- 1. Who founded the Achaemenid Empire?
A) Darius the Great
B) Xerxes I
C) Cyrus the Great
D) Cambyses II
- 2. How many capital cities governed the Achaemenid Empire?
A) Five
B) Three
C) Four
D) Two
- 3. Which of these cities was a capital of the Achaemenid Empire?
A) Athens
B) Sparta
C) Pasargadae
D) Memphis
- 4. What was the name of the administrative units in the Achaemenid Empire?
A) Satrapy
B) Province
C) Prefecture
D) District
- 5. What was the title of the governor who administered a satrapy?
A) General
B) Satrap
C) Emperor
D) Secretary
- 6. Who was responsible for military recruitment and order in a satrapy?
A) The emperor
B) The state secretary
C) The general
D) The satrap
- 7. Who kept the official records within a satrapy?
A) General
B) Postal officer
C) State secretary
D) Satrap
- 8. How many satrapies were there at differing times in the empire?
A) Between 30 and 40
B) Between 10 and 20
C) Between 20 and 30
D) Exactly 50
- 9. What was the name of the elite military unit created by Cyrus the Great?
A) Defenders
B) Immortals
C) Guardians
D) Warriors
- 10. How many soldiers were in the Immortals unit?
A) 5,000
B) 1,000
C) 20,000
D) 10,000
- 11. What was the name of the Achaemenid postal relay stations?
A) Persepolis
B) Satrapy
C) Chapar Khaneh
D) Archive
- 12. Where were the Persepolis Administrative Archives discovered?
A) In the 1890s
B) In the 1950s
C) In the 1930s
D) In the 1900s
- 13. What is the primary language used in the majority of the Persepolis Administrative Archives?
A) Aramaic
B) Elamite
C) Greek
D) Old Persian
- 14. Approximately how many cuneiform documents were found in the Persepolis Administrative Archives?
A) Exactly 5,000
B) Exactly 20,000
C) Less than 1,000
D) More than 10,000
- 15. Approximately how many original records in the archives are in Aramaic?
A) 5,000
B) 100 or less
C) 10,000
D) 1,000 or more
- 16. How many tablets in Old Persian have been identified in the archives?
A) Only one
B) None
C) One hundred
D) Ten
- 17. Which city served as a capital alongside Pasargadae, Susa, and Ecbatana?
A) Tyre
B) Persepolis
C) Nineveh
D) Babylon
- 18. What was found in the archives in addition to the written documents?
A) Gold coins
B) Weapons
C) Seals and seal impressions
D) Pottery
- 19. The Persepolis archives represent administrative activity over how many years?
A) Exactly one hundred
B) Two hundred
C) More than fifty
D) Less than ten
- 20. Who did the general and state secretary report to?
A) Only the emperor
B) The satrap and the central government
C) The military council
D) Only the satrap
- 21. In what year did Darius the Great initiate military operations that included the subjugation of Macedonia?
A) 510 BC
B) 499 BC
C) 513 BC
D) 492 BC
- 22. Which Persian commander was left in Europe by Darius to accomplish conquests in the Balkans?
A) Artabanus
B) Artaphernes
C) Mardonius
D) Megabazus
- 23. What was the name of the Macedonian king who surrendered his country to the Persians around 512–511 BC?
A) Darius I
B) Xerxes I
C) Amyntas I
D) Alexander
- 24. Who was the Persian official that married Amyntas' daughter, Gygaea?
A) Bubares
B) Megabazus
C) Mardonius
D) Artaphernes
- 25. What term did the Persians use to refer to both Greeks and Macedonians?
A) Ionian
B) Yauna
C) Paeonians
D) Scythians
- 26. What is the likely meaning of the term 'Yaunã Takabara' used by the Persians to describe Macedonians?
A) Greeks from the north
B) Greeks with spears
C) Greeks with golden armor
D) Greeks with hats that look like shields
- 27. In what year did the Persian general Mardonius make Macedonia a fully subordinate part of the empire?
