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Ancient Sparta Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Ancient Sparta Quizzes, Trivia

Ancient Sparta Trivia

Ancient Sparta Trivia Quizzes

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13 Ancient Sparta quizzes and 155 Ancient Sparta trivia questions.
1.
  The Spartans   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You are a young, noble-born Spartan boy, growing up in one of the most famous and fascinating states in the Greek world. This is a quiz about your life and the place you call home ...
Tough, 10 Qns, _elbereth_, Mar 31 17
Tough
_elbereth_
4376 plays
2.
  The Battle of Thermopylae 480 B.C   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
300 Spartans against one million Persians? Not historically accurate, but even so this battle over 2,400 years ago was one of the most unbelievable battles ever. Take a journey back through time and learn about what really happened.
Average, 10 Qns, BG07, Dec 29 07
Average
BG07
2206 plays
3.
  Tales of the Spartan Way of Life   great trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
In a society where military strength was vitally important, the Spartans created a state that was very unique in its lifestyle, and eventually had an army that was second to none in ancient Greece. Can you identify these terms from ancient Sparta?
Average, 10 Qns, ponycargirl, Mar 21 17
Average
ponycargirl editor
200 plays
4.
  Thermopylae   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is one in a series of quizzes on the Battle of Thermopylae.
Average, 10 Qns, Historygod, Jan 08 13
Average
Historygod
2608 plays
5.
  The Ultimate Spartans Quiz   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
A warrior nation that even now attracts the minds of many.
Tough, 15 Qns, mortifer, Dec 09 13
Tough
mortifer
2828 plays
6.
  The Rise of Sparta   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
We have all heard of the Spartans at Thermopylae in 480 BC, but by then the Sparta that we know from history was nearly 500 years old. Fewer have heard of Hysiae, the Fetters and Thryeatis. Test your knowledge about the rise of Sparta as a Greek power.
Average, 20 Qns, Craterus, Jul 05 18
Average
Craterus
Jul 05 18
211 plays
7.
  Spartan Armament   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
This is a quiz about Spartan armor and weapons. See what you know and learn what you don't. Good luck and may the Spartans be with you.
Tough, 20 Qns, lakedaemonian, Dec 19 10
Tough
lakedaemonian
1047 plays
8.
  Spartan Military   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is my first attempt at a quiz. I am a huge history buff, ancient history in particular. I've always been fascinated with Sparta and her military. Enjoy!
Tough, 10 Qns, VoodooChile71, Jun 15 23
Tough
VoodooChile71 gold member
Jun 15 23
506 plays
9.
  Average Spartans Quiz - 10 Questions    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz on Spartan warriors and the people of Sparta, especially the rigorous demands of military life and training. Hope you enjoy the quiz - and hopefully learn something from it.
Average, 10 Qns, Jordan99259, Sep 02 13
Average
Jordan99259
1325 plays
10.
  Ancient Sparta Test Your Knowledge    
Multiple Choice
 5 Qns
A fast easy quiz on Ancient Sparta. Hope you all enjoy it.
Easier, 5 Qns, charlemagne, Dec 29 07
Easier
charlemagne
7088 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What color was the crest of the Spartan helmet?

From Quiz "Spartan Armament"




11.
  300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 1 million Persians    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz about the Spartans, the Persian Wars and the Battles of Thermopylae, Marathon, and Plataea.
Difficult, 10 Qns, BakedPotato, Aug 22 10
Difficult
BakedPotato
1353 plays
12.
  Spartan Government - A Detailed Look    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Well, I've just come out fresh from an assessment on the ancient Spartan system of government.... here's a quiz for any of you guys suffering the same topic! (And bear in mind, this is a quiz focusing on the government, and not the whole constitution!)
Very Difficult, 15 Qns, zenphoenixa, May 22 10
Very Difficult
zenphoenixa
1961 plays
13.
  Test yourself! Ancient Sparta Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Let's see how much you know.
Average, 10 Qns, Hodgiebaba5, Dec 13 13
Average
Hodgiebaba5
414 plays

Ancient Sparta Trivia Questions
1. It is thought that Sparta was founded sometime around this year. Which?

From Quiz The Rise of Sparta

Answer: 950 BC

Sparta has traditionally and academically been established as being founded around 950 BC. This would have been approximately 50-150 years after the Dorian migration into the Peloponnese. The Dorians displaced or doricized the native Achaeans of the Late Bronze Age. If he existed historically, Homer's King Menelaus of Sparta, husband of Helen, was an Achaean.

