Answer: River
The Acheron (in Greek: Αχέρων) nowadays is a river in Epirus, flowing from a suburb of Dodoni (Δωδωνή) to the Ionian Sea (Ιόνιο Πέλαγος). Dodoni was one of the major oracle sites in ancient Greece, and the theatre over there is worth a visit. In Greek myth, the Acheron was the River of Woe, the entrance to the underworld, where dead souls where ferried across by Charon (Χαρων).
The best known city starting with alpha is of course the present capital Athens (Ἀθῆναι). Islands starting with alpha include Aegina (Αίγινα), a few dozen kilometres south of Athens, and the mythical Atlantis (Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος). And besides the highest point of Athens, the Acropolis (Ἀκρόπολις) the ancient Greeks knew at least one other mountain starting with alpha: the Etna. Yes indeed: in ancient Greek this Italian volcano was called Αἴτνη, which is transliterated as Aitne.
From Quiz: An Alphabetical Visit to Ancient Greece
Answer: Goddess of wisdom
Etymologists debate whether the city was named after the diety or vice versa.
According to Greek myth, when the city was formed, two Greek deities competed to become the patron of the yet to be named city. One was Poseidon, the god of the seas and the other was Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Both were to give the city a gift and the one chosen by the people would win. Poseidon gave the city a salt water spring (in some versions, he gave a horse) while Athena gave them an olive tree. The king of the city chose the latter and Athena became the patron goddess with the city named Athens in her honour.
Zeus was the god of thunder, and Artemis the goddess of the hunt.
Question by zorba_scank.
From Quiz: Breezing Through Athens
Answer: Trichonida
Trichonida or Apokouros was once considered, due to its size, as a sea. It is very close to the towns of Agrinio and Nafpaktos in the Aetolia-Acarnania region. The lake is part of the "Natura 2000" ecosystem for the preservation of nesting grounds and rare species. Here one can find more than 140 different types of birds from which more than 30 are protected. The lake is also the abode of many types of fish, sponges, molluscs and other marine life. The three other options are islands in the eastern part of Greece.
From Quiz: Bodies of Water - Greece
Answer: Thera
Thera, known also as Santorini, is the southernmost island of the Cyclades. It is also the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in world history. The Thera eruption occurred circa 1500 BC. It caused the destruction of Akrotiri and the decline of the civilization there. It also caused the destruction of the first Palaces in Crete. In the aftermath, the Minoans from Crete dominated the Aegean Sea before the eruption of the Mycenaean Civilization.
From Quiz: Myths and History in Greek Geography
Answer: 1981
Greece officially became a member of the EU in 1981. In 2001, it joined the Eurozone, while in 1952 it became a member of the military alliance NATO.
From Quiz: Greece Is the Word
Answer: They circle the island of Delos.
Delos is one of the most important mythological and archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. It is said to be the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.
The island of Delos is situated South West of Mykonos, North of Paros and East of Syros, and is more or less in the centre of the island group.
From Quiz: A Tour around the Cyclades
Answer: Rhodes
Cyprus while having a Greek speaking majority is not part of Greece. A movement for union with Greece, called Enosis has existed since the early 1900s.
From Quiz: Greek Islands
Answer: Ionia
Ionian Greece consisted of this coastal area and the Cycladic islands upon which Greek settlers made their homes.
From Quiz: The Geography of Ancient Greece
Answer: March 25th
Greece's Independence Day was first celebrated on March 25th, 1821. This date marked the start of their war of independence against the Ottoman Empire.
From Quiz: It's Greece To Me!
Answer: Balkan Peninsula
Spain and Portugal make up the Iberian Peninsula. The Crimean Peninsula is part of Ukraine. There is no Baltic Peninsula.
From Quiz: Geographically Speaking - Greece
Answer: European Union
This is an organization of European countries that works toward political, economic, governmental and social unity.
From Quiz: Greece - The Country
Answer: Boeotia
Thebes is the largest city in the present regional unit of Boeotia (Περιφερειακή ενότητα Βοιωτίας), which more or less corresponds to the ancient Greek Boeotian league - a loose conglomeration of about a dozen city-states, including Thebes (Θῆβαι), Plataea (Πλάταια) and Chaeronea (Χαιρώνεια). At the end of the Peloponnesian War Thebes arose as a major military power, but only until the death of the famous Theban general Epaminondas ( Ἐπαμεινώνδας) in 362 BC.
According to myth, Thebes was founded by Cadmus (Κάδμος) on the site where a magnificent cow chose to lay down to rest. Cadmus thus followed the advice of an oracle. Cadmus was not only known as the mythical founder of Thebes, but also as the first to popularise the alphabet he imported from Phoenicia (Φοινίκη).
Bactria (Βακτρία) was and still is a region in Central Asia, north of the Hindu Kush mountain chain. It was conquered by Alexander the Great (Ἀλέξανδρος).
Beroea (Βέροια) was either a small town in Macedonia (now carrying the name Veria), or the big Syrian city nowadays known as Aleppo.