A) 479 BC
B) 480 BC
C) 490 BC
D) 492 BC
- 28. Where were the Persian forces defeated by the Athenians in 490 BC?
A) Battle of Marathon
B) Battle of Thermopylae
C) Battle of Plataea
D) Battle of Salamis
- 29. What does the Old Persian name 'Xšayārša' mean?
A) Ruler of the Lands
B) Conqueror of the West
C) Hero Among Kings
D) Great King
- 30. How many days was the Persian army delayed by a small Greek force at Thermopylae?
A) Ten days
B) Three days
C) Two days
D) Seven days
- 31. Which battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Greeks over the Persian fleet in 480 BC?
A) Battle of Plataea
B) Battle of Artemisium
C) Battle of Salamis
D) Battle of Mycale
- 32. What was the final outcome for the land army left in Greece under Mardonius?
A) Conquered Athens
B) Retreated to Macedonia
C) Retired to Sardis
D) Destroyed at the Battle of Plataea
- 33. According to Greek and Roman sources, who was responsible for the assassination of Xerxes I?
A) Mardonius
B) Aristagoras
C) Artabanus
D) His son
- 34. What was the result of the Battle of Mycale?
A) The Persian Empire expanded into Libya
B) Xerxes conquered Athens
C) Macedonia became a vassal state
D) Encouraged the Greek cities of Asia to revolt
- 35. Which of these regions was NOT mentioned as being under the control of the Persian Kings in the 5th century BC?
A) Azerbaijan
B) Italy
C) Cyprus
D) Uzbekistan
- 36. Which Median king was captured by Cyrus in 550 BC?
A) Pactyes
B) Croesus
C) Mazares
D) Astyages
- 37. What was the capital city of the Median Empire captured by Cyrus?
A) Cyropolis
B) Sardis
C) Babylon
D) Ecbatana
- 38. Which kingdom did Cyrus inherit conflict with after defeating the Medes?
A) Bactria
B) Saka
C) Neo-Babylonian Empire
D) Persia
- 39. Who was the King of Lydia that attacked Median territory?
A) Pactyes
B) Croesus
C) Astyages
D) Harpagus
- 40. What was the capital of the Lydian Kingdom?
A) Cyropolis
B) Sardis
C) Bactria
D) Ecbatana
- 41. Who was placed in charge of collecting tribute in Lydia by Cyrus?
A) Mazares
B) Astyages
C) Pactyes
D) Harpagus
- 42. Who did Cyrus send to deal with the rebellion of Pactyes?
A) Harpagus
B) Mazares
C) Astyages
D) Croesus
- 43. Who took over the subjugation of Lydia after the death of Mazares?
A) Cyrus
B) Croesus
C) Harpagus
D) Pactyes
- 44. Cyrus had to fight wars in Central Asia against which group?
A) Saka
B) Lydians
C) Babylonians
D) Medes
- 45. Which city in Central Asia was established by Cyrus as a garrison town?
A) Sardis
B) Babylon
C) Ecbatana
D) Cyropolis
- 46. Besides the Saka, which region revolted against Cyrus in Central Asia?
A) Lydia
B) Bactria
C) Babylonia
D) Media
- 47. Which clan within the Pasargadae tribe produced the Perseid kings?
A) Dropici
B) Achaemenids
C) Derusiaei
D) Panthialaei
- 48. Which of these Persian tribes were nomadic?
A) Panthialaei
B) Derusiaei
C) Dai
D) Germanii
- 49. The Persians settled in a region that included which mountain range?
A) Alborz Mountains
B) Hindu Kush
C) Zagros Mountains
D) Caucasus Mountains
- 50. Who were the native people living in the region when the Persians settled there?
A) Assyrians
B) Medes
C) Elamites
D) Babylonians
- 51. Which group of Iranian people possibly established a short-lived empire before the Achaemenids?
A) Mardi
B) Pasargadae
C) Medes
D) Sagarti
- 52. According to the Behistun Inscription, who was the father of Teispes?
