In Greece, monarchies were found when the Mycenaeans ruled Greece during the period from 2000 to 1100 BC Monarchy is defined as a system of government in which a single ruler has the supreme power. The word “monarchy” comes from the Greek words “monos” meaning “single” and “archo” meaning “government”. This single ruler, known as a king, ruled throughout his life and passed the rule to his heir when he died. The most famous monarchy was that of King Alexander of Macedonia who ruled all of Greece from 336 BC. Sparta had a mixed government consisting of elements of monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy. The monarchy, although not a true monarchy, consisted of two kings from separate royal tribes. These kings were subject to the will of the Gerusia and the Ephors and exercised limited power. Aristocracy comes from the Greek words “aristos” meaning “best” and “kratia” meaning “power or dominion.” Essentially “aristocracy” means “rule by the best”. In ancient Greek history the term aristocracy referred to the social elite – the people with the greatest social status and political influence (Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander, n.d.). Wealth and public conduct were very important. Aristocracy is therefore the rule of those who are both morally and intellectually superior, and it is rule in the interests of the governed. In the period 800-500 BC, power in Athens was held by the aristocrats. They monopolized prime land and political power. Social unrest in that period saw Solon (an aristocrat) being tasked with reforming the political and economic system. Solon laid the foundations of democracy with his reforms. Tyranny comes from the Greek word “tyrannos” which means “usurper with supreme power”. A tyrant was a non-hereditary... middle of paper... even the poorest citizens could exercise their democratic rights and not be penalized because they could not detach themselves from earning a living. Sparta had an element of democracy in that citizens could vote in the assembly. However, the Gerusia and the Ephors could veto his decisions and therefore the democratic element of Spartan society was very superficial. It can therefore be seen that monarchy and tyranny were very similar in that they were individual rulers. However, monarchy was usually hereditary while tyranny was usually achieved through unconstitutional or illegal means. Oligarchy and aristocracy were similar in that they were ruled by a few. The aristocracy, however, ruled in the interests of the governed as opposed to the oligarchy which ruled in its own interests. Democracy is the rule of the people, or in other words, the many.