Q 01/05

At the ancient Olympic festival's greatest sacrifice, a hecatomb, 100 of which animal were offered to Zeus?

A) Goats

B) Oxen

C) Horses

D) Rams

Answer · why

B) Oxen

Oxen: the Greek hekatombe joins the words for 'hundred' and 'ox', and the offering was on such a scale that 'hecatomb' now means any great slaughter.

Q 02/05

Greek historians named each four-year Olympiad after which person?

A) The sprint champion

B) The chief judge

C) The high priest

D) The ruling king

Answer · why

A) The sprint champion

The sprint champion gave each four-year Olympiad its name, so the Games became a shared calendar: historians counted their years from the first one, t...

Q 03/05

Which modern Olympic ritual, often assumed to be ancient, was actually invented for the 1936 Berlin Games?

A) The torch relay

B) The parade of nations

C) The gold medal

D) The five-ring symbol

Answer · why

A) The torch relay

The torch relay was first run for Berlin 1936, under organiser Carl Diem. The ancient Olympics never had one, though torch races were run at other Gre...

Q 04/05

Delphi crowned its winners with laurel, but the champion's wreath at Olympia was cut from which sacred tree?

A) Oak

B) Pine

C) Olive

D) Myrtle

Answer · why

C) Olive

Olive: the leaves came from a sacred wild olive at Olympia. Told that this was the only prize, a Persian officer is said to have cried out in alarm at...

Q 05/05

The bronze statues of Zeus lining the way into ancient Olympia's stadium were paid for by whom?

A) Winners of the chariot race

B) Athletes caught cheating

C) Visiting kings and tyrants

D) The priests of the temple

Answer · why

B) Athletes caught cheating

Athletes caught cheating: their fines paid for the statues, each inscribed with the offence as a warning to competitors walking in. The first went up ...