什麼是城邦

一個獨立城市的一種政治制度，對其周圍地區享有主權，併為其宗教、政治、經濟和文化生活的中心。這個名詞起源於19世紀後期的英國，專指古希臘、腓尼基等殖民地，就其規模、獨佔性、愛國精神及獨立願望等方面而言，都與部落或國家制度有所不同。也許源自部落制度瓦解和各分裂集團在西元前1000～西元前800年組成獨立的城邦核心。到西元前5世紀時，城邦數目有好幾百個，雅典、斯巴達和底比斯是其中最重要的幾個。由於不能組成永久性的聯盟或聯邦，它們就成了馬其頓王國、迦太基人和羅馬帝國的犧牲品。到11世紀，在義大利的城邦有復興之勢。中世紀義大利城邦的成功歸因於與東方貿易而繁榮，這些城邦包括比薩、佛羅倫斯、威尼斯和熱那亞，一些城邦殘存至19世紀。中世紀日耳曼城邦包括漢堡、不來梅和呂貝克。現今唯一還存在的城邦是梵諦岡城。

city-state

Political system consisting of an independent city with sovereignty over a fixed surrounding area for which it served as leader of religious, political, economic, and cultural life. The term was coined in the 19th century to describe ancient Greek and Phoenician settlements that differed from tribal or national systems in size, exclusivity, patriotism, and ability to resist incorporation by other communities. They may have developed when earlier tribal systems broke down and splintered groups established themselves as independent nuclei c. 1000-800 BC; by the 5th century BC they numbered in the hundreds, with Athens, Sparta, and Thebes among the most important. Incapable of forming any lasting union or federation, they eventually fell victim to the Macedonians, the Carthaginians, and the Roman empire. In the 11th century the city-state revived in Italy; the success of medieval Italy's city-states, including Pisa, Florence, Venice, and Genoa, was due to growing prosperity from trade with the East, and several survived into the 19th century. Germany's medieval city-states included Hamburg, Bremen, and Lübeck. The only city-state extant today is Vatican City.