Alexander the Mid Midterm

True or False: When Philip II became king of Macedonia, the kingdom was in a state of stability and prosperity

False

What was one of Philip II’s most significant military reforms?

The introduction of heavy infantry.

True or False: Philip II was responsible for uniting the various regions of Macedonia into a cohesive nation

True

What significant battle cemented Philip’s dominance over the Greek states

The Battle of Chaeronea

Which major foreign power was Philip preparing to invade at the time of his death?

Persia

True or False: Under Philip II’s rule, Macedonian gold and silver coin production increased significantly compared to his predecessors

True

True or False: Macedonian drinking practices at symposia were seen as more restrained compared to those of southern Greek city-states

False

Why did many Greeks initially reject the Macedonians as “true Greeks?

Macedonians shared only a loose ancestry with the Greeks and had allied with the Persians during the Persian Wars

True or False: The Hellenistic World spanned from the Adriatic in the west to the Himalayas in the east

True

True or False: The royal family of Macedonia claimed descent from Argos, allowing them to compete in the Olympic Games

True

True or False: The term “Hellenistic” was originally used in the Acts of the Apostles

True

True or False: Macedonian society remained a network of autonomous city-states like those in southern Greece

False

True or False: Alexander’s adoption of Persian customs and dress was widely accepted by his Macedonian soldiers

False

True or False: Alexander’s death inspired conspiracies and theories, but there is no concrete evidence of foul play

True

True or False: The Theban Sacred Band was composed of elite cavalry units

False

True or False: The Macedonian kings shared power equally with the Assembly of male citizens

False

Why did the Athenians originally establish a colony at Amphipolis?

To secure valuable timber and silver resources for their naval and economic power

True or False: Philip II of Macedonia’s leadership stabilized the kingdom after years of chaos

True

True or False: Alexander was born on July 20, 356 BCE

True

Who was Alexander’s mother?

Olympias

True or False: Alexander’s brother Arrhidaeus was considered a rival for the throne because of his strong leadership skills.

False

True or False: Aristotle was hired by Philip to tutor Alexander and teach him practical subjects like geometry, rhetoric, and ethics

True

Which Greek heroes were purported ancestors of Alexander according to his lineage?

Hercules and Achilles

True or False: Alexander founded his first city, Alexandropolis, after leading a campaign at age 16

True

Why did tensions rise between Alexander and Philip during Philip’s later years?

Philip’s new marriage to Cleopatra Eurydice threatened Alexander’s succession

What was the initial justification for Alexander’s invasion of Persia, as per the propaganda?

To avenge Greek losses from the Persian Wars and liberate Greek cities under Persian rule

How did Alexander’s image evolve during his conquests?

He increasingly adopted divine attributes and styled himself as a god-like ruler

What events led to the cessation of Alexander’s eastward advance?

His army’s mutiny at the Hyphasis River, refusing to march further into India

True or False: Alexander burned the royal palace at Persepolis as a symbolic act of ending the war of revenge

True

True or False: The incorporation of Asian troops and customs into Alexander’s army was a philosophical attempt to create equality among cultures

False

Why did Ptolemy abduct Alexander’s corpse and bury it in Egypt?

To legitimize his rule in Egypt by associating himself with Alexander’s legacy

Who among Alexander’s generals was the first to be officially proclaimed king?

Antigonus Monophthalmus

True or False: Alexander IV, the son of Alexander the Great, was allowed to grow up and rule the empire

False

True or False: The Successors’ wars were characterized by alliances that were often betrayed when opportunities arose

True

True or False: The Colossus of Rhodes, a wonder of the ancient world, was constructed using funds from selling Demetrios’ siege equipment

True

True or False: The Galatians established permanent settlements in Asia Minor following their invasion of Greece

True

What marked the beginning of the Seleukid era?

Seleukos recovering Babylon from Antigonos

What strategy did the Seleukids employ to manage their diverse empire?

A network of bilateral relationships with local communities

Which city was considered a ‘royal city’ and rival to Babylon in the Seleukid Empire?

Seleucia-on-the-Tigris

True or False: The Seleukid Empire’s diverse population was united by a single cultural policy

False

True or False: Babylon remained an administrative and cultural center throughout Seleukid rule

False

True or False: The League of Corinth was formed to unite Greek city-states under a military alliance led by Philip II

True

True or False: Pausanias assassinated Philip II during a private meeting in the Macedonian palace

True

True or False: Philip II introduced the sarissa, a long spear, as part of his military reforms

True

True or False: Sparta refused to join the League of Corinth, choosing to remain isolated

True

What key advantage did the Macedonian phalanx gain from the use of the sarissa?

