Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thebes

With the stories of Dionysus, Oedipus and Cadmus taking place here, this could just be THE BESt of the Ancient Greek cities.

Thebes was the largest city in the region of Boeotia in central Greece and was a rival city to Athens. It was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 335 BC. Thebes exists today with the same name, and had a population of approximately 23,000 in 2011.

Answer: Delphi

MoDEL PHIlhellenists would know that the oracle dedicated to Apollo was located in this city.

Delphi was (and is) located in upper central Greece, in the valley of Phocis. Greek mythology states that Delphi was founded by Zeus when he sought to find the centre of Gaia. He sent out two eagles from the east and the west, and where their paths crossed was the navel of Gaia, or the center of the world.

Today, the remains of Delphi are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Answer: Ithaca

You could make your way to this home of Odysseus wITH A CArefully drawn map and a good navigator.

Ithaca is an island in the Ionian Sea and is about 120 square kilometers in area. The island has been inhabited since the 2nd millennium BC, and has been identified as the home of Homer's mythological hero Odysseus, as described in the "Odyssey":

"dwell in shining Ithaca. There is a mountain there,
high Neriton, covered in forests. Many islands
lie around it, very close to each other,
Doulichion, Same, and wooded Zacynthos--
but low-lying Ithaca is farthest out to sea,
towards the sunset, and the others are apart, towards the dawn and sun.
It is rough, but it raises good men."

(source: Wikipedia)

Answer: Athens

This city was named for a goddess, and because of the many philosophers and scholars who followed wisdom's pATH, ENSured that it would be the cradle of Western Civilization.

With a recorded history of about 3,400 years, Athens is one of the world's oldest cities. It was one of the leading cities of Ancient Greece, and in the modern age is the capital city of the Attica region and of the country. According to Greek mythology, the name Athens was chosen by the people of the city after the goddess Athena created the olive tree, symbolizing peace and prosperity.

Answer: Marathon

If I choose not to run the race, I might seeM A RAT. HONestly! I have no interest in tracing the steps of Pheidippides from this city.

The distance from Marathon to Athens was 42.195 kilometers (or 26 miles, 385 feet), and legend has it that following the Greek victory Battle of Marathon (in 490 BC), the messenger Pheidippides was sent to Athens to give the news of the Persian defeat.

The modern race named after this legend first came into practice with the 1896 (first modern) Olympic Games in Athens. With the reintroduction of the Games to the world, the marathon made a wonderful link between the Ancient and the New.

Answer: Homer

Historians believe that this writer of Epic poetry called Ionia HOME, Regardless of the lack of solid evidence.

It is believed that Homer was born around the 8th or 9th century BC, although there is some doubt as to whether he even actually existed. But, taking his existence as a given, it is through his writing - the dialect used and the descriptions written - that places his likely home as Ionia (in present-day Turkey).

Homer's best-known works are his "Iliad" and "Odyssey".

Answer: Sparta

If you like to SPAR, TAke a trip to this city that was home to the mightiest warriors of the age.

Sparta was unique amongst its fellow Greek city-states in that its social system and constitution was completely focused on military training. There were four types of inhabitants in Sparta: full-citizen Spartiates, Mothakes (non-Spartans who were raised as Spartans), Perioikoi (freed slaves), and Helots (state-owned serfs).

Sparta was located on the Eurotas River in Laconia, in southern Greece.

Answer: Hades

This god of Greek mythology HAD ESpecially bad luck when drawing lots with his brothers over which realm to rule.

After defeating the Titans, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades drew lots to see who would rule which realm. Zeus became the god of the skies, Poseidon the god of the seas, and Hades the god of the Underworld.

Not only is Hades known as the god of the Underworld, but he also carries the title of 'god of regret'.

Answer: Herodotus

Do not argue that he was a HERO; DO TUSsle with the fact that he was merely an historian, known for chronicling the Greco-Persian wars.

Herodotus was named 'The Father of History' by the Roman philosopher Cicero, and it was a title justly earned. He was the first person known to systematically gather historical information and to publish it. His only known work is "The Histories", which is "a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known in Western Asia, Northern Africa and Greece at that time." [According to Wikipedia]

Herodotus lived in the 5th century BC, and "The Histories" was published circa 440 BC.

Answer: Troy

The last greaT ROYal personage of this famed city was King Priam.

Located on the west coast of modern day Turkey, Troy was made famous through the "Epic Cycle" and the works of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey". For centuries, Troy was considered the stuff of legend, but in the 19th century, scholars and archaeologists began to uncover landmarks of significance to (more or less) pinpoint the site.

Extensive archaeological surveys have shown that NINE cities have been built on the site over the five millennia since Troy's founding.