Ancient Greece was a peninsula located in southeastern Europe with a climate and terrain varying from coastal plains to mountains. It consisted of various city-states and periods of history spanning from Neolithic to Hellenistic times under leaders like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The Greeks participated in sports like boxing, wrestling, and foot/horse races as part of the Olympics and worshipped gods like Poseidon, Hades, and minor deities through sacrifices and temples. They engaged in important wars against Persia and other city-states and developed a culture with languages like Aeolic and Doric alongside a social hierarchy, democracy in Athens and Sparta, and artistic achievements including the Parthenon.