Synoecism or synecism ( ; , sunoikismos, ), also spelled synoikism ( ), was originally the amalgamation of villages in Ancient Greece into poleis, or city-states. Etymologically the word means "dwelling together (syn) in the same house (oikos)." Subsequently, any act of civic union between polities of any size was described by the word synoikismos. The closest analogy today is the incorporation of a city; in fact, "incorporation" is often used to translate synoikismos, in addition to the Latinized synoecism. Synoecism is opposed to Greek dioecism (διοικισμóς, dioikismos), the creation of independent communities within the territory of a polis. Synoecism is the result of a few major factors, mainly an increase in population density of adjacent settlements, with an incorporation proposed for economic, political or ideological advantages, such as the synoecism of the communities of Attica into Athens, or by imposition of a ruling power, such as the synoecism of Messenia into the newly built city of Messene. Additionally, synoecism may be the result of less active forces which often take the form of shared cultural elements such as religion or language. Although there were differences between synoecism in ancient Greece and ancient Rome, the same general concept is deduced from the history of both civilizations. Before political union, the future (combined) population of the polity constituted smaller settlements that were not obligated to each other, or at least not by the contract that was later to institute their political union. A settlement or group of settlements might be constituents of another polity from which they would be annexed or transferred. Archaic Greece Crete One of the first examples of synoecism in historical Greece can be found in Crete. Prior to the second millennium, Greek settlement on both the mainland and on the island of Crete consisted of scattered villages with no central administration. The development and construction of large palaces on Crete however is the earliest example of building for the purpose of centralized authority and administration. Synoecism in Crete had combined administrative, commercial, and religious connotations as the concentration of stately duties in one place allowed for efficient operation. This development of large palatial structures coincided with an explosion of Minoan art and overseas trade and was probably the driving factor in constructing these buildings. This period of expanded trade and overseas networks is also defined by the term palace economy which was popularized by Sir Arthur Evans