Sympoliteia

In mainland Greece, the term was often used for a federal state consisting of individual poleis (city-states) with shared political institutions and citizenship.

[1] A sympoliteia is often contrasted with an isopoliteia, a treaty which granted equal citizenship to the citizens of the participating poleis but maintained their political independence.

[2] The Athenian Empire, also known as the Delian League, was a collection of Greek city-states largely based around the Aegean Sea which operated under the hegemony of Athens.

This alliance initially served the purpose of coordinating a united Greek front against a perceived looming Persian threat against the Ionian city-states which bordered it.

[3] Benefitting greatly from the influx of cash coming out of the 150-330 members,[4] Athens used the money to reinforce its own naval supremacy and used the remaining funds to embellish the city with art and architecture.