Polis

The polis — plural poleis — is a central unit of political analysis with origins in ancient Greece, starting around the 8th century BCE.¹ It also gives its name to the Greek ta politika — “the things of the polis” — from which the English terms “the political” and “[[politics]]” derive.

In ancient Greece

The polis — usually translated as “city-state” — was a self-governing political community in ancient Greece. By the classical period — when [[Plato]] and [[Aristotle]] wrote — there were roughly 750 Greek poleis scattered around the eastern Mediterranean. Most had fewer than 1,000 citizens, though [[Athens]], with 45,000 citizens, was a notable outlier.² Geographically, the polis was typically organized around a fortified acropolis and extended outward into an agricultural hinterland.

Features of the polis

By way of contrast with the “monstrous” Cyclops, Homer reveals what he considers distinctive features of a political community: “common laws, a central meeting place, agriculture, and a shared communal identity”:³

And then we sailed further on, though we were distressed at heart. We arrived at the land of the arrogant, lawless Cyclopes, who have such faith in the immortal gods that they neither plant with their hands nor plow fields, but all things grow unsown and untilled, wheat and barley and vines, which yield a wine made of fine grapes, and the heavy rain of Zeus makes them increase. They have no public meeting places to take counsel, nor laws, but they dwell on the tops of high mountains in hollow caves, and each one provides the law for his children and wives, and they have no regard for one another.

[[The Odyssey]] IX.105–15

Citizenship

The polis developed around the 8th century BCE together with its defining political feature, [[citizenship]]. Under this regime, a select group of free adult men had the power to make decisions on behalf of the community, and citizens were bound together by common religious, civic, legal, and administrative customs. Their relations were governed by “basic standards of equality and mutual respect,” and they were understood, at least in principle, as free and equal members of a political community.² Balot identifies three values of the early polis:⁴

Collective welfare

As the polis developed, citizens understood themselves as having a stake in its collective welfare. Public life (dêmosion, “a thing of the demos”) became significant as citizens came to see themselves as members of a collective whole. In return, citizens were expected to serve as soldiers, vote in the assembly, and participate in the upkeep of social life.

Equality

Even if was not said explicitly, the citizens (a privileged group of adult males of known lineague) enjoyed a rudimentary form of [[equality]]. This manifested in a baseline in standards of respect and behavior. For example, citizens could not legally be sold into slavery, and it was expected that citizens could participate in discussions about the standards of justice in a community.

Exclusion

The definition of citizenship implied exclusion. Slaves, women, and often foreigners were barred from full life in the community. Later, there often were property-based qualifications to hold public office.