Greek History Trivia

1. The first area we come to is a merchant selling clothing. This consists of tunics for both men and women. The version for the men reaches to the knees while the female version is ankle length. From what were these made?

From Quiz Let's Go Shopping At The Ancient Greek Market

Answer: Wool or linen

Whereas a buyer could certainly find the cloth or finished tunics in the marketplace, many citizens made theirs at home. The men generally wore tunics made of lighter material and would drape it over one or both shoulders. The women wore longer tunics which could be adorned and fastened in different ways. The wealthier citizens wore brightly colored tunics to show off their status. In colder weather, people could wear a cloak over the clothing to keep them insulated.

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: 2500 BC

Nicosia is probably the only area in Cyprus than can boast continuous habitation since the early Bronze Age, 2500 years BC. (Some places in Cyprus were settled earlier, but have not been inhabited continuously).

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Amalthea

Zeus (Jupiter in Latin) was son of the Titan Cronus (Saturn in Latin). Cronus swallowed all his chidren after they were born. When Zeus was born, his mother, Rhea, gave Cronus a stone to swallow, instead of the baby, which she gave to the Nymphs, to be raised in Psiloritis. Amalthea, a goat-nymph, fed Zeus by her legendary horn of plenty, until he was adult and became King of the Gods on mountain Olympus. The horn of Amalthea, the cornucopia, symbolizes a source of inexhaustible riches.

From Quiz Particular Greek Events

Answer: Minoan

The Minoan civilization (about 3500 BC - about 1100 BC) arose on Crete and was built upon peaceful trade with nearby shores (Egypt, Phoenicia, and others). Archaeological research has unearthed some fine Minoan art, including the palace of Knossos and the fresco of "La Parisienne": a young woman wearing make-up (lipstick and mascara), and with long black hair tied in a sacral knot in the neck - probably the image of a priestess. Between about 1750 BC and about 1100 BC thrived the Mycenaean civilization on the Peleponnesus, more oriented towards the military. While Minoan palaces were relatively open, Mycenaeans built heavily guarded fortresses. The Cycladic civilization (about 3200 BC - about 1100 BC) was spread over the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. Alas, only a few types of objects were found, mostly small marble figures of women (probably goddesses). There are yet no traces of a "Pelasgian" civilization. Various Greek authors from the classical Greek period (about 1100 BC - about 300 AD) used the word Pelasgian for the inhabitants of Greece before the classical period, but they differed in identifying the origin of this group: either the ancestors of the classical Greeks or a number of tribes replaced by the classical Greeks.

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: A siren

Lefkosia was one of the daughters of Acheloos and the muse Melpomene. The name is translated as 'white substance' ('Lefkos' is the Greek word for 'white').

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: 1941, May

It was one of the most significant battles in Europe during the Second World War. German paratoopers invaded Crete, expected to face little resistance and the Germans hoped to use Crete as their center of operations in Mediterranean. The resistance they faced from the Allied troops - British and Commonwealth and Greek - caused very high casualties and forced Germany to delay the Russian campaign, which ultimately led to their defeat at Stalingrad, Kursk and elsewhere.

From Quiz Particular Greek Events

Answer: Running

While several other civilizations held occasionally some athletic contests, the Greek were the first to organise the games on a regular basis. Tradition has it that the first of these regularly planned games were held in 776 BC, in the vicinity of the village Olympia - hence the name. They would be held every four years, and every city in the whole Greek world would end their wars by a peace agreement or a truce to enter the athletic competition. The first Olympic Games had only one event: the running competition over a short distance, the stade (stadion), approximately 200 m. Later the diaulos (running twice the stadion, so approximately 400 m) and the long-distance run the dolichos (about 3,000 m) were added. In 708 BC wrestling was added, as well as the pentathlon: a set of the stadion, the javelin throw and discus throw, the long jump and wrestling. Next came boxing, the chariot race and pankration (a sort of mixed martial arts). All these sports were competed in the nude, except the chariot races. And a typically clothed event was the hoplitodromos: a run in full body armour.

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: Ledra

Nicosia started as Ledra and then Kallinikisi, Lefkothea, Lefkousia and finally Lefkosia. Soloi was named after Solon and is in the north western part of the island. Amathus is just outside present day Limassol, and Chytroi is near present day Kythrea.

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Minoan

The Minoan civilization, headed by King Minos, is the oldest civilization in Europe. They established the Linear A and B scripts, similar to hieroglyphics. The legendary "Phaistos Disk", written in Linear, is still disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology. It is now located in the Archaeological Museum in Iraklio. The Minoan civilization was destroyed by a volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini around 1500 BC.

