Sage-Tips

Why was ancient Greece never unified?

The simple answer is geography. The terrain was too mountainous, so each valley was isolated enough to develop their own local polity and culture. Enough so that a Greek nationalistic identity wouldn’t emerge until modern times. In ancient times the Greeks were known by their local region.

Did ancient Greece have a unified culture?

Ancient Greece had one language and culture but was not unified until 337 BC, when Macedonia defeated Athens and Thebes. That marked the end of the Classic period and the start of the Hellenistic period.

How did people in Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make decisions affecting the community?

How did people in Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make decisions affecting the community? Spartans obtained the right to participate in public life by performing the tasks that the government and society viewed as important.

Did ancient Greece have a united empire or independent city-states?

Political structure Ancient Greece consisted of several hundred relatively independent city-states (poleis).

Why was this alliance ultimate unable to unify Greece under a single government?

Though city-states, villages and hamlets sprang up all over Greece, geography prevented them from uniting under one rule of law. Water was a dividing factor, as civilization in the region developed on many different islands, rather than on one continent.

How was Greece unified?

Starting in 358 BC, Philip II of Macedonia took on nearby city-states to expand his own territory. He ultimately unified Greece. When Philip was killed, his son, Alexander the Great, took power and then built Greece into an empire. Alexander conquered first Asia Minor and then Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean.

What did Athens and Sparta have in common?

One of the main ways they were similar was in their form of government. Both Athens and Sparta had an assembly, whose members were elected by the people. Thus, because both parts of Athens’ government had leaders who were elected, Athens is said to have been the birthplace of democracy. Spartan life was simple.

What factor caused Athens to establish itself as a leading trade center?

The building of a port at nearby Piraeus helped Athens become the leading trade center in the fifth-century b.c. Greek world. A government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections.

Who held public office in Athens and Sparta?

ephors
The ephors were elected by the popular assembly, and all citizens were eligible. The position of ephor was the only political office open to the whole damos (populace) between the ages of 30–60, so eligible Spartans highly sought after the position.

How did the Greek democracy end?

Philip’s decisive victory came in 338 BC, when he defeated a combined force from Athens and Thebes. Democracy in Athens had finally come to an end. The destiny of Greece would thereafter become inseparable with the empire of Philip’s son: Alexander the Great.

Why did the ancient city-states of Athens and Sparta develop different political systems?

Why did ancient city-states of Athens and Sparta develop different political systems? The mountainous topography resulted in the isolation of these city-states. Foreign travelers introduced new philosophies. For over three centuries, civil wars raged in these city-states.