Other Forms of Political Systems (Advanced Concepts)

The cities of Ancient Greece did not all have the same political systems at the same time. Different modes of governance emerged long before the advent of democracy in Athens.

Today, a tyrant is someone in a position of power who abuses it. But initially, in Antiquity, a tyrant was usually a high-ranking military man who took government power by force. Many tyrants came to power in different Greek cities. It's worth remembering that in Antiquity, a tyrant could be popular and appreciated by the commoners or the people.

In an oligarchic system, most power is held by a small number of very powerful individuals. The source of their power may be money, tradition or military strenght. 

Aristocracy in its modern sense means governance by a privileged social class that clings to power in order to retain its privileges. Membership of this select group is only possible through birth or titles of nobility. In Ancient Greece, aristocracy was a form of government in which power was held by the best or most able to govern.

In the city of Sparta, the government was formed by a small number of individuals (oligarchy), who had to be over 60 years of age. This group was known as the Council of Elders. When power is exercised by the oldest members of a society, as in the city of Sparta, this is known as a gerontocracy.

There are several types of monarchy: constitutional, parliamentary and absolute. In ancient Greece, each city was governed by a monarch assisted by the Council of Elders. The monarch was the king of the city; he could be a governor, a tyrant or a simple administrator. The population of the cities varied from a few hundred to thousands. This meant that the monarch's role could be very different from one city to another.