City-State
In the Gorean setting, a self-governing city with its own laws, castes and Home Stone.
Definition
The City-State is the basic political unit of the Gorean setting. Each city is self-governing, possesses its own laws and customs, its own castes, and its own Home Stone, which is the sacred token of civic identity. Cities may enter into alliances, rivalries or wars with one another.
Historical background
The model draws on classical antecedents, particularly the polis of ancient Greece, adapted to the invented culture of the novels.