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Greece was established by nomadic tribes settling down on a tract of land which could support then. They established a city on this land, usually walled for defence, and ran this community independently. Each of these city-states established their separate cultural and economic lifestyles and defended their territories against intruders, Greek and non-Greek alike. The valued their independence and land, and so remained separate, other than for temporary alliances to help defend against organised intruders.
The development of the city states wasn't really out of conquering; the Greeks (or Hellenes as they would have referred to themselves) were colonising, originally due to overpopulation on the Greek mainland. The city states become independent (or atleast quasi-independent) to their mother cities. At times throughout Greek history, such as in the Peloponnesian War, certain city states became more powerful. Sufficiently so that their daughter cities would agree to pay taxes to further the ends of their Mother - in this particular case Athens/Attica became the most influential 'polis'.

To some extent citizenship could be occasionally shared between the mother and daughter states (Corinth has joint citizenship with another of the colonies that sprung from it sometime in the 5th or 6th centuries as I recall) and thus they had a 'link' if you will but no one (aside from Alexander the great) really ever formed 'an empire' out of the Greeks. Even then, the Greek states didn't see Alexander as their lord and master (though the Persians did and this shouldn't be underestimated).

Robert Littman's 'The Greek Experiment' Pages 43-69 (chapter 3)

Published in 1974

Will help you get a good grasp on this concept. Hope that helps!

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How did geography affect early settlement in Anicent Greece?

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The presence of natural barriers, such as mountains and rivers, significantly influenced the development of city-states. These features often separated communities, fostering independent political entities with distinct cultures and governance. Additionally, fertile land in river valleys supported agriculture, enabling populations to grow and establish urban centers. As a result, these geographical characteristics promoted the rise of city-states as autonomous political units.

Related Questions

What effect did mountains have on the ancient Greeks?

It separated one city state from another making the city states very individual


How did the geography of Greece influenced the development of city states?

The mountainous terrain of Greece made it so that the city-states were separated In which case made it so that they didn't have the same form of governments.


How did the geography of Greece influence the development of city-states?

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