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Quiz about Hephaistion
Quiz about Hephaistion

Hephaistion Trivia Quiz


Most people know of Alexander the Great, but this quiz is about his best friend and right-hand-man Hephaistion, one of history's great companions.

A multiple-choice quiz by tkane82. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
tkane82
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
182,149
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
9 / 15
Plays
1090
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 88 (15/15), Guest 66 (14/15), DeepHistory (15/15).
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Question 1 of 15
1. Hephaistion and Alexander are hailed as great ancient Greeks, but what province were they from? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. To give Hephaistion his full patronymic, he would be Hephaistion son of ____? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. Upon reaching manhood Hephaistion joined which prestigious unit of Alexander's army? Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. Hephaistion eventually rose to hold the second highest position in the empire, after Alexander's. What was this position called? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. When Alexander entered Troy, he and Hephaistion paid tribute at the graves of which famous Greek companions? Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. After defeating the Persian king, Darius, at the Battle of Issus, Alexander found himself in possession of Darius' wife, daughter and mother. When he went to visit the women (with best friend in tow), Darius' mother Queen Sisygambis prostrated herself before Hephaistion instead of Alexander. Why did she do this? Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. To celebrate his victory over the Persians, Alexander married Stateira, Darius' oldest daughter. As a mark of honour, he married Hephaistion to Darius' second daughter. What was her name? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Did Hephaistion have children with his wife?


Question 9 of 15
9. Hephaistion was, by some accounts, a hot-tempered and abrasive man. While on campaign in India, he came to blows with one of his rivals, a general who later became the co-regent for Alexander's son after the conqueror's death. Who was this rival? Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. In 327 BC Alexander entered India. Hephaistion, along with Perdikkas, was given charge of the majority of the army with instructions to reach and bridge the Indus River. Along the way, which famous landmark did Hephaistion take in? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Which of these unofficial titles did Alexander affectionately bestow on his friend? Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. After conquering the Persian city of Sidon, Alexander left Hephaistion in charge of the city, with orders to appoint a new local ruler. Hephaistion consulted with relevant Sidonites, and appointed a man named Abdalonymus, a descendant of the former kings of Sidon. According to legend, what was Abdalonymus doing when Hephaistion came across him? Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. In 323 BC, Hephaistion fell ill and died unexpectedly. In which city did he die? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. It is not known conclusively what killed Hephaistion but there has been speculation that he was poisoned by his enemies at court. Another theory states that Hephaistion died because he stuffed himself with rich food against doctors' advice while suffering from fever. Both theories say that Hephaistion ate which items just before he died? Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. After Hephaistion's death, Alexander was famously stricken by grief, lavishing his dead friend with numerous honours. He was even said to have sent to the oracle of Amon asking for Hephaistion to be declared a god. What was the oracle's eventual decree? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 88: 15/15
Mar 07 2024 : Guest 66: 14/15
Feb 13 2024 : DeepHistory: 15/15

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Hephaistion and Alexander are hailed as great ancient Greeks, but what province were they from?

Answer: Macedon

Macedonia was the name of an ancient province in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordering Epirus on the west, Thessaly on the south and Thrace to the east.
(The present-day Formet Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia proudly claims Alexander and his men as their own, but obvious nationalism should never be taken at face-value).
2. To give Hephaistion his full patronymic, he would be Hephaistion son of ____?

Answer: Amyntor

Hephaistion came from a family of Macedonian nobility and it is thought his father was one of the King's companions.
3. Upon reaching manhood Hephaistion joined which prestigious unit of Alexander's army?

Answer: The Companion Cavalry

The "hetairoi" or Companion Cavalry was made up of Macedonian elite and contained some of Alexander's closest friends.
4. Hephaistion eventually rose to hold the second highest position in the empire, after Alexander's. What was this position called?

Answer: Chiliarch

The post of chiliarch, or grand vizier, was created under the Persian kings, and Alexander adopted it for his own empire.
5. When Alexander entered Troy, he and Hephaistion paid tribute at the graves of which famous Greek companions?

Answer: Achilles and Patroclus

The "Iliad" was a living tale to the Greeks, and Alexander in particular saw himself and Hephaistion following the footsteps of Achilles and his companion Patroclus.
6. After defeating the Persian king, Darius, at the Battle of Issus, Alexander found himself in possession of Darius' wife, daughter and mother. When he went to visit the women (with best friend in tow), Darius' mother Queen Sisygambis prostrated herself before Hephaistion instead of Alexander. Why did she do this?

