hexapolis

Hexapolis is a term from ancient Greek usage meaning “six cities.” In inscriptions and literary sources, it was used to denote a federation or alliance of six autonomous city-states within a region. Leagues labeled as hexapolis typically arose for mutual defense, shared religious observances, or combined political influence, and their membership could be formal or vary over time. Central to many hexapoleis was a common cult, sanctuary, or ritual center that bound the member cities together.

Two of the best-attested examples are the Hexapolis of Rhodes, a federation of six Rhodian poleis on the island of Rhodes, and a Delian Hexapolis related to the broader Aegean context around Delos. In practice, the precise composition and powers of each hexapolis differed by location and era, and sources sometimes disagree on which cities were included or how centralized their authority was. The term is therefore best understood as a descriptive label for a regional cluster of six cities rather than a fixed, uniformly structured political institution.

In scholarly usage, hexapolis appears in studies of ancient Greek political organization, regional confederations, epigraphy, and the politics of city-state networks. It reflects a broader pattern in the Greek world of forming拘 regional groupings to manage shared religious, economic, and defensive interests.