From Quiz Particular Greek Events

Answer: Draco

Draco lived at the end of the seventh century BC in Athens, but little is known of his personal life. About 622 BC he ordered that his compilation of laws would be written down, so that any learned citizen could consult the same version. As usual in that time, many crimes were punished by death. But one of the most interesting developments (given the time frame) was the differentiation between killing someone by accident and deliberate killing. In case of accidental killing, the punishment was exile, combined with some sort of compensation for the family of the deceased. Lycurgus (about 820 BC) may have proclaimed the set of laws that shaped Spartan government. But Lycurgus may also have been a mythical person. Pheidon lived form about 710 BC until about 670 BC. He would have compiled law codes for the city of Corinth. Philolaus (about 399 BC) was a Pythagorean philosopher, who would have written down some laws for the Thebans.

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: Onasagoras

Onasagoras was the first king of Ledra. Evagoras was the king of Salamis, Tefkros (brother of Ajax) was the founder of Salamis, and Onesillus was the brother of the king of Amathus.

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Knossos

The palace of king Minos is located in Knossos, now a suburb of Iraklio. Other major cities of the Minoan Civilization were Phaestos, Gortyna, Malia and Zakros.

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: Knights Templar

The Arabs conquered the island in 650 AD and ruled Cyprus jointly with Byzantium for 300 years but Byzantium lost control of the island to Richard the Lionheart, who sold the island to the Templars. Then, in 1192, Guy de Lusignan purchased the island from the Templars.

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Daedalus

The Labyrinth was a maze, where the Minotaur, a bull-headed beast, lived. Every nine years the Athenians sent seven boys and seven girls to be eaten by the Minotaur, because King Minos' son, Androgeos, had been killed in Athens by King Aegis. Theseus was the hero who, helped by Minos' daughter Ariadne, managed to find his way through the Labyrinth and kill the beast.

From Quiz Particular Greek Events

Answer: Hippocrates

Hippocrates was born on the island of Kos around 460 BC, and died in Larissa (Thessaly, north-central Greece) around 370 BC. He worked as a physician, and is likely the first person to claim that diseases have natural causes - they are no result of the intervention of the various deities. Hippocrates would typically observe the symptoms to reach a diagnosis of what was wrong with the patient, predict the further development if no care was taken, and tried to apply adequate care. For instance if the symptom was an upset stomach, Hippocrates would prescribe a light diet for a few days. Present-day medicine has evolved quite a lot since, but the medical doctors still swear the Hippocratic oath to exercise medicine in a professional way, with as first aim not to harm the patient. Herodotus (ca 484 BC - ca 425 BC) is considered the "father of history". Socrates (ca 470 BC - 399 BC) was one of the main Greek philosophers. Sophocles (ca 497 BC - 405 BC) is one of the best-known authors of Greek tragedies, together with Aeschylus (ca 525 BC - ca 455 BC) and Euripides (ca. 480 BC - ca 406 BC).

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: 11

The eleven bastions were named after the families who funded the reconstruction of the fortifications.

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Handaq

Handaq (which means 'trench' in Arabic) is the modern Iraklio. During the Arabian age (824-960), it was the base of the Saracen pirates. In 960, Admiral Nicephorus Phocas, reconquered Crete for the Byzantine Empire. Nicephorus Phocas was Byzantine Emperor from 963-969. His bust in now located in Georgiadis Park, in Iraklio.

From Quiz Particular Greek Events

Answer: Philosopher

Stageira is a small town in Chalkidiki, in the northern part of Greece. Most inhabitants of Stageira whose name has survived centuries of history, were close family members of Aristotle: his father Nicomachus, his sister Arimneste, his wife Herpilys. Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) studied philosophy under Plato. At that time, philosophers tried to understand several very different subjects. And indeed, Aristotle dealt with logic, biology, physics, and ethics. In biology, for instance, he differentiated mammals and birds as warmblooded animals from the coldblooded reptilians and fish, and other animals without blood (such as cephalopods and insects). Other people from Chalkidiki have inspired me for the red herrings: Paeonius of Mende (Fifth century BC) was a sculptor, Aristobulus of Cassandreia (375 BC - 321 BC) was a historian and Poseidippus of Cassandreia (310 BC - 240 BC) was a poet, author of comedies.

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: St.Sophia

The cathedral of Saint Sophia was built on top of the ruins of a Greek Orthodox church with the same name. The name Selimiye was given in 1954. St.Nicolas is the Cathedral in Famagusta which was also turned into a mosque. St. Barnabas is the patron saint of Cyprus. St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, built a number of churches in Cyprus.

