It is true that
Ancient Greek was shaped by both isolation and intercultural exchange:
Isolation was due to the geographical conditions of Greece,
it was divided by mountains, rivers and forests forming independent cities
instead of a central monarchy. The fact helped every city progress in their own
unique way and brought out a variety of cultural and intellectual possibilities.
Intercultural exchanges were due to the presence of sea which
allowed them to trade with different cultures like Persian, Frankish states, Ottoman
Empire, Genoese Republic and British Empire. All of these in their various
ways left their influence on modern Greek culture.
