Do You Know The History of Ancient Greece?
Written by Regina Munch History Expert
Last updated · 7 min play time
Its stunning military leaders have become legendary, and its mythology still sparks our imaginations. What do you know about Ancient Greece?
Ancient Greece spread its culture -- government, military, religious, philosophical, and scientific developments -- throughout Eurasia. Its stunning military commanders have become legendary, and its mythology still sparks our imaginations. What do you know about ancient Greece? Find out with our quiz!
This quiz was expert written by Regina Munch. Regina has a master's degree in European history and the history of American foreign policy from Boston College. She loves learning and writing about history because it's never dead – things from the past always have relevance to today, and we're discovering things about the past all the time.
Quiz written by
Regina MunchAncient Greece Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 8.3K Plays · 1 Comment
Question 1
The ancient Greeks worshiped a vast group of gods and goddesses. Which of these is NOT a god in the ancient Greek pantheon?
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AZoroaster
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BZeus
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CAthena
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DAphrodite
Zoroaster
Zeus, Athena, and Aphrodite are just a few of the Greek pantheon, which traditional resided on Mount Olympus.
Question 2
One of the most famous characters in Greek literature, this character accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. His story was written by Sophocles.
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AJonah
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BOisis
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CAgamemnon
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DOedipus
Oedipus
In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles recounts the unfortunate fate of Oedipus, who married his mother and killed his father without realizing it.
Question 3
This famous and influential philosopher was written about by Plato, and used a method of questioning to explore difficult problems. He was condemned and executed in 399 AD. Who was he?
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ASocrates
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BDaedelus
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CJesus
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DAlexander the Great
Socrates
Socrates, after which the Socratic method of questioning is named, is one of the most famous philosophers in history.
Question 4
This man wrote an oath to uphold ethical medical standards, and a version of it still observed by medical professionals today.
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ASophocles
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BEumenides
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CHippocrates
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DAeschuylus
Hippocrates
Hippocrates, a physician, wrote what we call the Hippocratic Oath. Originally it called on various deities to witness to the doctors' morality, but our version exclude that.
Question 5
This famous Greek mathematician developed the theorem that a2 + b2 = c2.
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APythagoras
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BArchimedes
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CGalen
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DArchibald
Pythagoras
Pythagoras, who lived from roughly 570-490 BC, was a mathematician who devised what we call the Pythagorean Theorum about the length of sides of a right triangle.
Question 6
The most famous work of literature from ancient Greece is the Odyssey, an epic poem telling the story of Odysseus and his men trying to return home from the Trojan War. Who is credited with writing the Odyssey?
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APaul of Tarsus
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BHomer
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CVirgil
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DJonah
Homer
In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus is faced with such varied trials as a cyclops, the water monsters Scylla and Charybdis, and the Lotus Eaters.
Question 7
Which of these is NOT one of Greece's islands?
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ARhodes
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BCrete
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CLesbos
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DSicily
Sicily
Sicily is an Italian island.
Question 8
The Greek mainland was conquered by this newly ascendant civilization in 149 BC and absorbed into their territory.
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AChinese
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BArab
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CFrench
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DRoman
Roman
The Roman republic began expanding throughout the Mediterranean, and its powerful military was able to overrun the divided Greeks.
Question 9
At its height, ancient Greece became one of the largest empires in history, stretching from the Mediterranean into Central Asia. This Macedonian king conquered and united the Greek city-states and much of central Asia. Who was he?
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AAlexander the Great
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BDarius
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CJulius Caesar
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DEmperor Theodosius
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great, who lived from 356-323 BC, united the Greek city-states and conquered territory as far as India. He spread Greek culture throughout the Eurasian continent, which led to its preservation for future generations.
Question 10
Athens established the first known democracy in history in the 500s and 400s BC, with adult male citizens given the vote. The word "democracy" comes from two Greek words, which together mean what?
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A"Only the best"
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B"Power of people"
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C"Laws of people"
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D"Power of few"
"Power of people"
The term "democracy" means "people power" or "power of the people."
Question 11
This Greek god was the king of the underworld.
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AHeracles
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BHermes
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CHades
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DApollo
Hades
Hades was the greek god of the underworld. Not exactly equivalent of the devil, he and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon had dominion over different parts of the universe.
Question 12
According to legend, the Trojan War was fought between the Greeks and the Trojans in the 1180s BC. The war began when Paris, a Trojan, stole a Greek general's wife. What was her name?
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AArtemis
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BHelen
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CVeronica
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DAphrodite
Helen
According to legend, Helen, sometimes called Helen of Troy, was kidnapped by Paris and taken to Troy, launching the Trojan War.
Question 13
Although we talk about ancient Greece as a unified thing, at first it was really a federation of city-states. Which of these was NOT a Greek city-state?
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AArgos
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BSparta
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CUr
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DAthens
Ur
Athens, Sparta, Argos, and many other city-states made up what we call ancient Greece.
Question 14
Who we know as Hercules is the Roman adaptation of the Greek divine hero Heracles. He had to endure twelve labors as penance for killing his family. Which of these was NOT one of these labors?
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ASlay the Learnean Hydra
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BCapture Cerberus the dog
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CDeliver the Ark of the Covenant to Antioch
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DObtain the apples of the Hesperides
Deliver the Ark of the Covenant to Antioch
According to legend, Heracles accomplished twelve labors, three of which were defeating the hydra, capturing Cerberus, and obtaining the golden apples.
Question 15
With the death of Alexander, his enormous empire was split among his generals into smaller provinces, which were often at war with each other. This dynasty took over Egypt, and remained in power for centuries.
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ACaesar
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BTudor
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CPtolemy
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DChinese
Ptolemy
The Ptolemies controlled Egypt from 305 to 30 BC, when it was overtaken by the Roman empire.
Question 16
Greece has poor soil for most agriculture. Some historians think Greece developed its empire in part to control the supply of grain from other regions. But Greece had some vital agricultural industries of its own. Which of these was NOT produced in ancient Greece?
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AOlives
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BTomatoes
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CHoney
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DGrapes
Tomatoes
Grapes, olives, dates, and other fruits that require much sun and are suitably for dry soil were grown in Greece. Honey was cultivated as well.
Question 17
The Greco-Persian Wars were fought in the 400s BC, in which eastern Greek city-states that had been taken over by the Persian empire regained their independence. Which of these movies is about the Battle of Thermopylae?
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A300
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BGladiator
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CTroy
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DThe Passion of the Christ
300
In the Battle of Thermopylae, the Persian army conquered the Greek Spartans.
Question 18
Alexander destroyed this empire in his march east through Central Asia.
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ARoman
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BPersian
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CBabylonian
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DMergovingian
Persian
Alexander defeated Darius's military and subsumed Persia in to the Greek empire.
Question 19
Ancient Greece provided the origins for our modern Olympic Games. The ancient Greek games had much religious significance. Which god were they dedicated to?
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ADionysius
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BApollo
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CZeus
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DAres
Zeus
The Olympics were a heavily religious festival, meant to honor the god Zeus through feats of physical prowess.
Question 20
Which of these English words does NOT derive from Greek?
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APhysics
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BDaughter
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CSynonym
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DTelephone
Daughter
Physics, symphony, and telephone are all compounds of Greek root words.
Comments (1)
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Good interdisciplinary questions. Enjoyed this one.