It really does expand our horizons to consider the cultural context a bit more. In my experience, it's easy to do the same thing with the Old Testament Scriptures in particular. Like we think of "the Canaanites" as if there was one monolithic group in the land, but really there were a host of tribes and probably complex relationships between various groups in the region. Certainly, there would be things that would bind them together given interactions and perhaps common origins, but thinking about how much diversity is included in these regions help them come alive. The Trojan War really feels like a "World War" the way it's depicted. There are definitely major players like Greece and Troy but both sides are made up of a conglomeration of forces.
It really does expand our horizons to consider the cultural context a bit more. In my experience, it's easy to do the same thing with the Old Testament Scriptures in particular. Like we think of "the Canaanites" as if there was one monolithic group in the land, but really there were a host of tribes and probably complex relationships between various groups in the region. Certainly, there would be things that would bind them together given interactions and perhaps common origins, but thinking about how much diversity is included in these regions help them come alive. The Trojan War really feels like a "World War" the way it's depicted. There are definitely major players like Greece and Troy but both sides are made up of a conglomeration of forces.
Here's a pretty cool entry about Asia Minor: https://www.worldhistory.org/Asia_Minor/