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Quiz about Youve Gotta Love Those Athenians
Quiz about Youve Gotta Love Those Athenians

You've Gotta Love Those Athenians Quiz


The Dorian invasion of Greece in approximately 1100 B.C. was so destructive that Greece was plunged into a dark age. What was going on in Athens at this time? Let's find out!

A photo quiz by ponycargirl. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
ponycargirl
Time
4 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
363,871
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
783
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Riders23 (4/10), Guest 129 (4/10), DeepHistory (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. When the Dorians conquered the ancient Mycenaeans in Greece and began a period of time called the Greek Dark Ages (1100 to 700 B.C.) one of the areas they left alone was the land of Attica where the Athenians lived. Why? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. By the time of the Greek Dark Ages the Athenians had already abolished the monarchy and had moved on to a government run by nobles, an aristocracy. What were the aristocrats called? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A shortage of horses in Athens during the Greek Dark Ages led to a new way of fighting called the phalanx. This method had been used since the beginning of civilization, by which ancient group of Mesopotamians? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What were the Greek soldiers who fought in the phalanx called? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The Athenians during the Greek Dark Ages created a government in which membership was determined by wealth after they determined that an aristocracy did not work well for them. What is this type of government called? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. As the bitter class struggle continued during the Greek Dark Ages, which aristocratic man was chosen to deal with the social problems? Today he is known as "The Lawgiver". Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. During the Greek Dark Ages, as the Athenians were developing democracy, members of the Assembly had the right to exile any person for any reason.


Question 8 of 10
8. During the Greek Dark Ages, the polis of Athens began to develop the world's first democracy. All those who met certain requirements were allowed to meet in the Assembly. However, the method of order in the Assembly made decision making a very slow process. Consequently, what smaller committee was formed to take care of more urgent business? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Oddly enough, the person responsible for putting the finishing touches on Athenian democracy during the Greek Dark Ages was Cleisthenes, a statesman who actually seized control of the government illegally. What did the Athenians call these men who were not elected by the people? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. During the Greek Dark Ages, Athens, as well as the other Greek city-states, developed a separate and unique culture that really did not involve cooperating with fellow Greeks on any level. Which foreign nation threatened the freedom of the Greeks by invading in 490 B.C.? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Oct 29 2024 : Riders23: 4/10
Oct 29 2024 : Guest 129: 4/10
Sep 03 2024 : DeepHistory: 10/10
Sep 01 2024 : Guest 162: 2/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. When the Dorians conquered the ancient Mycenaeans in Greece and began a period of time called the Greek Dark Ages (1100 to 700 B.C.) one of the areas they left alone was the land of Attica where the Athenians lived. Why?

Answer: They viewed Athens as a small, insignificant village.

The Greek Dark Ages is also known as the Greek Iron Age or Archaic Age. During the Dorian invasion, many Mycenaeans were killed or enslaved, but some were able to escape to the western coast of Asia Minor to an area known as Ionia. Some of the Mycenaeans settled in Athens, which was ignored by the Dorians. Of course, it was not until the Golden Age of Athens that culture really flourished there; the acropolis seen in the foreground was used as a fortress but was rather undeveloped in terms of buildings during the Iron Age.
2. By the time of the Greek Dark Ages the Athenians had already abolished the monarchy and had moved on to a government run by nobles, an aristocracy. What were the aristocrats called?

Answer: Archons

The leader of the Mycenaenas was a king whose power was limited as he was expected to both consult the nobles and heed their advice. At some point during the Greek Dark Ages the independent-minded Athenians formulated a government that was an aristocracy. Nine of the wealthiest and most influential Athenians were chosen by the Assembly to lead Athens for one year.

At the end of their term of office they joined the Council of the Areopagus, an advisory body made up of ex-archons. This form of government didn't prove to be satisfactory to the Athenians; it created a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor, and led to social unrest.
3. A shortage of horses in Athens during the Greek Dark Ages led to a new way of fighting called the phalanx. This method had been used since the beginning of civilization, by which ancient group of Mesopotamians?

