Ancient Greece may be considered a good starting point to discuss the history of science due to the fact that they documented much of their life, and some of these managed to survive to the present day. Written sources such as these play a major part in making the study of history possible, providing historians first-hand accounts of life in the past. There are a number of other factors that have contributed to Ancient Greece as a good springboard for this study.
Unlike her neighbors, Greece had comprised of a number of smaller, independent settlement-cities, likely influenced by its mountainous topography. This localization could have perpetuated the need to establish trade for resources. Coupled with access to the nearby Mediterranean as a means for travel, it becomes easier to see how culture, ideas, and knowledge could have easily permeated across the many cities of Greece in the ancient world. One contribution of Ancient Greek culture which profoundly impacted the course of modern thought was the concept of asking questions about their world worked, instead of assuming all of nature was controlled by a deity.