Its extended reach allowed them to keep enemy forces at a greater distance

At the Battle of Chaeronea, who led the Macedonian left flank and defeated the Sacred Band?

Alexander the Great

Philip was a hostage in which city-state?

Thebes

Before building the Philipeion, the architect Leochares famously worked on…

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

What controversial practice did Alexander introduce at his court that led to backlash from his Macedonian followers?

Proskynesis (the Persian practice of bowing before the king)

What was a widely believed cause of Alexander's death in Antiquity?

Poisoning

What was the significance of Alexander’s marriage to Roxana?

It helped secure his rule over Bactria and forge alliances with local elites

What were the reasons Alexander’s army mutinied at Opis?

His incorporation of Persian customs and soldiers into the army and his growing autocratic rule

How did Alexander respond to his army’s mutiny at Opis?

He dismissed veteran troops and gave an emotional speech asserting his authority

True or False: Alexander’s conquest of India was relatively easy, as Indian rulers surrendered quickly

False

True or False: The Battle of Hydaspes against King Porus proved to be a Pyrrhic victory for Alexander, as it shattered his army’s morale

True

True or False: Alexander’s march through the Gedrosian Desert was a calculated military maneuver to outflank an enemy army

False

True or False: After the death of Hephaestion, Alexander spared no expense in organizing an elaborate funeral

True

True or False: One of Alexander’s plans after his conquest was a large-scale population exchange between Asia and Europe to promote cultural fusion

True

Which of the following best describes Alexander’s ostensible motivation for the first phase of his campaign?

To avenge the Persian Wars and liberate Greek city-states under Persian control

What was the outcome of the Battle of Gaugamela?

Alexander decisively defeated Darius III, leading to the collapse of the Persian Empire

Why did Persian military forces struggle against Alexander?

Their reliance on lightly armed infantry and their decentralized command structure made them vulnerable

True or False: Alexander’s army remained the same size throughout his campaign without receiving reinforcements

False

True or False: The Persian administrative system under Darius I was decentralized, relying on local satraps to govern the provinces

True

True or False: Alexander’s final years were spent in campaigns deep into India, where he ultimately died in battle

False

True or False: The Persian Empire’s weakness was partially due to its reliance on lightly armed infantry with little stake in victory.

True

What was one of Alexander's posthumous plans discovered by Perdiccas?

A large-scale invasion of Arabia

Which general was known as the "One-Eyed" and fought independently at Issus?

Antigonus Monophthalmus

Who intercepted Alexander's funeral procession and took the body to Alexandria?

Ptolemy I

Which battle saw the use of 400 Indian war elephants to trap Demetrios?

The Battle of Ipsus

What city became the eastern capital of the Seleucid Empire?

Seleucia-on-the-Tigris

What title did Ptolemy earn for aiding the Rhodians during Demetrios’ siege?

Soter ("Savior")

True or False: Eumenes was originally a scribe before becoming a general

True

True or False: Cassander promised that he would not execute Olympias

True (but he later had her killed anyway)

True or False: The Siege of Rhodes was one of the shortest sieges in ancient history

False

True or False: Seleucus' empire was easy to govern due to its cultural homogeneity

False

True or False: Antigonus Monophthalmus died in the Battle of Ipsus

True

What was Seleukos’ major military advantage gained from his treaty with Chandragupta?

He received 500 war elephants, which played a crucial role in later battles

True or False: Ptolemy Keraunos succeeded in unifying Alexander’s entire empire under his rule

False

Which new deity did Ptolemy create to unify Egyptian and Greek populations?

Serapis

What aspect of Ptolemy’s economic reforms greatly benefited Egypt’s state revenue?

The closed currency system requiring foreign coin conversion

True or False: Ptolemy completely excluded native Egyptians from administrative roles in his government

False

True or False: Ptolemy introduced heavy taxation and monopolies to strengthen Egypt’s economy

True

True or False: Ptolemy established a dynastic cult after deifying himself as a god

False

True or False: Ptolemy ensured a smooth transition of power by naming Ptolemy II as co-ruler before his death

True

True or False: Alexander’s generals unanimously agreed to appoint Perdiccas as his successor

False

What motivated Rome’s permanent annexation of Greek territories after the Mithridatic Wars?

Ensuring no future challenges to Roman authority

What was a major consequence of Sulla’s campaign in Athens?

Widespread destruction and economic ruin

What did Mithridates VI use to unify support across diverse regions against Rome?

Promotion of Hellenistic culture and anti-Roman sentiment

True or False: The massacre ordered by Mithridates VI in 88 BC was limited to military personnel

False

True or False: Sulla’s imposition of reparations on Greek cities following his campaigns led to long-term economic difficulties for the region

True