2. What color was the Spartan hoplite's cape?

From Quiz Ancient Sparta

Answer: Red

The Spartan hoplite's cape was red so the enemy could not see their blood if wounded.

3. At the height of its power and influence in the 4th and 5th centuries B.C.E., roughly how many hoplites (full citizen-soldiers) could the Spartan army field at any given time?

From Quiz Spartan Military

Answer: 8,000

The total number of military personnel that Sparta could bring to bear was considerably larger (closer to 20,000) due to the second and third classes of Spartan people that were part of the army and used as light infantry and in other auxiliary roles on the battlefield.

4. What is the ancient Greek name for the Spartan shortsword?

From Quiz Spartan Armament

Answer: Xiphos.

The Spartan shortsword was made for close quarters fighting (they would use them when their Spear broke or the phalanx broke formation) and therefore was very short compared to other Greek swords. The rest of the world found the tiny Spartan swords to be inferior. They did not know however, with what deadly precision these warriors used them.

5. The Battle of Thermopylae was a major event in the war that the Greeks that fought against the invading Persians. The city states in Greece united to ward off the Persians. In what year did the Battle of Thermopylae take place?

From Quiz Thermopylae

Answer: 480 BC

Most places I looked up for this quiz said the date was August 11 as the start of the battle, but a few others had September 18. I didn't want to confuse any one, so I left it as the year.

6. Who was the Spartan king at the time of the battle?

From Quiz The Battle of Thermopylae 480 B.C

Answer: Leonidas

King Leonidas was son of King Anaxandridas and thought to be a descendant of Heracles (Hercules). He only took his 300-man personal guard to fight because their religion did not allow fighting at that time of year. The Oracle of Delphi also foretold that to save Sparta, a king would have to die, one from the line of Heracles.

7. The greatest Persian King was certainly Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire, but this king was also called "the Great" and renewed the wars with the Greek cities started by Cyrus. Who was it?

From Quiz 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 1 million Persians

Answer: Darius

Darius I reigned from 521 BC to 486 BC, succeeded by his son Xerxes, and preceeded by Smerdis (or Bardia) who was the son of Cyrus the Great. Darius began the wars with Greece known now as the Persian Wars, by invading Thrace and Macedonia, and attempting to take Athens, after landing a small force in Attica.

8. Which Spartan king was married to the famous Helen?

From Quiz Spartans

Answer: Menelaus

Helen has gone down in myth as possibly one of the most beautiful women of all time and often called 'the face that launched a thousand ships'.

9. What type of constitution was Sparta?

From Quiz Spartan Government - A Detailed Look

Answer: Monarchy (with two kings)

Sparta had two kings and is sometimes referred to as a dynarchy. However, its constitution incorporated elements from the three main types of political systems - monarchy, democracy and oligarchy.

10. Upon what Southern peninsula of Greece did ancient Sparta develop?

From Quiz Ancient Sparta

Answer: Peloponnesian

11. The Dorians who founded the Greek city of Sparta known to us were said to be the descendants of this Greek hero of legend and myth. Who's the hero?

From Quiz The Rise of Sparta

Answer: Heracles

The twins Procles and Eurysthenes, great-grandsons of Heracles, founders of the two Spartan dynastic families(the Agiads and Eurypontids), were said to have had leadership roles, at some point, in the Dorian migration(around 1000 BC) into the Peloponnese. This foundational story of the Return of the Heraclidae played a key role in the way the Spartans thought of themselves and related to other Greeks.

12. What was the Spartan short sword called?

From Quiz Ancient Sparta

Answer: Xiphos

The Spartan short sword (xiphos) was a double-edged blade it was around 19 inches in legnth.

13. A Spartan's life depended on his shield. It was primarily used for defense but in the hands of a skilled Spartan hoplite it was also a fearsome and effective offensive weapon given the right situation. What was this shield called?

From Quiz Spartan Military

Answer: Aspis

The xiphos was a type of sword carried by hoplites. A peltast was a light skirmisher that was part of most Spartan military forces. The sarissa was the standard spear carried by soldiers in a the Macedonian phalanx used by Phillip II, Alexander the Great, and their successors.

14. How long was the Spartan shortsword?

From Quiz Spartan Armament

Answer: 19 inches.

The Spartan xiphos was highly effective in close-quarters combat. Ultimatley, when shield to shield with your enemy and a hair's breadth away from your neighbor, the more maneuverable your sword, the better.

15. There were three hundred Spartans, the most loyal Spartans to the King, and one thousand Thespians. They fought to the death beside their leader. He also died as well in the battle. Who was the King of Sparta that fought until the death?

