The ancient Greeks crafted for themselves a world like no other, a world where each city had its own unique - and often fantastic - culture. From the Spartans, a culture built on a foundation of slavery, a culture that - with no need to earn a living - had dedicated themselves to the ideals of physical perfection, and ironically espoused the virtues of freedom; to the Athenians, a nation of unparalleled art and architecture - the likes of which, even today, remain unmatched in originality and richness - a nation whose constitution afforded democratic power to even the lowest class of citizen; the stories of Greek civilization must have sounded like myth and legend to an outsider.