Ancient Greece was an ancient civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period

of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity (ca. 600 AD). Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era.[1] Included in Ancient Greece is the period of Classical Greece, which flourished during the 5th to 4th centuries BC. Classical Greece began with the repelling of a Persian invasion by Athenian leadership. Because of conquests by Alexander the Great, Hellenistic civilization flourished from Central Asia to the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. Classical Greek culture, especially philosophy, had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to many parts of the Mediterranean region and Europe, for which reason Classical Greece is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of modern Western culture.[2][3][4][5]
Contents [hide] 1 Chronology 2 Historiography 3 History 3.1 Archaic period 3.2 Classical Greece 3.2.1 5th century 3.2.2 4th century 3.3 Hellenistic Greece 3.4 Roman Greece 4 Geography 4.1 Regions 4.2 Colonies 5 Politics and society 5.1 Political structure 5.2 Government and law 5.3 Social structure 5.4 Education 5.5 Economy 5.6 Warfare 6 Culture 6.1 Philosophy 6.2 Literature and theatre 6.3 Music and dance 6.4 Science and technology 6.5 Art and architecture 6.6 Religion and mythology 7 Legacy

8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links