Quiz: the ancient Peloponnese, from Olympia to Mycenae

In which sanctuary of the Peloponnese were the Olympic Games born, in 776 BC?

• 1 Delphi
• 2 Olympia
• 3 Nemea
• 4 Isthmia

Explanation Olympia hosted the Games every four years in honour of Zeus, whose temple housed a chryselephantine statue, one of the Seven Wonders.

Which ancient theatre in the Peloponnese is famous for its almost perfect acoustics?

• 1 The theatre of Epidaurus
• 2 The Odeon of Herodes Atticus
• 3 The theatre of Dodona
• 4 The theatre of Argos

Explanation At Epidaurus, a coin dropped on the stage is heard in the back row: 14,000 seats, without a microphone.

The sanctuary of Epidaurus was dedicated to which god?

• 1 Ares, god of war
• 2 Asclepius, god of medicine
• 3 Hermes, god of commerce
• 4 Dionysus, god of wine

Explanation People came from all over Greece to be treated at Epidaurus, in the sanctuary of Asclepius.

Which Mycenaean city, sung by Homer, opens with the famous Lion Gate?

• 1 Tiryns
• 2 Mycenae
• 3 Pylos
• 4 Argos

Explanation Mycenae, "rich in gold", was the city of King Agamemnon; its Lion Gate has guarded the entrance for 3,300 years.

Which warrior city rivalled Athens during the Peloponnesian War?

• 1 Corinth
• 2 Sparta
• 3 Thebes
• 4 Megara

Explanation Sparta, a society entirely turned towards war, finally prevailed over Athens in 404 BC.

Which pretty town, overlooked by the Palamidi fortress, was the first capital of modern Greece?

• 1 Patras
• 2 Nafplio
• 3 Kalamata
• 4 Tripoli

Explanation Nafplio was the capital of the young Greek state from 1828 to 1834: Venetian lanes and charm intact.

Which work, opened in 1893, cuts through the isthmus joining the Peloponnese to the mainland?

• 1 The Corinth canal
• 2 The Rion-Antirion bridge
• 3 The Euripus canal
• 4 The Lefkada canal

Explanation The Corinth canal, a spectacular 6 km cut, (almost) separates the Peloponnese from mainland Greece.

According to myth, which hero strangled the Nemean lion, in the Peloponnese, during his first Labour?

• 1 Theseus
• 2 Perseus
• 3 Heracles
• 4 Jason

Explanation Heracles brought down the Nemean lion and wore its skin, henceforth invulnerable. Nemea had its Games too.

Which ruined Byzantine city rises up the mountainside, at the foot of Mount Taygetos, above Sparta?

• 1 Mystras
• 2 Monemvasia
• 3 Geraki
• 4 Karytaina

Explanation Mystras, capital of the Despotate of the Morea, was a brilliant centre of Byzantine art until the 15th century.

In the Mani, in the south of the Peloponnese, the villages are distinguished by their…

• 1 windmills
• 2 stone tower houses
• 3 circular temples
• 4 cave churches

Explanation The stone towers of the Mani, as at Vathia, recall the clan feuds of a region long untamed.

Perched on its rock, which fortress overlooks ancient Corinth?

• 1 Acrocorinth
• 2 The Palamidi
• 3 Mystras
• 4 Methoni

Explanation Acrocorinth, a Greek then Venetian and Ottoman citadel, watches over the ruins of rich ancient Corinth.

Which little rack railway climbs the Vouraikos gorge, in the north of the Peloponnese?

• 1 The Odontotos
• 2 The Pelion express
• 3 The train from Diakofto to Kalavryta
• 4 The last two answers are both right

Explanation The Odontotos links Diakofto to Kalavryta by climbing the Vouraikos gorge: one of the finest rail journeys in Greece.