Two Categories. The ancient Greek states fell into two categories. The first group was composed of loosely confederated regions without a main urban center; these tended to be completely agricultural, somewhat backward, and inhabited by a homogenous people, without a significant admixture of foreigners. In the second group there were more-advanced states in which urban centers exercised political control, set the tone in social relations, and gave rise to an urban "middle class" of craftsmen and tradesmen. Such states also contained free foreign residents. The two types of states had in common a population of slaves.

Social Hierarchy. The traditional social order of the free population continued to be divided into aristocrats and commoners. The tyrants were not well disposed toward the aristocrats—after all, they had succeeded to power in order to end their misrule—but they...