Polity

Polity (Greek: Πολιτεία or Πολίτευμα transliterated as Politeía or Políteuma) was originally a term used in Ancient Greece to refer to the many Greek city states that had an assembly of citizens as part of the political process. Sufferage did not include women, slaves, serfs, or metics. Thus, voting citizens usually included only a minority of the adult males.