Heroines of Hellas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Queen and Naval Commander

Artemisia I of Caria (5th century BCE) was queen of Halicarnassus (present-day Bodrum, Turkey) and one of the few women who took part as admirals in the Persian Wars. As a subject of the Persian Empire, Caria allied with Xerxes and participated in the Battle of Salamis, where Artemisia, as the Admiral of her fleet, excelled with her intelligence and boldness in a male-dominated military world.

Her accomplishments were documented by the historian Herodotus, who mentions that Xerxes himself admired her strategic thinking.

Answer: Mathematician, Philosopher

Hypatia of Alexandria (4th-5th century AD) was a Greek philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, and one of the most important figures of late antiquity. The daughter of philosopher Theon of Alexandria, Hypatia, taught neo-Platonic philosophy and is considered a symbol of scientific thought and freedom of spirit.

She was martyred at the age of 60 when a mob of fanatical Christians attacked and cut her up with fragments of pottery and sharp shells, and then burned her scattered and bloodied limbs. To this day, historians do not agree on whether the causes of her murder were religious or political. Her tragic end made her a timeless symbol of the conflict between knowledge and fanaticism.

Answer: Empress, co-ruler of Byzantine Empire

Theodora (6th century AD), wife of Emperor Justinian, was one of the most powerful women of the Byzantine Empire. From humble origins, it was widely believed that she was an actress and prostitute, as described in the historian Procopius' "The Secret History".

When she ascended to the throne, Justinian made her "Augusta," and she played a decisive role in governing alongside the Emperor. She is known for advocating for women's rights and her firm stance during the Nika Riots, when she persuaded Justinian not to leave Constantinople, essentially saving the empire.

Answer: Princess, Historian and Scholar

Anna Komnene (1083-1153) was a Byzantine princess, scholar, and one of the first female historians in Western civilization. She authored the "Alexiad", one of the most important historical works of the Middle Ages. The daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, she recorded in detail the time of his reign.

Her extensive knowledge in literature, philosophy, theology, and medicine, and her ability to analyze and document historical facts were special qualities, most rare for a woman of her time.

Answer: Naval Commander of the Greek War of Independence

Laskarina Bouboulina (1771-1825) was a heroine of the Greek Revolution of 1821 and one of the few women who led naval operations. She funded and led military campaigns, and her ships participated in the sieges of Nafplio and Monemvasia.

After the end of the Revolution, Laskarina Bouboulina was exiled to Spetses as a result of the bitter civil war between the different factions of the revolutionaries. She was killed by members of the Koutsis family because of a family feud.

Answer: Feminist, Journalist, Activist

Kallirroi Parren (1859-1940) was a pioneer of the feminist movement in Greece and the first Greek female journalist. She founded the "Newspaper of the Ladies", a newspaper run exclusively by women, and fought for education and women's rights.
Her whole life was dedicated to the social emancipation of Greek women.

Answer: Actress, Activist, Minister of Culture

Melina Mercouri (1920-1994) was an internationally renowned politician and actress. She fiercely opposed the colonel's dictatorship (1967-1974), during which time she was exiled to Paris with her American husband, director Jules Dassin, and became involved in the intense anti-dictatorial movement.

When socialist economist Andreas Papandreou became Prime Minister in 1981, Melina Mercouri became Minister of Culture. Her legacy is the initiative for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, for which she fought passionately.

Answer: Historian, Academic leader

Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler (born 1926) is a distinguished Byzantinologist and the first female Rector in the 700-year history of the Sorbonne University in Paris.
Her work in the history and culture of Byzantium is internationally recognized through her numerous books, treatises, and articles. Her international academic career highlights the Greek scientific presence worldwide.

Answer: Poet

Kiki Dimoula (1931-2020) was one of the most important Greek poets of modern times and a member of the Academy of Athens. Her poetry is characterized by existential contemplation, subtle irony, and the search for poetic experience in the ordinary, the everyday.

The "New York Times" described Dimoula's poetry as "spare, profound, unsentimental, effortlessly transforming the quotidian into the metaphysical, drawing on the powerful themes of time, fate, and destiny, yet making them entirely her own." She died of cardiac arrest, due to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure, at the age of 88.

Answer: Pole-vaulter

Katerina Stefanidi (born 1990) is a Greek athlete of pole vault and an Olympic gold medalist at the Rio Games in 2016. She has won global and European titles, establishing Greece at the top of the women's pole vault race. Her constant presence at the top athletic level for many years, and her impressive academic achievements, have given her the title of the greatest female Greek athlete of her time.