The historical progression of power in ancient Greece from the lowland southeast to the more upland north and west is compared with settlement trends derived from recent archaeological surveys. A series of models is introduced to provide insight into the developmental paths identified for different regions of Greece. It is suggested that individual regional trajectories are generally the product of complex interactions between the local effects of widespread technological and agricultural diffusions in the Braudelian long-term (longue durée), and inter-regional (core-periphery/heartland-marginal land) interactions in the Braudelian medium-term (moyenne durée.) Comparison and contrast are drawn with regional developments in Neolithic to Bronze Age Greece.