Title: Government of Ancient Greece - Quatr.us Study Guides
Headings: Government of Ancient Greece
Government of Ancient Greece
What kind of government did Ancient Greece have?
What is a city-state?
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Aristotle and the government of Ancient Greece
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Bronze Age kings
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Iron Age oligarchies and tyrants
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Classical Greece: Democracy
Athens and democracy
Slavery in ancient Greece
Women in ancient Greece
Xenia and immigration
The Athenian empire
Sparta’s government
What did Greek government do?
Ancient Greek economy
Greek wars and warfare
Greek water systems
The Parthenon
The Olympic Games
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About the Author: Karen Carr

Content: Both Athens and Thebes had oligarchies at this time. An oligarchy is a group of aristocrats (rich men) who tell everyone else what to do. Then in the 600s and 500s BC tyrants took over a lot of Greek city-states. A tyrant was usually one of the aristocrats who got power over the others by getting the support of the poor people. Tyrants ruled alone, kind of like kings, but without any legal right to rule. A tyrant was like a Mafia boss: he had power, and he had the support of the people. The tyrant’s power was informal, and often violent. On the other hand, to get the support of the people, tyrants often did help people. Sometimes they redistributed land, or forgave people’s debts, for example.