From Quiz Thermopylae

Answer: Leonidas

Xerxes I was the leader of the Persian Army. Demaratus was an exiled Spartan who worked for Xerxes and was asked if the Spartans would put up a fight. He said they would. Ephialtes was the traitor that told Xerxes about the pass around Thermopylae.

16. What was the name of the ancient Spartan heavy infantry?

From Quiz Spartans

Answer: Hoplite & hoplites & Phalanx & phalanxes

Though phalanx is not the correct term used for a hoplite, they can be referred to as such as they used the phalanx formation.

17. "You," Darius proclaimed to this man, "shall go to strengthen Persian control of Thrace and Macedon." This was before the Battle of Marathon, and this general's forces were mostly reduced by natural causes in the form of a storm off Mount Athos.

From Quiz 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 1 million Persians

Answer: Mardonius

Mardonius wasn't present at Marathon, but he was an advisor to Darius's son Xerxes at the Battle of Thermopylae, and is reported to have convinced Xerxes to avenge his father by attacking Greece. He failed to persuade Xerxes to stay in Greece after the Battle of Salamis and was eventually killed in the Battle of Plataea.

18. A cloak of which colour was associated with Spartan Hoplites?

From Quiz Spartans

Answer: Red

Hoplites may have been named after their two handled shields. In Greek the word Hopla which included the shield also meant a warrior's arms and armour collectively. The full Hoplite equipment was termed a Panoplia.

19. Which arm of the Spartan government was judicially in charge of the criminal court?

From Quiz Spartan Government - A Detailed Look

Answer: Gerousia

The gerousia was made up of 30 members, including the two kings, and were elected from prescribed aristocratic families. They also had to be over 60 yrs of age to be elected. The gerousia handled all criminal cases and also imposed punishments such as fines, exile or death. They also judged the impeachment of Kings!

20. What were the slaves of the Spartans called?

From Quiz Ancient Sparta

Answer: Helots

21. When was the Battle of Thermopylae?

From Quiz Ancient Sparta

Answer: 480 BC

The battle of Thermoplyae started and finished in 480BC. It was one of the greatest Spartan battles in history - a great heroic stand, even though they lost.

22. The shield and spear were the two most important pieces of equipment for a Spartan hoplite. What was this spear called?

From Quiz Spartan Military

Answer: Doru

The Aspis was the shield that Spartans carried. The phalanx is the formation that the heavy Spartan infantry fought in. The Chiton was the name for the tunics the hoplites wore.

23. What was the total length of the Spartan spear?

From Quiz Spartan Armament

Answer: 8 feet.

The Spartans called their spears "eight footers."

24. Xerxes gave the Spartans a chance to surrender. The King of Sparta replied "Molon labe". This saying has been used by generals throughout the years and is even the emblem of the Greek First Army Corps. What does it mean?

From Quiz Thermopylae

Answer: "Come and get them!"

"Get Some" is a motto used by a lot of military people during war. "Always Faithful", "Semper Fidelis", is the motto of the Marines, and "Nuts" was the reply by the commander of the American Army at Bastogne when the Germans asked him to surrender.

25. Who was the Persian ruler who commanded the army that attacked the Greeks?

From Quiz The Battle of Thermopylae 480 B.C

Answer: Xerxes

Xerxes I of Persia was a member of the Achaemenid dynasty and ruled for 20 years. After fighting at Thermopylae, Xerxes advanced through the Greek mainland and pushed the Greeks back to the Isthmus of Corinth, their last stronghold. The Battle of Salamis that took place afterwards resulted in a Greek victory and a following victory at Platea spelled the end for Xerxes' attempt to take the Greek mainland.

26. What was the name for an elite warrior of Spartan society trained to be a brave and fearless fighter?

From Quiz Spartans

Answer: Spartiate

They are renowned today as the perhaps the best warriors of Ancient Greece and by some as the best that warriors that ever lived.

27. Phidippides ran from Marathon to Athens. What single word does he utter before dropping dead from exhaustion?

From Quiz 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 1 million Persians

Answer: Nenikikamen!

Nenikikamen was the last word of Phidippides. It translates to "We have won", referring to the outcome of the Battle of Marathon.

28. Which exiled Spartan King stood beside Xerxes at Thermopylae?

From Quiz Spartans

Answer: Demaratus

Demaratus' exile was voluntary since Sparta rejected him and, not being democratic, could not vote him into exile as the Athenians did to Themistocles. This makes his move to the Persian side more treacherous.

29. What did all Spartan men spend most of their adult lives doing?

From Quiz Ancient Sparta

Answer: Training for war

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