What Was the Polis and Why Was It So Significant to Greek Life - Essay Example

The Greek Polis The polies was the central of Greek life. A literal translation of the term poleis is however the Greek polis was more like a town or village. It was a small territorial unit, comprised of one or more urban centers and agricultural land, which was self governing and politically independent. The significance of the polis lies mainly in its identity as the formative grounds for the political institution of democracy and self government. The polis was the main social and political unit for the Greeks, who did not have a Greek State or country to identify with, but rather identified strongly with their own local polis. Each of the villages/towns/territorial areas that made up a polis functioned as an independent unit, but its citizens formed a community of individuals who functioned in various sub groups and worshipped the gods at common ceremonies. The polis cannot strictly be referred to as a city, because it was somewhat different from the ancient city states which existed at that time. Those cities were generally walled and the citizens living within them were ruled by a king or a small group of rulers. However, the polis was different from these cities in that it was much smaller and mainly consisted of citizens who lived in a community and was more akin to a political entity that was ruled by its own citizens. According to Aristotle, the polis was a natural extension of human life, because living together and sharing things in a community is derived from the ability of individuals to speak to each other and to have ideas of right and wrong. Since the Greek polis was traditionally small in size, some experimentation in political aspects and structures became possible. Greek philosophy during this time was tied up with the existence of man living in a community, leading to the belief that man is the measure of all things and that everything exists in relation to the condition of human experience, mandating instruction from wise men to the others on how best to live that existence. The polis developed in a haphazard rather than a structured manner. The availability of a citadel for protection and farmland was the major criterion for people to settle down in the area and communities grew and developed in such areas. The citadel, which was referred to as the acropolis functioned as a natural fortress, especially if it was placed away from the sea to avoid raids by pirates. Another essential element that developed in the polis later was an agora or a market which became a characteristic feature of the polis. These communities were comprised of tribes, which in turn were composed of phratries or the fighting brotherhoods and gentes or the common people. There were major kinds of inhabitants of the polis – the first class was composed of citizens with political rights, the next group was the citizens without political rights and the last group which had the least importance were the non citizens. The importance of the polis lies in the possibilities it allowed Greeks to experiment with political structures. The interest in changing existing political structures which were largely monarchial in character arose out of the Greek character, which placed a strong focus on individualism and competition, rather than on collective subordination to one ruler or monarch. Most Greeks also demanded a greater amount of fairness from those who ruled them and participation in affairs that affected their lives. Since these city states were small in size, it also allowed for experimentation in the principles of democracy, and allowed all individuals living in the polis a greater share in articulating views about the forms and systems of Government and administration. The number of free male citizens living within a polis was small; hence they were able to experiment with and arrive at policy decisions fairly quickly. Therefore the polis is significant as a political unit and the development of political structures and the principles of democracy. The significance of the contribution of the polis in this field may be seen in the fact that the word political may be derived from what the polis represented. In Greece, the earliest city states were monarchies that were ruled by kings, but these were overthrown quickly, and the polis represented the experimentation of rule by a few, instead of a monarchy. The polis represented the development of the fundamentals of the political structure of democracy as widely practiced in the world today. The word democracy is derived from the concept of rule by the people – or the demos. Democracy as represented in the Greek polis was not representative democracies, rather since the size of the cities was so small, the government of the polis was the government run by the free male citizens living in the polis. Other classes of people living in the polis were not permitted to participate in the Government, for instance women, foreigners and slaves could not participate in policy and decision making. While most free citizens had to demonstrate their right to citizenship through descent or by having at least one parent who was a citizen, these Greek city states in some instances, allowed people who were not born to citizens to also become citizens by naturalization. Therefore, this is also a unique concept that derived from the Greek polis and allowed individuals who were not citizens by birth to also gain the right to participate in Government. The citizens of the polis took over those functions of state administration that were originally performed by the monarchy, i.e, they ran the Government. All community leaders were chosen through the application of democratic principles, i.e, all citizens voted in elections to choose these leaders. These citizens also ran the law of the land rather than submitting to a ruling monarch, appointing members among themselves to adjudicate disputes through the arrival of a consensus, which is also the basic principle that exists today in a trial by a jury. Each polis also maintained its own army, composed