A period known as the “Dark Ages” swept Greece, lasting until 800 BC. This is the beginning of an unstable Greece where “agriculture was in disorder, commerce was almost nonexistent, and there was a general decline in the arts” (Dubois 4). The Dark Ages ended with the rise of city-states, marking the beginning of the Archaic period. “Each city-state had its own system of government, industry, commerce, and culture” (Dubois 5). Important city-states included Athens, Thebes, Sparta and Olympia. These city-states were also the birthplace of the world's first democracies. These influences have carried over into the way the Greek government functions