A) Achaemenes
B) Cyrus II
C) Cambyses I
D) Cyrus I
- 53. Who was the mother of Cyrus the Great according to Herodotus?
A) Persis
B) Mandane
C) Anshan
D) Astyages
- 54. What was the original occupation of the Persians in the western Iranian Plateau?
A) Nomadic pastoralists
B) Seafaring merchants
C) Industrial metalworkers
D) Sedentary farmers
- 55. What was the approximate peak territorial extent of the Achaemenid Empire?
A) 10 million square kilometres
B) 5.5 million square kilometres
C) 8.5 million square kilometres
D) 2.1 million square kilometres
- 56. Which region in southwestern Iran was settled by Persians by the 7th century BC?
A) Anatolia
B) Persis
C) Cyrenaica
D) Mesopotamia
- 57. What is the literal meaning of the Old Persian term 'Xšāça'?
A) The Empire
B) The Kingdom
C) The Great Ruler
D) The Friend's Mind
- 58. Which infrastructure project is specifically mentioned as an achievement of the Achaemenid Empire?
A) Colosseum
B) Appian Way
C) Great Wall
D) Royal Road
- 59. Who was Achaemenes a vassal to?
A) Assyria
B) Lydia
C) Media
D) Babylon
- 60. What term did the original nomadic people use to call themselves around 850 BC?
A) Medes
B) Parsa
C) Anshani
D) Lydians
- 61. The Achaemenid name translates from a bahuvrihi compound meaning what?
A) Ruler of the plateau
B) Defender of the faith
C) Great king of kings
D) Having a friend's mind
- 62. Which Babylonian king was taken prisoner when Babylon fell to Cyrus?
A) Amasis II
B) Nabonidus
C) Ashurbanipal
D) Psamtik III
- 63. Which deity did Nabonidus promote instead of Marduk?
A) Apis
B) Amon
C) Bel
D) Sin
- 64. Which Assyrian king did Cyrus compare himself to for propaganda purposes?
A) Nabonidus
B) Cambyses I
C) Ashurbanipal
D) Psamtik III
- 65. Who succeeded Cyrus after his death in 530 BC?
A) Cambyses II
B) Bardiya
C) Darius the Great
D) Gaumata
- 66. Where did the Persian army defeat Psamtik III?
A) Pelusium
B) Bactria
C) Opis
D) Memphis
- 67. What is the primary source for the claim that Cambyses killed the sacred bull Apis?
A) Pierre Briant
B) Ctesias
C) Herodotus
D) Behistun Inscription
- 68. What was the main ethnic composition of the garrison Cambyses established at Elephantine?
A) Phoenician soldiers
B) Jewish soldiers
C) Greek soldiers
D) Libyan soldiers
- 69. What does the name Dāryavuš mean?
A) Son of Cyrus
B) Conqueror of Egypt
C) King of Kings
D) Who holds firm the good
- 70. How long did Gaumata supposedly rule according to the Behistun Inscription?
A) Five years
B) Seven months
C) Two years
D) One year
- 71. Who was the second person to attempt a coup by impersonating Bardiya?
A) Gaumata
B) Psamtik III
C) Sphendadates
D) Vahyazdāta
- 72. Which historian hypothesized that Bardiya may have been the legitimate successor and not killed by Cambyses?
A) Herodotus
B) Pierre Briant
C) Darius the Great
D) Ctesias
- 73. Which religion became the de facto religion of the empire under Artaxerxes I?
A) Polytheism
B) Manichaeism
C) Judaism
D) Zoroastrianism
- 74. Which famous Greek figure was offered asylum by Artaxerxes I?
A) Themistocles
B) Xenophon
C) Cimon
D) Agesilaus II
- 75. Who was the Egyptian rebel who threw off Persian control upon the death of Darius II?
A) Amyrtaeus
B) Belesys II
C) Nectanebo II
D) Tennes
- 76. Where was Cyrus the Younger killed in 401 BC?
