In lots of ways! Here are some logical effects: - Greece=lots of mountains ....=>dependent on the sea and trade => shipbuilding is big ....=>poor roads => isolated city-states rather than empires ....=>availability of metals and stone -no large rivers, poor-ish soil => fewer crops=>smaller cities ....=> democratic government works better in small towns ....=>hunter-gatherers have trouble getting food ........=>development of sedentary cultures, civilization, husbandry, intensive agri-/horti- culture (It takes a decade for an olive tree to grow!) ........=>not many strong hostile nomadic tribes -warm climate ....=>people spend more time outside ........=>public gatherings ............=>entertainment/arts ............=>popular politics You could go on for a long time - but, perhaps most importantly: -Greece = proximity to major trade routes!! ....Phoenicians ....Etruscans, then Romans ....Asia Minor Even Egypt, actually