Athens
- Greek city-state
- United with other Greek city-states against Persia during the Persian Wars
- Head of the Delian League during the Peloponnesian War
- Cultured society focused on learning
- Founder of Democracy
Sparta
- Greek city-state
- United with other Greek city-states against Persia during the Persian Wars
- Head of the Peloponnesian League during the Peloponnesian War
- Militaristic society
- Ruled by an oligarchy (rule by a few) and had two kings at a time
Rome
- Located on the Italian Peninsula
- Centrally located in the Mediterranean Basin
- Distant from eastern Mediterranean powers
- Protected by the Alps mountain range
- Center of the Roman Catholic Church (Western Christian Church)
Constantinople
- Originally named Byzantium
- On a peninsula bordered by natural harbors
- Located at the crossroads of the Asian and European continents
- Important trading center because of its location on the Black Sea
- Became the capital of the Roman Empire in 330 AD because it could be more easily defended than Rome (it was further away from Germanic barbarian invasions)
- Was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, later the Byzantine Empire
- Preserved classical Greek and Roman knowledge and culture after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
- Became the center of Christianity during the later days of the Roman Empire
- Center of the Eastern Orthodox Church (Eastern Christian Church)
- Conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD
- Renamed Istanbul after it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire
London
- City in Britain during the reign of the Roman Empire
- Anglo-Saxon city after the fall of the Roman Empire
- Central city for England during the Middle Ages
Paris
- Capital of the Frankish kingdom under the rule of Clovis
- Central French city under Hugh Capet and the Capetian Dynasty of France
Tours
- Location of the Battle of Tours between the Franks and Muslim forces
- Location of the Battle of Agincourt between the French and English during the Hundred Years' War
Córdoba
- Former Roman settlement
- Important city for the Muslim Umayyad Empire
- Captured during the Reconquista
Granada
- Important city for the Muslim Umayyad Empire
- Captured during the Reconquista by Ferdinand and Isabelle
Esztergom
- Capital of the Kingdom of Hungary under the Magyars
Kiev
- Early city of the Rus, who were a blending of Viking and Slavic people and cultures
- Russian principality
Florence
- Trade city during the Italian Renaissance
- Ruled by the Medici family during the Italian Renaissance
Venice
- Trade city during the Italian Renaissance
Genoa
- Trade city during the Italian Renaissance