How did the Greeks define citizenship in a polis?
Citizenship in an ancient Greek polis conveyed various rights and obligations. A citizen could participate in the political life of the polis, although he might be subjected to restrictions based on age, prior military service, and the degree of representative government practiced in his city-state. The obligations side of the citizenship equation included military service, taxes (of course) and adherence to the laws and norms of the polis, which often varied considerably from place to place. (As we will see later, for example, citizenship in Athens was a very different proposition than citizenship in Sparta.) Residency was by no means equivalent to citizenship. The polis typically bestowed citizenship only on adult males. The might be additional requirements, such being the second or third generation born in the polis. Children, women, and resident aliens had no political rights. Moreover, slavery was practiced in ancient Greece; and slaves, of course, were not politically enfranchise
