The Polis refers not necessarily to a single city, but rather to a form of governance for Greek communities, known as city-states. Following the Mycenean Age, the Greeks lived in small tribal or nomadic groups. This period, known as the Greek Dark Ages, lasted from around 1200 BC until between 800 and 700 BC. As the Greek Dark Ages came to an end, the tribes began forming communities. Common defensive structures and fortifications sprang up, marketplaces formed, and trade began between communities.

Political units were formed for each individual community, and each were independent states. At that time, Greece was not a unified nation, but rather an association of poli, which is plural for polis.

Commonalities of a polis included an acropolis, an agora, or marketplace, a gymnasium, and several temples. Most of the citizens would live in the surrounding countryside, and each polis paid tribute to certain patron gods for protection.

One of the largest and most famous poli was Sparta, which encompassed 3000 square miles of Greek countryside, although the polis was considered more of a political association than a geographical location. Other poli included Thebes, Lacadaemonia, and Athens. Alexander the Great is said to have founded at least seventy cities, which all became places of great influence.

Because of their relatively small size, the poli were known for experimenting with political structure. Governance could include tyranny, timocracy – rule by the wealthy, oligarchy, or democracy.

Most poli began as monarchies, ruled by a king of hereditary citizenship. Many of the kings were overthrown, though by the eighth century BC, and other forms of government began to appear.

The most common was the oligarchy, where the wealthy or noble citizens would rule. During the eighth century, the structure of the oligarchy transformed to allow the rotation of citizens from a designated class. The oligarchy had the ability to rule absolutely and had the same powers as the king, but many poli blended the oligarchy with other political structures.

In Sparta, the oligarchy shared its rule with two kings, a democratic assembly, and a council. Athens had an oligarchy of nobles, accompanied by a democratic assembly that was given great powers.

By the sixth century, many of the oligarchies had been replaced by democracies, which held little to no resemblance to our modern democracies. Greek democracies were ruled by the free, male citizens of the polis. Women, slaves, and foreigners were not allowed to participate in any democratic functions. There were essentially three classes of residents in the poli: those with political rights, those without political rights, and non-citizens.

In addition to the birth of many political structures, the poli were also responsible for developing the concept of naturalization. At one time, a person could only be a citizen of a polis if they could prove their descent from parents who were citizens. Some poli only required one parent be a citizen, while others required that both were. Occasionally, though, a polis would allow citizenship to someone who could not prove their lineage, and so the concept of naturalization came into being during the Hellenic Age.

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