Ancient Greek City States

The Greek city-states which developed starting 1100 BC were done independent of each other yet still had common characteristics which were shared. In city-states such as Athens and Sparta, you will find a similar way of life and structures, however each city-state did differ due not only to differing cultural origins, but also because of the geography Greece.

The origins of some of the city-states can be dated back to 1100 BC when the Dorian tribes invaded the Mycenaeans from the north. Some of the Mycenaeans, also known as Achaeans, sought refuge in Attica, where they mixed with the existing civilization to eventually form the city-state of Athens. The Dorian invaders took over the southern valleys of Peloponnesus where they settled in the valley of Laconia, which later became to be known as Sparta. These early societies had a lot of influence from Indo-European culture, as well had developed a political system similar to the ones the Mycenaeans had in place. These city-stat...