Answer: She mistook him for Alexander due to his great beauty and stature

Hephaistion was taller and said to be more regal and handsome than Alexander. Legend has it that after Sisygambis committed her faux pas, she was mortified. However, Alexander took it with good humour and said: "Don't worry mother, he is Alexander too."
7. To celebrate his victory over the Persians, Alexander married Stateira, Darius' oldest daughter. As a mark of honour, he married Hephaistion to Darius' second daughter. What was her name?

Answer: Drypetis

The nuptials were part of a mass inter-marriage between the Persian nobility and the Macedonian elite, which Alexander hoped would strengthen his empire. He reportedly gave Drypetis to Hephaistion so that Hephaistion's children and his own would be royal cousins - a singular mark of the king's affection for his friend.
8. Did Hephaistion have children with his wife?

Answer: No

Hephaistion married late, and even when he did, it was more or less because Alexander wanted him to. His relationship with his wife Drypetis is unknown, and he left no children. While there is a popular perception that Alexander and Hephaistion were homosexual life mates, most ancient civilisations scholars point out that the Greeks would not have recognized or held the modern conception of homosexuality.

A great discussion of this can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~mathetria/lover.html (along with everything else you wanted to know about Hephaistion).
9. Hephaistion was, by some accounts, a hot-tempered and abrasive man. While on campaign in India, he came to blows with one of his rivals, a general who later became the co-regent for Alexander's son after the conqueror's death. Who was this rival?

Answer: Krateros

Krateros was one of the "diodochi", the group of generals who served and succeeded Alexander, and became co-regent with Perdikkas after Alexander's death. He and Hephaistion had a rivalry which spilled into open fighting when both men were made generals of the Companion Cavalry.
10. In 327 BC Alexander entered India. Hephaistion, along with Perdikkas, was given charge of the majority of the army with instructions to reach and bridge the Indus River. Along the way, which famous landmark did Hephaistion take in?

Answer: The Khyber Pass

Hephaistion and Perdikkas led the army through the Khyber Pass successfully, and had a bridge ready for Alexander when he arrived at the Indus, having fought his way through the foothills of the Himalayas.
11. Which of these unofficial titles did Alexander affectionately bestow on his friend?

Answer: Philalexandros

Philalexandros or "Alexander's friend" was the name Hephaistion was given. Krateros, Hephaistion's great rival, was given the name Philobasileus or "the king's friend".
12. After conquering the Persian city of Sidon, Alexander left Hephaistion in charge of the city, with orders to appoint a new local ruler. Hephaistion consulted with relevant Sidonites, and appointed a man named Abdalonymus, a descendant of the former kings of Sidon. According to legend, what was Abdalonymus doing when Hephaistion came across him?

Answer: Weeding his garden

Abdalonymus was a wise choice as the new king of Sidon, and ruled peacefully for many years.
13. In 323 BC, Hephaistion fell ill and died unexpectedly. In which city did he die?

Answer: Ecbatana

The royal court had moved from Susa to the northern Persian city of Ecbatana as Alexander prepared for another military campaign.
14. It is not known conclusively what killed Hephaistion but there has been speculation that he was poisoned by his enemies at court. Another theory states that Hephaistion died because he stuffed himself with rich food against doctors' advice while suffering from fever. Both theories say that Hephaistion ate which items just before he died?

Answer: A whole boiled chicken and a flask of wine

Hephaistion is said to have eaten a whole boiled chicken and had some wine. According to the "hungry Hephaistion" theory, he seized the opportunity to eat when his doctor left his bedside for a while to watch the games which Alexander was holding in the city.
15. After Hephaistion's death, Alexander was famously stricken by grief, lavishing his dead friend with numerous honours. He was even said to have sent to the oracle of Amon asking for Hephaistion to be declared a god. What was the oracle's eventual decree?

Answer: Hephaistion was not a god, but could be declared a hero

In a triumph of diplomacy and tact, the oracle avoided giving Hephaistion divine status. However, the idea of divinity seems to have stayed with Alexander, who later sent to oracles across Greece demanding that he (Alexander) be declared a god.
Source: Author tkane82

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor fringe before going online.
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