The location of the ancient Greek settlements allowed contact with other civilizations due to the main economic system that worked at the time: trading. The Mediterranean Sea was where all the polis (Greek city-states) and other civilizations from around the sea got the goods they needed in their everyday lives, especially those they didn't produce.
In addition, the Greek had access to the sea through many different shores and used that in their advantage; thus colonizing many of the surrounding islands and lands. These new settlements also allowed them to have contact with other civilizations such as the Egyptians and those in Asia Minor.
