Athens is located in Greece, and Greece is a country that has a Mediterranean climate. The Mediterranean climate, as well as the soil type in Greece, is a natural place for the growth of olive trees and wine trees that produce fruits of high quality. Athens used this, and by making products from both of these trees, olive oil from the olive trees, and wine from the wine trees, they were making a lot of wealth because of this products were in high demand and not many places had the conditions for growing these trees and making products from them. Also Athens was very active in the sea trade and had contacts all over the Mediterranean, and that just opened up a larger market for their products.
In my view the period that has had the biggest impact on the development of US society is The Great Depression. That depression brought a huge economic growth but also changed mass culture that swept many Americans into consumer society.
