Finally, the polis founded colonies abroad, especially in Magna Graecia and Ionia and became a 'mother' city and provided both a symbolic transfer of identity (e.g. a fire from the city hearth) and a practical transfer of people and community skills (e.g. potters and metal workers).

Was polis a country?

polis, plural poleis, ancient Greek city-state. The small state in Greece originated probably from the natural divisions of the country by mountains and the sea and from the original local tribal (ethnic) and cult divisions.

Was polis in Athens?

In modern historiography, polis is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, such as Classical Athens and its contemporaries, and thus is often translated as "city-state".