Answer: Sumerians

The use of the phalanx dates back to approximately 2500 B.C., and is depicted on inscriptions from ancient Sumer. With the shortage of horses, Greek nobles were no longer able to fight using horses and chariots and no longer were they the only ones allowed to fight in battle. Those citizens who could afford to arm themselves became the mainstay of the army.
4. What were the Greek soldiers who fought in the phalanx called?

Answer: Hoplites

Hoplites were equipped with spears, swords, shields, and bronze armor. Their participation in battle had a staggering effect. The wealthy no longer had the sole right to fight in honor of their polis. Now the rank-and-file could fight too; not only that, but the equality that soldiers felt on the battlefield began to spill over into the governmental workings of the polis as well.

There were still citizens, however, who could not afford weapons and therefore did not have the right to participate in government either.
5. The Athenians during the Greek Dark Ages created a government in which membership was determined by wealth after they determined that an aristocracy did not work well for them. What is this type of government called?

Answer: Timocracy

Although the Athenians had moved to the phalanx method of fighting, there were still several "thetes", or poor, free farmers, who could not afford to equip themselves for war. They were excluded from both military service and government participation; this led to bitter class struggles as the "thetes" fell into debt to the wealthy, and many not only had their property seized, but were also forced into slavery.
6. As the bitter class struggle continued during the Greek Dark Ages, which aristocratic man was chosen to deal with the social problems? Today he is known as "The Lawgiver".

Answer: Solon

Solon was given unlimited authority, which was very unusual in Athens, to achieve the passage of measures to benefit everyone in the polis. It was understood, however, that he would leave office once the task was completed. Although his reforms failed to immediately end the class antagonisms in Athens, he is known as one of the greatest sages of the ancient world.
7. During the Greek Dark Ages, as the Athenians were developing democracy, members of the Assembly had the right to exile any person for any reason.

Answer: True

Each year the Athenian Assembly met to discuss whether or not any Athenian posed a threat to the polis. The names of these people were written on "ostraka", or broken pieces of pottery. If a person received six thousand votes, he was ostracized, or sent into exile, for ten years.
8. During the Greek Dark Ages, the polis of Athens began to develop the world's first democracy. All those who met certain requirements were allowed to meet in the Assembly. However, the method of order in the Assembly made decision making a very slow process. Consequently, what smaller committee was formed to take care of more urgent business?

Answer: Boule

All free men who were eighteen and born in Athens were allowed to join the Assembly. It is estimated that at any time, about 1/6 of the population qualified for membership as citizens. As the Assembly discussed the issues of the day, all citizens who wanted to speak before the group could.

It was very easy to be bogged down in details. For this reason, the Boule was established. The Boule, also called the Council of 500, consisted of ten committees of fifty people; each committee served for one-tenth of the year.

Their duties included preparing business for discussion in the Assembly and preparing legislation for debate. To insure that one person did not become too powerful, a new Boule was chosen from among the citizens by lottery every year. Members of the Boule had to be at least thirty years old and were limited to two one-year terms.
9. Oddly enough, the person responsible for putting the finishing touches on Athenian democracy during the Greek Dark Ages was Cleisthenes, a statesman who actually seized control of the government illegally. What did the Athenians call these men who were not elected by the people?

Answer: Tyrants

Interestingly enough, the two tyrants, Pisistratus and Cleisthenes, instituted changes in Athens that led to the development of the world's first limited democracy. Due to these reforms, the common man was allowed to participate in government for the first time in history. By the end of the Greek Dark Ages, Athens was one of the most powerful and influential Greek city-states.
10. During the Greek Dark Ages, Athens, as well as the other Greek city-states, developed a separate and unique culture that really did not involve cooperating with fellow Greeks on any level. Which foreign nation threatened the freedom of the Greeks by invading in 490 B.C.?

Answer: Persians

The Persian's policy of fairness to conquered people usually made it unnecessary to actually conquer to add to their empire; many times terms were peacefully negotiated, but the independent Greeks were not willing to negotiate. With their independence threatened from without, would the Greeks band together to fight as a unified people? Well, that's another story for another quiz!
Source: Author ponycargirl

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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