An ancient "polis" often centered around a citadel, called the "acropolis". Nearly always it had an "agora" (market) and typically one or more temples and a "gymnasium". Many citizens of a "polis" did not live in the central city but in the suburbs or countryside. The Greeks regarded the "polis" as a religious and political association: while the "polis" would control territory and colonies beyond the city itself, the "polis" would not simply consist of a geographical area.