Polis

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/polis

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is a polis in ancient Greece?A polis was a small country that was also a city. It had its own government and people who were very loyal to it.
2. Why did Greeks create so many poleis?Greeks made many poleis because each one was an independent city-state with its own identity. They spread by sending people to new places when they needed more land or resources.

Patrida: The native land or homeland, which in ancient Greece was synonymous with the polis itself.
Chora: The rural territory or countryside belonging to a polis, distinct from the urban center.
Metropolis: The founding city ('mother city') from which a colony was established in the ancient Greek world.
Hellenes: The collective term for the ancient Greek people, united by language and culture, inhabiting various poleis.