Why did city states go to war?

by TheWinterWeasel

I can understand why nations or tribes go to war, they have territory that can be taken and many different settlements, but why would 2 states whose territory spans maybe a few miles outside their walls fight? And what happens when one wins? You can't be a city state made of different cities.

I know these wars happened, like in ancient Greece, but can someone explain the causes and effects to me?

Iphikrates

There's always more to be said, but you may be interested in my older answer to this question.