List of ancient Greek alliances

They comprise the terms symmachia and koinon, both of which meant a league for the mutually supportive conduct of war, both offensive and defensive.

In fact the autonomy varied a great deal, which everyone of the times knew.

Apart from the domination of large states, such as Athens and Sparta, the leagues were named after the ethnic regions they were intended to defend.

They were an intermediate step between the independent poleis and the Macedonian, Roman, or Persian provincial administrations that brought the poleis to an end and replaced the politeia with a local government subordinate to a province.

"Federation," "confederacy", and a third term, sympoliteia only describe the degree of independence, or lack of it.