Learning About Ancient Greece Trivia Quiz

Answer: Athena

Athens was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom. According to legend, Athena and Poseidon wanted to see who could give the people of Athens a better gift. Poseidon provided saltwater while Athena provided an olive tree. The people, under the leadership of Cecrops (who was most likely the one that made the final call) liked Athena's gift better and so it was decided to name the city after her.

Answer: Greece had become a Christian nation.

The Olympics were believed to have begun in 776 B.C. as a way to honor the Greek gods, mainly Zeus, the king of the gods. During that time, people were granted safe passage to Athens if they wished to view the Olympics. Only men who owned land and spoke Greek were allowed to compete, although it is believed that one woman managed to sneak her way into the Olympics (and won!)
Even when Greece was under Roman rule, the Olympics were allowed to continue. However, near the end of the fourth century A.D. as a result of Greece becoming a Christian nation, the Olympics would be discontinued and would not start up again for approximately 1,500 years.
Games in the ancient Olympics included wrestling, running, and long jumping.

Answer: Aristotle

Aristotle, who himself was a student of Plato, taught Alexander the Great, at the request of Alexander's father, Phillip II. Aristotle was one of the great philosophers of ancient times, along with Plato and Socrates.
Until mathematical logic came along, it was Aristotle's formal logic that was used as the primary form of logic. This logic consisted of two terms: the proposition and the conclusion. The proposition is either universal or specific in nature while the conclusion was either positive or negative.
Aristotle also introduced the classification of living things, although his was only a two category system: plants and animals.
He lived from 384 B.C. to 322 B.C. and is believed to have died of natural causes.

Answer: Solon

Not much is known about Solon. However, what's known is that Solon tried to reform Greece during its archaic period. His predecessor, Draco, was a tyrant known for his harsh rules. Solon took it upon himself to repeal most of what Draco had done, hoping to make Athens a better place. Among these were the cancellation of debts secured on the person of the borrowers and his family.

He also encouraged the export of olives. There is very little specific information on what exactly Solon did. While Solon's plan didn't work immediately, but over time it began to work and helped cause Athens to become a democracy.

Answer: False

According to Greek myth, the Trojan War occurred when Helen fell in love with Paris. This version can be found in Homer's epic "The Iliad". However, the real reason the Mycenaeans and the Trojans were at war was most likely because of a trade dispute along the Hellespont (Dardenelles). The Hellespont was important because of its strategic position.
It was believed for a long time that Trojan War never did happen. However, a German by the name of Heinrich Schliemann discovered the city of Troy proving that Troy did exist and that there really was a Trojan War.

Answer: rule by elite

An oligarchy is rule by an elite or group of elites. (This can include rule by the rich, though "plutocracy" is a more precise term for this). These elites consisted of the rich and privileged, and these Athenian elites were very small. This form of government lasted for about 100 years. It was during this time in which Draco and Solon were rulers of Greece.

Answer: hoplite

Hoplite was the name given to Greek soldiers. Their main tactic was to use a phalanx formation, a group of soldiers standing close to one another. Starting at the age of seven, Greek boys were sent to learn how to be a soldier. Around the age of 21, they became part of an advanced training.

It is also when men were allowed to marry. Greek soldiers were fed little and had to rely on stealing. If they were caught, they were punished for being caught and not for stealing. Greeks were part of the military until anywhere between the ages of 40 and 60.

Answer: Herodotus

Herodotus was the Greek historian who is often called "the father of history". He is considered this because his writings about the Persian War were the first to be considered written history. He also tried to explain things logically rather than attributing outcomes to the Greek gods.

Herodotus claimed that everything he wrote was true although it was likely he added or changed some detail of his works. He was also claimed to have written from eyewitness accounts regarding events that the eyewitness could not have known about, earning him the nickname "the father of lies".

Not much was known about his personal life.

Answer: democracy

Cleisthines (or Cleisthenes) was responsible for reforming Athens and establishing democracy. In fact, historians have referred to Cleisthines as the father of Athenian democracy. He also established the use of a deme to prevent Athens from becoming a tyranny like it once had been.

A deme was based on a person's place of residence (their geographical location) rather than things such as power or wealth. Altogether, Athens had ten demes. Fifty people were chosen from each deme to make a joint council, known as the Council of 500.

Although demes were believed to have existed prior to this, it wasn't until Cleisthines when the demes became quite important.

Answer: Eratosthenes

Eratosthenes was a second century B.C. mathematician. He was able to calculate the circumference of Earth by using an ancient unit of length known as a stadion, which is equal to about 600 feet. It is also believed that he calculated the distance from the earth to the sun. The result was very accurate; it's believed that he was only out by about one percent.
Eratosthenes is also known as the "father of geography". He came up with the concept of different climates, identifying them as frigid, temperate, or torrid. It is also believed that he might have even invented the first map
He was also the one to devise a system that made it easy to identify prime numbers.
Eventually, Eratosthenes died of starvation when he was approximately 80 years old.