A) Ecbatana
B) Persepolis
C) Susa
D) Cunaxa
- 77. What tax concept did the Achaemenids adopt from the Babylonians?
A) A tax on silver and gold imports
B) An income tax on merchants
C) A mandatory one-tenth temple tithe
D) A flat land-use fee
- 78. Which wife of Artaxerxes II was poisoned by his mother, Parysatis?
A) Stateira
B) Nectanebo
C) Aspasia
D) Parysatis
- 79. Where did Artaxerxes III send the Jews who supported the Phoenician revolt?
A) Sardis
B) Babylon
C) Hyrcania
D) Persepolis
- 80. Who was the chief of the eunuchs that led the Persian forces in Egypt?
A) Rhossaces
B) Lacrates of Thebes
C) Mentor of Rhodes
D) Bagoas
- 81. Where did Nectanebo II flee after his defeat?
A) Babylon
B) Sidon
C) Ethiopia
D) Hyrcania
- 82. Who was appointed as the satrap of Egypt by Artaxerxes III?
A) Mentor of Rhodes
B) Pherendares
C) Rhossaces
D) Bagoas
- 83. Who advocated for a 'crusade against the barbarians' in Athens?
A) Cersobleptes
B) Demosthenes
C) Philip II
D) Isocrates
- 84. Which city did the Persians help save from Philip II's siege in 340 BC?
A) Memphis
B) Athens
C) Perinthus
D) Sidon
- 85. How did Artaxerxes III die in 338 BC?
A) He was executed by his soldiers
B) He died of old age
C) He was poisoned
D) He died in battle
- 86. Who succeeded Artaxerxes III as the ruler of the Achaemenid Empire?
A) Bessus
B) Darius III
C) Seleucus I Nicator
D) Artaxerxes IV Arses
- 87. Which battle occurred in 333 BC between Alexander and the Persian armies?
A) Pasargadae
B) Granicus
C) Issus
D) Gaugamela
- 88. Who was ordered by Alexander to restore the interior of Cyrus's tomb?
A) Seleucus I
B) The Magi
C) Bessus
D) Aristobulus
- 89. Who took Darius III prisoner before murdering him?
A) Alexander the Great
B) Bagoas
C) Bessus
D) Seleucus I
- 90. What title did Bessus claim after murdering Darius III?
A) Artaxerxes V
B) Satrap of Persia
C) King of Kings
D) Darius IV
- 91. Who restored native Iranian rule in the 2nd century BC?
A) The remaining Achaemenids
B) The Seleucids
C) The Parthians
D) The Macedonians
- 92. What is the name given to the generals who divided Alexander's empire?
A) Magi
B) Satrapies
C) Hellenes
D) Diadochi
- 93. Who were the representatives of the Seleucids in the Fārs region?
A) Arsacid dynasty
B) Pontic dynasty
C) Frataraka dynasty
D) Sasanian dynasty
- 94. Which title disappeared during the reign of Vādfradād II?
A) šāhanšāh
B) mlk
C) satrap
D) prtrk' zy alhaya
- 95. Which title appeared under Dārēv I, suggesting independence?
A) mlk
B) Frataraka
C) Shah
D) Pharaoh
- 96. Who was the father of Šābuhr in the context of the Sasanian Empire?
A) Ardaxšir V
B) Artabanos V
C) Pāpag
D) Mithridates I
- 97. Where was Ardaxšir I crowned as šāhanšāh ī Ērān?
A) Pontus
B) Fārs
C) Persis
D) Ctesiphon
- 98. When did Ardaxšir V defeat the last legitimate Parthian king?
A) 63 BC
B) 281 BC
C) 150 BC
D) 224 AD
- 99. What disease is suggested as evidence for the Parthian claim to Achaemenid ancestry?
A) Tuberculosis
B) Neurofibromatosis
C) Smallpox
D) Plague
- 100. What did the Parthian and Sasanian dynasties occasionally claim?
A) Direct Seleucid lineage
B) Greek ancestry
C) Roman citizenship
D) Achaemenid descent
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