The origins, development and nature of the classical Greek city-state or "polis" are as much a central concern in this as in previous generations. This book offers a series of 14 studies representing the different methodological approaches currently being practised, in order to provide an introduction to the state of the art. The focus of the study is on the autonomous Greek "polis" from its origins in the "Dark Age" until the point at which it was transformed into a basis for world civilization by the conquests of Alexander the Great, and the subsequent expansion of "polis" institutions throughout the Middle East. The urbanization of the Italian peninsula is now regarded as an integral part of the earlier process and an essay from the new school of Italian urban archaeology is included together with an essay on mobility and the "polis". Recent interest on the relationship between landscape and city is met by contributions dealing specifically with this area as is recent work on the relationship between public and private spheres in the institutions of the "polis". The collection is opened with an introduction to the phenomenon of the "polis" and closed with a discussion of its decline.