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Candia

Venetians captured Crete in 1204, during the Fourth Crusade. Candia is located in modern Iraklio. A lot of buildings in the center of the modern city are of Venetian architecture. The Town Hall is in the Venetian Loggia, near the Four Lions of the famous Morosini Fountain.

From Quiz Particular Greek Events

Answer: Actium is near the Greek coast

Only one of the given options is a fact: Actium is still a small settlement in western Greece, about 20 kilometers north of the entrance of the Gulf of Corinth. Although a small settlement, it has a local aeroport with flights to London. The Battle of Actium in 31 BC opposed the Roman legions led by Octavian to the Roman legions led by Mark Anthony and his Egyptian wife Cleopatra. As the Roman-Egyptian navy seemed to be annihilated, Cleopatra sailed away, shortly followed by Mark Anthony. A few months later, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra committed suicide, and Egypt became a Roman province. Greece had already been a Roman province since 146 BC (the Battle of Corinth). According to popular history, Mark Anthony requested in his last will and testimony to be buried in Egypt, side by side with Cleopatra. However, as this document is lost, we don't know for sure what it stipulated. If Mark Anthony did indeed request to be buried in Egypt, his request was not fulfilled: Octavian granted him and Cleopatra a funeral service in Rome.

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: 1878

Following the war between Russia and Turkey and the Congress of Berlin (1878) the administration of the island was transferred to Great Britain and Cyprus became a crown colony in 1925.

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Domenicos Theotocopoulos

Domenicos Theotocopoulos was born in Fodele, a village near Iraklio in 1541. He was a well known painter in Crete and Italy, before he was moved to Spain, where most of his great works were created. He lived in Toledo, where he was nicknamed "El Greco" (The Greek), and died there, in 1614. "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz" is, perhaps, his best known painting.

From Quiz Particular Greek Events

Answer: Constantine XI Paleologos

Greek colonists founded the city of Byzantium (renamed Constantinople by Emperor Constantine I, and nowadays known as Istanbul) on the edge of Europe and Asia. This strategic location explains how this city gained a tremendous influence, even replacing Rome around 476 AD as what people could consider the world's capital. The Byzantine Empire had three main aspects: the Roman organization of an empire (with of course the Roman military organization into legions), the Greek language, and the Christian religion. The Byzantine Empire continued until 1453 AD, when the Ottoman Empire finally conquered the city of Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul. The last of the Byzantine Emperors would have mounted a horse and charged into the Ottoman army, never too be seen again. The last Byzantine Emperor was Constantine XI Palaiologos, who shared his first name with the first Byzantine Emperor, Constantine I the Great. Born in 1405, Constantine XI reached the throne in 1449. When the Ottoman Empire sieged Constantinople in 1453, odds were really unfavourable for Constantine: he was largely outnumbered, according to some sources even 14 to 1. Romanos IV Diogenes was the Byzantine Emperor between 1068 AD and 1071 AD. John VI ruled between 1347 AD and 1354 AD. Basil II was one of the longest ruling Byzantine Emperors from 976 AD - 1025 AD.

From Quiz Nicosia-Leukosia

Answer: August 16

Cyprus was proclaimed as an independent republic on August 16. October 1 is celebrated as the official independence day. March 25 is the Greek indepedence day.

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Nikos Kazantzakis

Nikos Kazantzakis, was born in Myrtia, a village near Iraklio in 1883, and died in Freiburg, Germany, in 1957. He was wrote many novels and poems. The most famous, apart from "Zorba the Greek", are "The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel","Captain Michalis", "Last Temptation of Christ", "Report to Greco", "The Greek Passion" and "Saint Francis". The International Airport of Iraklion is named after him.

From Quiz History of Crete

Answer: Eleftherios Venizelos

The most significant politician of modern Greece was born in Mournies, near Chania, in 1864, and died in exile in Paris, France, in 1936. He is now recognised as a key national leader by all Greeks. His tomb, along with his son's, Sofoklis, are located in Akrotiri, Chania. His name was given to the International Airport of Athens.

From Quiz Particular Greek Events

Answer: Literature

Giorgios Seferis (1900-1971) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1963 for his lyric poetry. The second Greek to win any Nobel Prize, was the poet Odysseas Elytis (1911-1996), the 1979 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Does this mean that Greeks have made no great efforts in any of the other categories? Not at all, but there are each year so many people worthy for a Noble Prize, and Greece is after all a rather small country. Some other countries with about the same population are Azerbaijan and Honduras (both without Nobel Prize winners in the Twentieth Century), Portugal and Czechia. Five Czechs won four different Nobel Prize categories during the Twentieth Century, while two Portuguese won in different categories during the Twentieth Century.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:48 AM

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