Below is the full Quizmo quiz devoted to the theme "Alexander the Great": each question, its four options, the correct answer highlighted and, where available, its source. A chance to brush up on your general knowledge and then test what you know.
▶ Play today's quizAlexander the Great was the king of which ancient Greek kingdom?
Source: Macedonia was a northern Greek kingdom that many southern city-states once dismissed as half-barbarian backwater.
Which famous philosopher served as Alexander's boyhood tutor?
Source: Aristotle tutored the teenage Alexander, reportedly giving him an annotated copy of the Iliad he slept beside.
Alexander's empire was famous for spreading which culture across the East?
Source: This blending of Greek and Eastern culture became known as the Hellenistic age, lasting centuries after his death.
Which mighty empire did Alexander conquer in his eastern campaigns?
Source: He toppled the Achaemenid Persian Empire, the largest the world had yet seen, in barely a decade.
Which Persian king did Alexander defeat to seize the Persian throne?
Source: Darius fled the battlefield twice, then was murdered by his own satrap before Alexander could capture him alive.
What was the name of Alexander's beloved warhorse?
Source: He tamed the supposedly wild horse as a boy by turning it away from its own shadow, which had spooked it.
Which Egyptian city did Alexander found that still bears his name?
Source: He sketched the city's layout himself, and it grew into the ancient world's greatest center of learning.
At what age did Alexander die?
Source: He conquered most of the known world and was dead before reaching what we'd now call early middle age.
Who was Alexander's father, the king he succeeded?
Source: His father built the professional army Alexander inherited, but was assassinated at his own daughter's wedding.
Which legendary knot did Alexander reportedly cut with his sword?
Source: Legend said whoever untied it would rule Asia, so Alexander simply slashed it apart rather than fumble with the rope.
At which battle did Alexander decisively crush Darius III's main army?
Source: Outnumbered heavily, Alexander baited the Persian center to open before charging straight at Darius himself.
Alexander's army finally refused to march further at which great river?
Source: Exhausted after years of marching into India, his troops mutinied and forced the undefeated king to turn back.
What was the signature infantry formation of Alexander's Macedonian army?
Source: Its soldiers wielded the sarissa, a pike so long that five rows of points projected ahead of the front line.
Which Indian king fought Alexander at the Battle of the Hydaspes?
Source: Impressed by his defeated foe's defiance, Alexander restored him to power rather than depose him.
Which desert nearly destroyed Alexander's army on the march home?
Source: More of his men died of thirst and heat crossing this wasteland than in all his battles combined.
What did Alexander increasingly claim about his own divine origins?
Source: An oracle at the Siwa oasis hailed him this way, and he later demanded Greeks honor him as a living god.
Which close companion's death sent Alexander into devastating grief near the end?
Source: He reportedly executed the man's doctor and ordered a funeral pyre so vast it cost a small fortune.
Which fortified island city did Alexander capture by building a causeway to it?
Source: His engineers spent seven months extending a mole across the sea, and that land bridge still survives today.
How did Alexander's vast empire fare immediately after his death?
Source: His successors, the Diadochi, carved it into rival kingdoms after decades of warfare, since he named no clear heir.
According to legend, who did Alexander name as his successor on his deathbed?
Source: Asked who should inherit, he supposedly murmured "to the strongest" — an answer that guaranteed years of bloody war.