Famous Ancient Greek City States - Handy Info for KS2 Students

Find out about some of the best-known City States from Ancient Greece.

Athens:

Known For:

Being one of the oldest cities in the world. Athens has stood for over 3400 years.

Patron God:

The Goddess of both war and wisdom, Athena.

Did you Know:

Athens founded democracy, everyone could vote on political issues. Please note: 'everyone' does not include women or the poor or slaves. So, rich free men basically.

Sparta:

Known for:

Having the toughest warriors. There were no walls in Sparta, its fighting citizens were the walls.

Patron God:

The Spartans considered themselves direct descendants of the Demi-god Heracles.

Did you know:

When Spartan boys turned 7 they were sent to military school - the Agoge - to train to be soldiers.

Rhodes:

Known for:

Being a city-state made up of three different cities; Lalyssos, Kamiros, and Lindos. Rhodes became a very successful trading port.

Patron God:

Rhodus, the goddess of Rhodes.

Did you know:

Rhodes contained one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world; The Colossus. This was a giant statue of the Sun-god Helios. It was supposedly the same height as the Statue of Liberty!

Image Courtesy Berthold Warner

Corinth:

Known for:

Being the wealthiest city-state in Ancient Greece. It was a very successful trading city because of its two seaports, in the Saronic Gulf and the Corinthian Gulf.

Patron God:

Poseidon, the god of the sea, because the Corinthians relied on the ocean for their way of life.

Did you know:

Corinthian architecture is one of the three major forms of classical Greek architecture. The other two are Doric and Ionic architecture.

Thebes:

Known for:

Switching allegiance on a regular basis. During the various Greek Wars, Thebes fought with the Spartans against the Persians, then with the Persians against the Spartans, then with the Spartans against the Athenians, then with the Athenians against the Spartans. Pick a side guys!

Patron God:

Dionysus, god of Wine & Festivity, due to his role in the Greek tragedy, The Bacchae, set in Thebes

Did you know:

Thebes regularly turns up in Greek Mythology, in the story of Dionysus, Oedipus, and even as the birthplace of Heracles.

Delphi:

Known for:

Its Oracle. Ancient Greek people would visit the Oracle at Delphi who would give them guidance sent from the gods.

Patron God:

Apollo, the god of pretty much everything, including prophecy (predicting the future). He set up the Oracle at Delphi.

Did you know:

Delphi was the home of the Pythian Games. These were similar to the Olympic Games but included both athletic & musical competitions.

Image Courtesy of Ploync

Argos:

Known for:

It's dry and arid land. In Greek Mythology, Poseidon and Hera argued over the City-State of Argos. Hera won, but Poseidon got his revenge by removing all of the water from the land.

Patron God:

Hera, Zeus' wife.

Did you know:

Argos was named after the son of Zeus & Niobe, Argos.