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Quiz about The Wars of Alexanders Successors

The Wars of Alexander's Successors Quiz

Alexander the Great left behind one of the largest empires in ancient history on his death in 323 BC but, with no clear successor, his empire broke up over half a century of fighting.

A multiple-choice quiz by anthony118. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
anthony118

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
330,239

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
349

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who, according to the ancient sources, did Alexander the Great leave his empire to? Hint

To Antipater, his viceroy in Macedon

To Arrhidaeus, his half-brother

To the strongest of his generals

To Roxane, his wife

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Why was Alexander's child by Roxane unable to take over the reigns of the empire after his father's death? Hint

A child by another of Alexander's wives was preferred

He was not of Macedonian ancestry

He hadn't been born

He hadn't been approved by the army

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. In 323 BC, the Lamian War broke out in Greece as the Athenians and others tried to free themselves from Macedonian rule. Which battle brought an end to the war? Hint

Issus

Nora

Hydaspes River

Crannon

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Which general was assassinated by his own officers on the banks of the Nile in 321/320 BC (the exact date remains unknown) following a disastrous attempt to cross the river? Hint

Craterus

Ptolemy

Perdiccas

Seleucus

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Craterus and Neoptolemus were both killed in battle near the Hellespont against a force led by Eumenes, but what position had Eumenes held under Alexander? Hint

Secretary

Historian

Vizier

Royal eunuch

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. At which battle in 316 BC did Antigonus One-Eye defeat Eumenes? Hint

Gabiene

Marathon

Gaugamela

Pydna

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Ptolemy regained an important strategic and economic territory following the battle of Gaza in 312 BC, where he defeated Demetrius the Besieger, but which territory was it? Hint

Babylonia

Cyprus

Egypt

Coele-Syria

8. One of the decisive battles of the wars of the Successors was fought in 301 BC, with Antigonus One-Eye and Demetrius the Besieger on one side and Ptolemy, Seleucus and Lysimachus on the other. Where did the forces meet? Hint

Granicus River

Ipsus

Chaeronea

Salamis

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Two elderly generals went head to head on the battlefield at Corupedium in 281 BC. Very little is known about the battle except who won and who lost. Seleucus was the victor, but who was the loser? Hint

Ptolemy

Demetrius

Pyrrhus

Lysimachus

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Seleucus barely had the chance to celebrate his victory at Corupedium, as he died shortly after the battle. What was the cause of his death? Hint

He died in his sleep

He died of malaria

He drank himself to death

He was assassinated

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who, according to the ancient sources, did Alexander the Great leave his empire to?

Answer: To the strongest of his generals

Diodorus Siculus and Quintus Curtius are among the ancient sources that report that Alexander left his empire "to the strongest". Arrian writes that it was left "to the best", but the ambiguity of the statement is clear in all sources. Some also claim that Alexander took off his ring and gave it to his second-in-command, Perdiccas.

2. Why was Alexander's child by Roxane unable to take over the reigns of the empire after his father's death?

Answer: He hadn't been born

Roxane was pregnant at the time of Alexander's death and, due to the instability of the empire, many within the army did not want to wait to find out if the child would be a boy (it turned out he was, and he would become Alexander IV). As a result, Perdiccas took over the regency with Philip III Arrhidaeus (Alexander the Great's half-brother) and Alexander IV under his guard.

3. In 323 BC, the Lamian War broke out in Greece as the Athenians and others tried to free themselves from Macedonian rule. Which battle brought an end to the war?

Answer: Crannon

After Leonnatus was killed as he freed Antipater from the siege at Lamia (hence the name 'Lamian War'), the remaining Macedonian forces joined Craterus and met the Greek states at Crannon. The Greeks, led by Athens, were defeated and were forced to sue for peace.

4. Which general was assassinated by his own officers on the banks of the Nile in 321/320 BC (the exact date remains unknown) following a disastrous attempt to cross the river?

Answer: Perdiccas

After Ptolemy seized Alexander the Great's funeral cortege and took it to Egypt, Perdiccas chased him south in an effort to retrieve it. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to cross the Nile and his forces mutinied. In fact, Seleucus was one of the officers who assassinated the former chiliarch (vizier).

5. Craterus and Neoptolemus were both killed in battle near the Hellespont against a force led by Eumenes, but what position had Eumenes held under Alexander?

Answer: Secretary

Eumenes had been private secretary to both Alexander and his father Philip II, and was not an experienced general. Eumenes himselfreportedly slew Neoptolemus, the satrap (governor) of Armenia, before he expressed his remorse at the death of Craterus.

6. At which battle in 316 BC did Antigonus One-Eye defeat Eumenes?

Answer: Gabiene

After an inconclusive battle at Paraetacene in 317 BC, Antigonus defeated Eumenes at Gabiene. Eumenes was subsequently betrayed by his officers and was turned over to Antigonus, who had the general executed. Olympias, mother of Alexander, was also executed in 316 BC after the siege of Pydna.

7. Ptolemy regained an important strategic and economic territory following the battle of Gaza in 312 BC, where he defeated Demetrius the Besieger, but which territory was it?

Answer: Coele-Syria

The region of Coele-Syria would be fought over for decades to come in the series of Syrian wars between the Ptolemaic and the Seleucid dynasties.

Answer: Ipsus

Few accounts of the battle survive, but Seleucus' elephants played a major role in cutting off the retreat of the force led by Antigonus and Demetrius. Antigonus was killed during the battle, having been certain that his son Demetrius would come to his rescue (according to Plutarch). Instead, Demetrius fled the battle with a small force to fight another day.

Answer: Lysimachus

Seleucus was 77 years old at Corupedium, three years the senior of Lysimachus, who was left dead on the battlefield. Seleucus was now the only remaining ruler in the Hellenistic world who had marched with Alexander the Great.

10. Seleucus barely had the chance to celebrate his victory at Corupedium, as he died shortly after the battle. What was the cause of his death?

Answer: He was assassinated

Unsurprisingly, the cause of Seleucus' death was not natural in an age of constant warfare and intrigue. With the kingdom of Macedon in his sights, Seleucus was assassinated as he headed west with his army by Ptolemy the Thunderbolt, a son of Ptolemy I. No attempt was made to stop the assassins by Seleucus' bodyguard, and Ptolemy the Thunderbolt briefly took the throne of Macedon for himself.

Source: Author anthony118

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