of citizens who had their own armor consisting of a spear and a shield and were known as hoplites. They entered battles in a massed formation which was called a phalanx, using their combined, collective strength in a much more effective manner as compared to individual battles. The practice of religious rituals was also in the hands of the citizens themselves, who performed the rituals themselves as opposed to a priestly class. On the basis of the above, it may be seen that the polis was a life giving entity, because it represented the relationship between the community and the citizen. The polis did not require any walls to protect it other than the citadel, because it represented the freedom of the individual and the community, which was able to group together in formation and form the necessary wall when attacked. The city state represented a form of social organization that allowed for some measure of control on individual desire without necessarily stifling initiative, granting a set of limited rights but also demanding responsibility in the exercise of those rights. The citizens of the polis fought for the maintenance of the law as strongly as they fought wars, thereby keeping out not only the external enemies but also the internal. It was founded on the basis of collective individualism and the exercise of freedom with responsibility. Therefore, it allowed Greeks all the advantages they had been missing in monarchies – a greater degree of participation in policy and decision making, as well as greater fairness in the ruling patterns and principles of the polis. They had a greater input into those decisions and were therefore more loyal to them, fighting hard and bravely in defence of their polis. Page 48: The period that is characterized in this poem is the era of the polis as the ancient Greek city state. The polis was a representation of the collective values and policies of the majority of its citizens and the skill of the ancient Greek warrior was a reflection of the desire to preserve the potential for cultural development that was enshrined in the polis principle. Greek political thought during this period was characterized in the hoplite phalanx organization of the soldiers during war, where they had to stand their ground and not break the chain of human defense so that the polis could be protected. There are several documents that testify to the bravery and courage of these phalanx soldiers in defense of the polis. Tyrateus’ poem on the citizen soldier extols the bravery of the individual soldier who must be steadfast and endure the enemy at close range, facing the blood and slaughter to protect the polis. In the single sentence where Tyrateus comments on how good it is that the young man’s “city and all the people” share the war with him (Lattimer 14), he illustrates the symbolic nature of the connection between the hoplite warrior and the collectivity of the polis. Each soldier not only fights himself and faces the oncoming enemy but also simultaneously protects the exposed flank of the person beside him. The poem also illustrates the principle of the common good, where the earlier method of a few individual heroes engaged in single combat was replaced by the collective strength of the hoplite reform which originated in the polis. As a result, the success in the war effort depended to a great extent upon the coordination, self restraint and courage of the Greek solider who functioned as a part of a collective unit. Archilochus of Paros who probably lived between 680-640 BC illustrates the concept of fighting wars for freedom in a short epigram as follows: “By spear is kneaded the bread I eat, by spear my Ismaric wine is won, which I drink, leaning upon my spear.” (Lattimer 1). Therefore it is by war that the ancient Greek fiercely protected the values and freedoms that they derived within the polis. They resisted any effort to impinge upon the individualism, freedom and democracy that they enjoyed within the polis. Aristotle who lived between 384-322 BC, has also discussed this manner of fighting in his work Politics, as an example of the marital dimension to virtue. The larger morality of citizenship must never be forgotten, therefore the fighting skills required by an individual soldier within the hoplite phalanx formation is the kind of symbolic excellence that is to be aspired for by every citizen. (Aristotle 3:7). According to Aristotle’s theory, the need of the polis for physical defense is completed by the ethical needs that are felt by man in order to fulfil his duties and telos a man by the pursuit of civic excellence. All of these documents demonstrate different aspects of the hoplite phalanx warrior formation which was characteristic of the polis. Tyrateus uses this as an opportunity to highlight the bravery and courage of the individual soldier, and to illustrate how the polis symbolized the exercise of individual freedom and responsibility within the community of the polis. He also emphasizes how the bravery of the individual warrior is vital because the phalanx must never be broken or the collective strength will be lost. In this way, he is able to highlight the principle of common good that was represented in the polis and which was the foundation for the development of the principles of democracy. Archilochus however, through his brief epigram on the spear has demonstrated the singular importance of this weapon. It is not merely an instrument of war, it is the very foundation upon which the polis stands, because it is the element through which the principles of freedom and collective democracy enshrined in the polis can be maintained. Aristotle has presented the hoplite phalanx as the epitome of what individuals should strive for. However his focus is not merely on the expression of this warrior combination as a form of defense, but also as a reflection of individual ethical need. In performing his duty as a warrior, man is also able to fulfil his civic duties and support the values that are represented by the polis. References: Aristotle. “Politics.” Lattimore, 1960. “Greek lyrics” Phoenix Books Read More