Ancient Greece

μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκε...

Sing, goddess, the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus,
which brought innumerable woes upon the Achaeans...

With these words began the Western literary tradition. Homer's Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, and its continuation, the Odyssey, tells of the legendary return of the Greek warrior Odysseus. These texts are some of the oldest surviving literature in world history and represent the beginning of the Western canon. They are beautiful texts which contain masterful insights into human nature, with all its pride, greed, heroism, and honor. Homer's stories are referenced in hundreds of other works of literature.

Though otherwise fiercely independent and often in conflict with each other, the Greek city-states were united by their common language literary traditions. Every four years, all the city-states joined together to celebrate the Olympic Games.

The city-states were also united by their religious traditions. The pantheon ("all the gods") of Greek mythology included many figures reverenced throughout the area, though each city had its local favorites. The Greek gods were believed to reside on Mount Olympus. Some of the important figures included: