So I caught a program on this guy on my way into work this morning
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b050bcf1What I really found interesting was just how similar everything seemed to be compared to modern day things. The main war he discusses (I forget the name) seems pretty much a treaty-driven chaos like the first world war. And the bits they mention about Athenian elections seem remarkably similar.
I was also surprised by just how extensive hellenic society was, and how interlinked they all were.