Human Legacy Course/Classical Greece (2100 BC - 150 BC)
w:Classical Greece. See also w:Hellenistic Greece.
The small, rugged peninsula in southern Europe called Greece was the home of a series of advanced civilizations. From the far-reaching trade of the early Minoans to the democracy of Athens and the later empire of the Macedonian, Alexander the Great, Greek culture left behind a legacy that helped define what we think of as Western civilization.
Though the ancient Greeks practiced many forms of government during their long history, they are best known as the founders of democracy, or rule by the people. First created by the citizens of Athens in the sixth century BC, Greek democracy helped inspire the creation of modern democracies, including its own government in the United States.