Friday, March 8

Today in class we took notes on warring city-states.
Government Terms
  • polis- fundamental political unit, made up of the city and surrounding countryside
    • politics (affairs of the city), policy, political, etc.
  • monarchy-  rule by a single person (a king in Greece)
  • aristocracy- rule by a small group of noble, rich, land-owning families 
  • oligarchy- wealthy groups, dissatisfied with the aristocratic rule, who seized power, often with military help
  • tyrant- a powerful individual who seized control by appealing to the common people for support
Transformation of Government
  • During the sixth and seventh centuries BCE, aristocrats controlled most of Greece
  • During that time, rich people wielded a much larger amount of influence on society and held more government power
Aristocracy
  • Aristocrats- members of the ruling class
  • They attended symposiums, which were meetings where the elite men would enjoy wine, poetry, and entertainment while discussing politics 
Politics- an Exclusive Club
  •  no women (other than for entertainment), middle class, or slaves
  • some aristocrats were even left out because they didn't have the right connections

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