Unfolding the Beauty of Greece Quiz

Answer: Apollo

Delphi was the most important oracle of the ancient Greece and a major place for worshiping god Apollo. In fact, every four years athletes from all over Greece were competing in the Pythian Games, which were a precursor of the modern Olympics, at Delphi.

Answer: When Hercules saved Crete from a raging bull by seizing its horns

One of the twelve labours of Hercules, as commanded by Eurystheus, was to seize the Cretan Bull and bring it back to Tiryns alive. Therefore, Hercules managed to capture the bull by seizing its horns and laying it on the ground. Actually, there is an engraving showing Hercules' effort to 'catch' the bull made by B. Picart in 1731.

Answer: Helios

The Colossus of Rhodes, a statue that sat 30 metres high and was one of the highest structures in the ancient world, was dedicated to the titan Helios (the sun). The statue was destroyed by an earthquake that hit the Rhodes Island in 226 BC. One thing that people often don't know is that the Statue of Liberty (in New York) was constructed according to what Colossus was thought to look like.

Reference: "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, written in 1883 and inscribed on a plaque located inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

Answer: Someone who did not speak Greek

This is actually really simple and funny. All people that could not speak Greeks sounded like they were saying 'bar bar bar' to the Greeks. So, barbarian was invented as a word to define all other languages except Greek and, of course, the people that were speaking them.

Answer: They are depicting the nine syllables of the Greek motto "Freedom or Death"

During the revolution of the Greeks against the Turks in 1821, the flag that was used had nine stripes depicting the motto 'freedom or death'. In this motto (in Greek language, eleftheria 'i thanatos) there are nine syllables, so each stripe represented one of them.

Answer: Lesvos

Lesvos is the third biggest island in Greece and is located in the north-east Aegean. Apart from the wonderful scenery and beauty, Lesvos was the birthplace of many important ancient people such as: Sappho, an ancient Greek poet; Alkaeus, the poet who invented the Alcaic verse; Pittacus, one of the seven legends of wisdom in Ancient world; and many others.

Answer: Patmos

Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation in Patmos when he recorded a vision from Jesus. It is believed that he was exiled by Romans in that island. Patmos is a small island located in the south-eastern part of Greece that belongs to the Dodecanese complex.

Answer: Santorini

Santorini (or Thira) is located in the south of the Aegean Sea and is a very popular tourist destination. The caldera (which is what has actually remained from the volcano) is an amazing giant rectangular lagoon that occupies a space of 12 x 7 sq.km. Santorini is considered one of the best places to watch the sunset and, according to Greeks, if a couple visits Santorini, they will either get married or they will split up (black or white, no gray).

Answer: British Museum (London)

After Lord Elgin took the marbles from the temple of Parthenon, he sold them to Britain, which now depicts them in the British Museum in London. There have been many official petitions for the return of the marbles back to Greece (so that they can be exhibited by the Parthenon Museum), but the British Museum has unfortunately denied them numerous times.

Answer: Pella

Alexander the Great, son of Philip II, was born in Pella in Greece and he was the king of Macedons. Alexander was very fortunate to have Aristotle as his tutor. His learned knowledge, together with his excellent tactical skills in war, led him to create (by the age of 30) one of the biggest empires in the ancient world, spanning from Greece and Egypt to India.

In Ancient Greece, coins always depicted gods and goddesses, with Alexander the Great being an exception to this rule due to his achievements.