Ancient Greece consisted of city-states located around the Mediterranean Sea. Greek civilization flourished during three main periods: the Archaic period saw the development of the polis system and colonial expansion, the Classical period was marked by the flourishing of democracy, arts, sciences and humanities in Athens, and the Hellenistic period began with Alexander the Great's conquests which spread Greek culture throughout his empire. Greek society was divided between citizen men and non-citizen groups like foreigners, slaves, and women who had limited rights.