Final answer:
Ancient Greece was characterized by its influential culture, focusing on government, art, and philosophy, with the polis as the center of civic activity. Greek knowledge of the outside world was limited but driven by colonization and trade. Their independence in the 1820s from the Ottoman Empire resonated with the cultural movement of Romanticism in Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
Greek culture was rich and varied, with a focus on government, art, architecture, philosophy, and sport. The polis, or city-state, was the center of Greek life, and each had its own government and religious practices. Famous sites like Delphi and Olympia were centers of worship and the Olympic Games. During the period of colonization known as the Archaic period, Greeks founded numerous colonies, establishing their presence as far as Spain and the Black Sea. These colonies, like the Greek mainland, fostered extensive trade and cultivated crops like olives and grapes. With a reputation in arts and architecture, constructions like the Temple of Hera in Argos highlighted their reverence for gods and beautification efforts.
In terms of exploration, Greeks had limited immediate knowledge of the world, mostly through hearsay, leaving the lands beyond their understanding filled with fantastical tales. The knowledge of the outside world included familiarity with the Mediterranean's coasts, the Black Sea, Egypt, and Persia, mostly through colonization and trade. However, their naval exploration was hindered by other powers such as the Carthaginians. In the 19th century, Greece became the first nation to gain independence from the Ottoman Empire, an event which ignited European imaginations and found support from powers like Imperial Russia, Britain, and France.