Ancient Greek War History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Spartans

Spartans were trained from the age of 7. They were an elite infantry. They were not good at naval and cavalry warfare, but their phalanx was the greatest.

Answer: The Sacred Band

If you picked the Immortals you need to look up your history. They were the elite force in Persia.

Answer: Babylon

He died of fever at the age of 32. After his death, the Generals were fighting over who would be king of Macedon. The empire was to be divided along geographic lines. With each general becoming the king of his territory, these new rules are called the Diadochi (Greek "successors") of Alexander.

Then they all fought each other until three major kingdoms emerged: Greece, Egypt and Syria-Mesopotamia. As a result, the Greeks were not as strong as they used to be, and the Romans invaded in a series of wars in 214-148 BC.

Answer: Leonidas I

Although the Spartans were defeated, it is remembered as one of the greatest battles of all time because of their determination and bravery. They had been taught never to retreat, never to surrender, and to fight to the death. The Persians advanced and burnt down Athens, but they were defeated by Athens in a naval battle at Salamis in the same year. Greece ended up driving the Persians out of Greece in the battles of Mycale and Plataea.

Answer: Pausanias

Pausanias was Leonidas's nephew. He led 10,000 Spartans in the battle of Plataea, along with 8,000 Athenians, and others from different states - all in all, a total of about 38,700. This battle drove the Persians out of Greece.

Answer: Philip II

Philip was the king who raised Macedon to the top, defeating the other Greek cities at the battle of Chaeronea, making Alexander one of the commanders. He was assassinated in 336 BC, two years after his success at Chaeronea.

Answer: Bronze

Bronze is strong and light; steel hadn't been invented then, iron is heavy, and gold was too valuable and it is also too heavy.

Answer: Gaugamela

Alexander previously defeated Persian armies at the battle of Granicus, Issues and Tyre. But at Gaugamela, he met Darius with 250,000 Persians. Out numbered 5 to 1 he won with great tactics. The Persians stood all night expecting a night time battle. Because of this, the Persians were tired from standing, which made a big difference in the battle.

Answer: Thebes

Watching Athens and Sparta weaken themselves in the Peloponnesian war (431-404 BC), the Thebans met the Spartans at Leuktra in 371 BC. Epanimondas and the Thebans (Boeotian League) defeated Cleombrotus and the Spartans. The Spartans were over confident and got mildly intoxicated. Their cavalry of 1,000 was easily beaten, and the Thebans won.

Answer: Themistocles

Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to use the income from the state silver mines at Laurion to build a fleet of 200 triremes. He used them and 100 other Greek ships to defeat the Persians at Salamis.