Who Comprised a Greek Polis?

What is the Greek polis definition? Polis is a term that is used to describe a tight-knit, small community of ancient Greek citizens who agreed on certain rules and customs. Usually a polis was centered on a small town and the countryside that surrounded it. You just studied 22 terms!

Who created the Greek polis?

In the late 4th century BCE Alexander the Great and his successors spread the idea of the polis throughout the Macedonian empire in Asia, typically with re-settled Greeks acting as the ruling elite and the local population becoming subject farmers.

Who organized itself as a polis?

Therefore, each polis developed independently and, often, very differently from one another. Eventually, the polis became the structure by which people organized themselves. Athens and Sparta are two good examples of city-states that contrasted greatly with each other.