Baetis (Βαῖτις) was the ancient Greek name for the Spanish river now known as Guadalquivir.
From Quiz: An Alphabetical Visit to Ancient Greece
Answer: Clocktower
The Tower of the Winds is also known as Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes. It is an ancient marble clocktower with some sources considering it to be the world's first meteorological station. The Tower of the Winds has a combination of sundials, water clocks and wind vanes and is believed to have been built as early as the second century BC. The structure also depicts eight wind deities of Greek myth.
The Tower of the Winds has served for some other uses, but never served as one of the false answers.
Question by zorba_scank.
From Quiz: Breezing Through Athens
Answer: Ionian
The Heptanese (seven islands) are also called Ionian after the sea in which they lie. Ionian Sea is bounded by Italy, Albania and Greece. The deepest point of the Mediterranean Sea, called Calypso Deep, is located in the Ionian and has a depth of 5267 meters. Tyrrhenian and Ligurian are seas in Italy and Balearic is in Spain.
From Quiz: Bodies of Water - Greece
Answer: Mediterranean, Aegean and Ionian seas
There are three seas which border Greece: the Mediterranean, Aegean and Ionian seas. Its bordering neighbours are also touched by seas: Bulgaria is bordered by the Black Sea, while Turkey is bordered by the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black seas. The Adriatic, Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas border Italy.
From Quiz: Greece Is the Word
Answer: Santorini (or Thira)
The volcanic eruption and its aftermath gives weight to the argument that Santorini is the location of the legendary lost city of Atlantis.
The island is known as either Thira (its Greek name) or Santorini (its Venetian name).
From Quiz: A Tour around the Cyclades
Answer: Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas
Mr. Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas was painting and sculpting for over sixty years until his death in 1994. He created many pieces of art and has contributed all of it to the Benaki Museum in Athens.
From Quiz: Trip around the World: Greece
Answer: Ithaca
The other Ionian islands are Paxos, Lefkada, Kefallonia, and Zakynthos. Ulysses' palace is thought to have been on the Pilikata hill above Stavros, the island's largest village.
From Quiz: A Tour of Historic Greece
Answer: Laconia
Laconia is an area in the south of the Peloponnesus, culminating in a peninsula that juts out toward the island of Cythera.
From Quiz: The Geography of Ancient Greece
Answer: Athens
Athens is also the economic center of Greece.
From Quiz: Greece - The Country
Answer: Gerontia
Gioura used to be known as Gerontia (Γεροντία), which literally translates to "place of old people". This abandoned island is part of the Alonissos Marine Park. Stubborn tourists who want to visit Gioura, do so to find some kri kri goats (almost extinct wild goats) or explore the Cyclops Cave - where according to legend Odysseus ( Ὀδυσσεύς) and his crew were captured by the Cyclops Polyphemus (Πολύφημος). Odysseus and a few of his men escaped after Odysseus put a burning wooden stake in Polyphemus' only eye.
Gela (Γέλα) is a city on Sicily, founded by Greek colonists from Rhodes or Crete. The theatre author Aeschylus (Αἰσχύλος) died and was buried in this city.
Gortyn ( Γόρτυν) is a municipality on the south side of Crete, and once served as the capital of the Roman province Creta et Cyrenaica (including Crete and a coastal are of present day Libya). Gortyn gave its name to the most ancient codification of Greek law.
Gavdos (Γαύδος) is a small island belonging to the regional unit Crete (Κρήτη) and the southernmost island of Europe. On the south shore has been erected a giant chair in concrete as a symbol of the south border of Europe.
From Quiz: An Alphabetical Visit to Ancient Greece
Answer: Attica
Attica is the most populated of the thirteen Greek regions, with more than 35% of all Greek inhabitants. Furthermore it has the highest gross domestic product per capita (almost 27,000 EUR per inhabitant in 2008), although closely followed by the South Aegean.
Compared to the ancient region of Attica as the history books sketch it, present-day Attica has a greater surface area and includes not only nearby islands, but also a distant island named Cythera.
The three other regions mentioned here are among the poorer Greek regions, but not the poorest. Thessaly, Epirus and West Greece all had a GDP per inhabitant between 17,000 and 18,000 EUR in 2008. The poorest region is East Macedonia, with barely 15,000 EUR per inhabitant.
Question by JanIQ.
From Quiz: Breezing Through Athens
Answer: Aliakmon
The total length of the Aliakmon River is 297 kilometers. The other three options are rivers in Serbia.
From Quiz: Bodies of Water - Greece
Answer: The Pnyx
The Pnyx is located to the west of the Parthenon. We are told by the guide that from around 500 BC, people used to gather at the Pnyx to hear public orations. It contains a bema, or raised platform, that I imagine is equivalent to a modern-day soapbox!
From Quiz: A Greek Idyll
Answer: Peloponnesus
The Mycenaean era lasted from 1600 to 1100 BC. The Mycenaeans created an impressive civilization, dominated the Aegean Sea and had relations with other peoples all along the Mediterranean. Products and artifacts of their manufacture have been found is places far from Greece, like southwestern England, southern Germany and Caucasus. After the Dorian Invasion, circa 1100 BC, the civilization declined and the Mycenae were deserted. The site was excavated by Heinrich Schliemann in 1874.
