From City-State to City-World

The article offers an introduction to the development of the idea of "Patria" in greek and latin culture. The comparison between the two different cultures allows to understand that in ancient Greece "Patria" was not a shared idea in the archaic age and became a more universal concept only from the period of Persian Wars. On the opposite site, "Patria" has always been identified by Romans with the "Urbs" par excellence: Rome. The extension of roman citizenship to all the inhabitants of Italy and then to all free inhabitants under the Roman Empire demonstrates that even if they lived in a very far away country, the new citizens were all citizens of the unique city, they were all Romans and Rome was their common homeland, their communis patria.