Ancient Greece Quiz

1. What form of government did Athens develop that influenced modern democracies?

1. Democracy
2. Monarchy
3. Oligarchy
4. Republic

2. The ancient Olympic Games were held in honour of which god?

1. Apollo
2. Ares
3. Poseidon
4. Zeus

3. Which Greek philosopher was the teacher of Alexander the Great?

1. Aristotle
2. Plato
3. Pythagoras
4. Socrates

4. The Iliad and The Odyssey are epic poems attributed to which ancient Greek poet?

1. Hesiod
2. Homer
3. Pindar
4. Sappho

5. Sparta and Athens fought a devastating war from 431-404 BCE. What was it called?

1. The Macedonian War
2. The Peloponnesian War
3. The Persian Wars
4. The Theban War

6. What was the 'Acropolis' of Athens?

1. A high rocky outcrop holding the city's main temples, including the Parthenon
2. The city's marketplace
3. The city's theatre district
4. The ruling council's meeting place

7. Which Persian king led two invasions of Greece (490 BCE and 480 BCE)?

1. Cambyses
2. Cyrus the Great
3. Darius I and Xerxes I respectively
4. Xerxes I only

8. Socrates famously said: 'The unexamined life is not worth living.' How did he die?

1. By drinking hemlock after being condemned by Athens
2. Exiled and died abroad
3. In battle
4. Of old age

9. What was the significance of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE?

1. Alexander the Great's first victory
2. Athens repelled the Persian invasion and it inspired the modern marathon race
3. Greece conquered Persia
4. Sparta defeated Athens

10. Which city-state was famous for its fierce warrior culture and military training?

1. Athens
2. Corinth
3. Sparta
4. Thebes

11. Alexander the Great conquered a vast empire. Where did he die in 323 BCE?

1. Babylon
2. Egypt
3. India
4. Persia

12. What was the 'agora' in ancient Greek cities?

1. A public open space for commerce, politics, and civic life
2. A type of Greek temple
3. An arena for gladiatorial combat
4. The highest point of a city

13. The Pythagorean theorem is named after the Greek mathematician Pythagoras. What is it?

1. ½ × base × height
2. a + b = c
3. a² + b² = c²
4. pi × r²

14. Greek mythology's Trojan War began because of the abduction of which woman?

1. Cassandra
2. Clytemnestra
3. Helen
4. Penelope

15. What was the 'Parthenon'?

1. A temple to Athena built on the Acropolis (447-432 BCE)
2. A theatre for drama
3. An Olympic training facility
4. The Athenian senate building

16. Which Greek historian is called the 'Father of History'?

1. Herodotus
2. Plutarch
3. Thucydides
4. Xenophon

17. The ancient Greek theatre originated in festivals honouring which god?

1. Apollo
2. Ares
3. Dionysus
4. Hermes

18. What was Plato's 'Academy'?

1. A philosophical debate club
2. A public library in Athens
3. A school of military training
4. The first institution of higher learning in the Western world, founded around 387 BCE

19. In ancient Greek society, 'polis' referred to:

1. A city-state with its own government and culture
2. A political party
3. A sacred law
4. A type of architecture

20. Which ancient structure, built at Ephesus, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

1. The Oracle of Delphi
2. The Temple of Apollo
3. The Temple of Artemis
4. The Theatre of Dionysus