11. Quiz
Question 1
What did Theodosius I do?
Answer
Theodosius I was a Roman emperor who adopted Christianity as the official religion of the empire. Between 389 and 391 CE, he banned all forms of non-Christian religion, including the Panhellenic Games of Greece, which, at that time, was part of the Roman empire.
Question 2
A wrestling (pale) match was won by...
Answer
A pale match could be won either by throwing an opponent on his hip, shoulder or back, or forcing him to admit defeat.
Question 3
The Classical Greek term gymnos (where the word ‘gymnasion’ derives from), means:
Answer
The gymnasion derives its name from the Greek word for ‘naked’, because athletes trained and competed with their clothes off.
Question 4
What did the Ancient Greeks call the Olympic marathon race?
Answer
The Ancient Olympics did not have a marathon race. Marathon racing was introduced as an Olympic event in 1896 by Michel Bréal and Pierre de Coubertin.
Question 5
Link the sporting equipment with their appropriate sporting events in the right column by dragging and dropping the phrases.
Answer
Himantes were long oxhide straps that were wrapped around the boxer’s wrists and hands.
The hysplex was a starting mechanism that resembled a long wooden fence. Its aim was to reduce the number of false starts in foot races.
The tethrippon was a small, light chariot drawn by four horses. It was fast and very dangerous to drive.
Halteres were weights made of stone or metal, used in the long jump. They were also used during an athlete’s training as an ancient equivalent of dumbbells.
The ankyle was a strap wrapped around the javelin and held between two of the athlete’s fingers in a loop. It was used to increase the javelin’s speed and accuracy.
Question 6
The Ancient Olympics were held in honour of:
Answer
The Ancient Olympics had deep religious significance and were held in honour of the god Zeus. There was a large temple and altar dedicated to Zeus in the sacred grove at Olympia.
Question 7
An Olympiad was:
Answer
The Olympics became such an important cultural referent in Ancient Greece that long periods of time were often measured in Olympiads.
Question 8
Link the Ancient Olympic values in the blue boxes with their correct modern equivalents.
Answer
Arete is the excellence that an Ancient Greek athlete was expected to strive for in his training and competitions. Arete was associated with notions of courage, strength and virtue.
Isonomia is the sense of fairness and equality that, in principle, all Ancient Olympic athletes had a right to.
The word kalokagathia is a combination of the Greek terms ‘beautiful’ and ‘good’, which referred to the qualities that an individual should aspire to as part of a balanced, successful education.
Kleos was the word used to describe the honour and fame that an athlete obtained with his victory. It was also used to refer to the glory associated with epic heroes in classical mythology and honourable citizens.
Question 9
The precedents of the Olympic festival can be found in Mycenaean and Minoan...
Answer
The Olympics probably developed as a funerary tradition. According to the Iliad (XXIII), the mythological character Achilles was the first person to hold athletic games in honour of a deceased person (his friend Patroclus).
Question 10
Which of the following places was not a site of a Panhellenic game?
Answer
Athens hosted the Panathenaic Games, which were considered a local festival rather than a Panhellenic (i.e. all-Greek) game.
OpenLearn - The Ancient Olympics: Bridging past and present
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