The video provides an overview of Archaic Greece, a time when Greeks colonized three continents and a military and political revolution was taking place. The video explores the development of the stadium and the ancient running race, which was originally 192 meters but generally 180 meters and performed in Greece. The location gives clues to its significance, beginning in 776 BCE in Olympia on the Peloponnese. The race became the basis for the Olympic Games, which honored Zeus.

Over time, more events were added, like pankration and wrestling. The shared culture of the Olympics gave different tribes around the Aegean a common identity. The video also explores the development of Greek language and writing in Homer's epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, which became the basis for not only Greek mythology but Western literature. The Greeks coalesced around the principles of shared language and religion, but they were separate enough that rivalries would form. Greece underwent a period of colonization abroad to gain more resources and land.