Archaic Period and the Greek Polis

Vocabulary terms related to the formation, structure, and expansion of Greek city-states (poleis) during the Archaic period.

Polis

Independent city-states that emerged in Hellas during the 8th century BC (VIII aC), each possessing its own government, army, and laws.

Acropolis

The high part of a polis used for religious practices and as a refuge for protection during attacks.

Agora

The flat part of the polis that functioned as the center of political, economic, and social life.

Chora

The rural zone of a polis located outside the city walls.

Urban Nucleus

The area within a polis where the citizens lived.

Monarchy

One of the forms of government found in Greek poleis.

Oligarchy

A form of government in a polis where power is held by a small group of people.

Tyranny

A form of government in a Greek polis led by a tyrant (tirà).

Democracy

A system of government adopted by some Greek city-states.

Currency

A specific form of money (moneda) that each individual polis possessed.

Walls (Muralles)

Structures built around the urban nucleus to protect and defend the polis.

Crisis of the 6th Century BC (VI aC)

A period when the population grew and there was not enough food for everyone, leading to conflicts between poleis and migration.

Debt Slavery

The practice where poor people who could not repay loans to the rich were enslaved.

Greek Expansion

A movement where Greeks migrated across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea to seek new land, food, and ways to become landowners.

Colony

New settlements built by Greeks in other lands that imitated the structure and style of their original poleis.