c.e., Athens provided 10 generals, each of which was to command for a single day in strict rotation. Yet, as soon as the threat became imminent, the generals voted to place one man in absolute control. Plato observed that a polis should have no more members than one man could recognize.

A number of Greek commentators and philosophers wrote about the polis and its nature. Aristotle considered the polis based on the household as the unit of analysis. The household consisted of an extended family, together with servants, slaves, and clients who would be capable of contributing a significant amount to the life of the polis, while the latter would provide opportunities to the household that would not be available in other governmental models. This depended on maintaining a comparatively small size for the polis, to which the household could make a noticeable contribution because increased size would have the effect of reducing the value of the household and, hence, sense of identity.

It was common for people to move to a different polis, although no doubt this was impossible or very difficult for some classes of society or women. Consequently, city-states competing for scarce human resources would have felt pressure to offer their citizens favorable living conditions. Moving to a polis was no guarantee of being able to partake of its benefits. Citizenship was variously defined but customarily required descent from at least one parent who was a citizen. There were periodic exceptions made to this rule, resulting most commonly from need inspired by warfare, famine, or other environmental disaster. In most cases the armored, spear-wielding infantry (hoplites) on which city-states relied for defense were composed of citizens who were obliged to support themselves and their equipment. Naturalization of incoming people was a new development for the polis and increased identification of individuals with the state.

References:

Kitto, H. D. F. The Greeks. New York: Penguin, 1950;
Mitchell, L., ed. The Development of the Polis in Ancient Greece. New York: Routledge, 1997;
Nagle, Brendan D. The Household as the Foundation of Aristotle’s Polis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

This example Polis Essay is published for educational and informational purposes only. If you need a custom essay or research paper on this topic please use our writing services. EssayEmpire.com offers reliable custom essay writing services that can help you to receive high grades and impress your professors with the quality of each essay or research paper you hand in.