City and country in the Greek world

The thousand or so Greek city-states (poleis) differed appreciably in size, population, territory, and resources. This chapter sketches the range of these variables and provides focused case studies that illustrate city–country relations among various poleis in their wider economic context: the cities of southern Boeotia, Lesbos, colonial foundations, the islands of Thasos and DelL. Robert.1976os, a small city near Teos whose name is now lost, Sparta, the Cretan cities, and also Kallipolis and Magnesia-the cities of Plato's utopian projects in the Republic and Laws, respectively. This survey shows how Greek cities took advantage of their local situation in terms of location and resource base to increase their wealth, a process that involved deep engagement with wider networks of commerce. Cities isolated from foreign trade were rare and inspired reactionary philosophers who wished their citizens to be raised without the temptations of moneymaking.