From Quiz: Myths and History in Greek Geography
Answer: Bauxite
Bauxite is the primary source of aluminum, and is abundantly available in Greece. In fact, in the Eurozone, Greece is the largest producer of bauxite.
From Quiz: Greece Is the Word
Answer: Thessaloniki
This tower is known as the White Tower, or Lefkos Pyrgos, and is located in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece.
From Quiz: Where in Greece am I?
Answer: Athena
Athena was the goddess of wisdom & warfare. She was the patron goddess of the city of Athens. She won the city over a battle with Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes.
From Quiz: Trip around the World: Greece
Answer: Paxos
Gaios is named after the Saint who reputedly brought Christianity to the island.
From Quiz: Greek Islands
Answer: Crete
Once the center of Minoan civilization, the island eventually gave way to Dorian Greeks who settled there during the early part of the first millenium B.C.
From Quiz: The Geography of Ancient Greece
Answer: 1952
NATO stands for the 'North Atlantic Treaty Organization'. It was created in 1949.
From Quiz: It's Greece To Me!
Answer: blue
Blue and white are the colors associated with Greece. Doors and shutters are often painted blue on whitewashed house. This is especially noticeable in rural areas.
From Quiz: Geographically Speaking - Greece
Answer: Delphi
Delphi (Δελφοί) is situated in Central Greece, a bit to the northwest of Corinth (Κόρινθος). The ruins of the ancient site are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Close to the ruins a new settlement with the same name emerged, and tourists are welcomed in the new Delphi.
The main structure of ancient Delphi was a temple dedicated to Apollo (Απολλων), who defeated a giant snake there. Next to the temple was a sacred cave in which an elder woman sat on a tripod, inhaling toxic fumes and speaking cryptic messages. The priests of Apollo translated these utterances into the Greek poetic device of hexameters. These hinted at future events, but were mostly ambiguous. For instance when Croesus (Κροῖσος) of Lydia asked the oracle whether he should attack Persia, the answer was "when you wager war on Persia, a great empire will be destroyed". Croesus thought the oracle predicted the destruction of the Persian empire, but it was his own empire that went down the drain.
Delos (Δῆλος) is one of the many islands in the Aegean Sea. It gave its name to the Delian League, an alliance between Athens and more than hundred other city-states in the years 478 BC - 404 BC.
Damascus (Δαμασκός), today's capital of Syria, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities. It was no part of the Greek civilization until the arrival of Alexander the Great.
The Decapolis (Δεκάπολις) was a loose alliance of ten cities, mostly on the left bank of the river Jordan. Between roughly 63 BC and 106 AD, the Decapolis concentrated Greek civilization at the outskirts of the Roman Empire, in a region where Greek was not the native tongue of most people.
From Quiz: An Alphabetical Visit to Ancient Greece
Answer: Libyan
The Libyan Sea contains a number of small islands that include Gavdos, Gavdopoula, Paximadia and Chrysi. Libya in ancient times was the area west of the river Nile up to Numidia which is the area that currently includes Tunisia and Algeria.
From Quiz: Bodies of Water - Greece
Answer: Corfu
Scheria is mentioned by Homer in Book V of the "Odyssey" as the island of the Phaecians, ruled by King Alkinous. Thucydides, in his magnificent narrative of the Peloponnesian War and specifically in Book III, says that Corfu is the island of Scheria, a position entertained by most scholars, with the exception of Strabo.
From Quiz: Myths and History in Greek Geography
Answer: Olive
Historically, it was said that the goddess Athena gifted Greece with an olive tree. Modern Greece is the third largest producer of olives, with Spain being the first and Italy the second. As for strawberries, the USA is the number one world producer (2012 statistics).
From Quiz: Greece Is the Word
Answer: Pireaus and Rafina
Rafina tends to host ferries serving the northernmost Cyclades (Andros, Tinos and Mykonos) whereas Pireaus is the main terminus for the majority of other Cyclades ferries.
The ports of Patras and Igoumenitsa serve the Ionian Islands and other Adriatic ports. Ferries to Iraklion and Chania (both on on Crete) and Thessalonika are occasionally available from various Cyclades Islands.
From Quiz: A Tour around the Cyclades
Answer: Kalamata
Kalamata is the birthplace of both the kalamata olives and the dance the kalamatiano. Kalamata olives are very popular in Greek salads and the kalamatiano (where dancers form a circle or meandering line) is one of the most popular of the Greek folk dances.
From Quiz: Where in Greece am I?
Answer: Peloponnesus
The Peloponnesus is a large peninsula in southern Greece. This is where there are some of the most famous Ancient Greek cities, such as Sparta.
From Quiz: Trip around the World: Greece
Answer: Over 700
Although Athens was the largest, the population of this city-state was only about 200,000. Most estimates range from 700 to 1500 city-states.
From Quiz: A Tour of Historic Greece