The military and political history of ancient Greece is famously endowed with stirring scenes such as these:

• Buying time for his Greek allies, King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans defend the key pass at Thermopylae against an overwhelming Persian invasion.
• The brightest minds of ancient Greece—including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle—put forth profound ideas about morality, justice, government, and ethics in their dialogues and philosophical tracts.
• Alexander the Great uses his skills at military leadership and strategy to defeat the Persian Empire and conquer nearly the entire ancient world.

The list of such moments is inexhaustible. But Greek history is much more than a series of gripping set pieces. The four centuries that saw the remarkable rise of Greek civilization tell a complex story about the growth of the institutions that laid the foundations for Western civilization.

Traditions that we take for granted today—including open political debate, trial by jury, and the concept of the social contract—were born and reached a vigorous maturity during this era. Not only do the traditions of democracy, law, and empire connect the ancient world with the modern, they also tell us more about the Greeks than any other aspect of their society, including their celebrated artistic and cultural achievements.