Question

In which of the following Greek states, a republican form of government existed in the Iron Age itself?
A) Athens
B) Sparta
C) Corinth
D) Thebes

Answer 1

Hint: A republic is a type of government wherein "power is held by the people and their elected representatives". In republics, the nation is considered a "public matter", not the private concern or property of the rulers. The word republic comes from the Latin term res publica, which literally means "public thing", "public matter", or "public affair" and was used to refer to the state overall.

Complete answer:
Ancient Greece was a civilization belonging to a timeframe of Greek history from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of antiquity (c. AD 600). This era was quickly then followed by the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine period.

A republic form of government is a government in which a country is ruled by representatives of the citizen body. Because citizens do not govern the country themselves but through representatives, republics may be differentiated from direct democracy, even though modern representative democracies are by and large republics.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Athens: The above option is correct as Athens has been occupied from the Neolithic period, possibly from the end of the 4th millennium BC, or nearly 5,000 years. Iron Age internments, in the Kerameikos and different areas, are frequently lavishly obliged and show that from 900 BC onwards Athens was one of the principal communities of exchange and thriving in the locale; as were Lefkandi in Euboea and Knossos in Crete. Athens did not have a ruler, but it was governed by the people as a democracy.

Option B) Sparta: The above option is incorrect as the earliest certain proof of human settlement in the area of Sparta comprises of pottery dating from the Middle Neolithic period, found nearby Kouphovouno some two kilometres (1.2 miles) south-southwest of Sparta. However, this civilization seems to have fallen into decline by the late Bronze Age.

Option C) Corinth: The above option is incorrect as Corinth was occupied from before 3000 BC. Historical references start with the early 8th century BC when Corinth started to develop as a commercial centre. Between the 8th and 7th centuries, the Bacchiad family governed Corinth. But in about 550 BC, an oligarchical government seized power.

Option D) Thebes: The above option is incorrect as various records state that the Thebes was inhabited in both the early and late Bronze ages.

In the Greek state of Athens, a republican form of government existed in the Iron Age itself. Therefore the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note:
- Athens is the capital and biggest city of Greece. Athens manages the Attica region and is one of the world's most settled metropolitan regions, with its recorded history crossing over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence starting some place near the 11th and seventh thousand years BC.
- Traditional Athens was an amazing city-state. It was the middle ground for human expressions, learning and reasoning, and the home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum.