Ancient Greece was a land of contradictions and conflict. Located amist rugged
mountains, the Greek mainland was both protected from its enemies, and isolated from its allies,
making communication between the many Greek city-states extremely difficult. Each city-state
and the lands around it were referred to as a polis, and each polis functioned as an independent
country, with its own laws and government. Despite the unwillingness and inability of the Greek
city-states to unite, the Greeks were able to leave a long-lasting mark on western civilization.
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