Ancient Worlds Trivia – April 11, 2015
1. What town did the Flintstones live in?
Bedrock
2. This ancient civilization in Mexico and Central America crumbled after Cortez
conquered them?
Aztecs
3. The Marine hymn begins:
From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli;
In what country would you find the Halls of Montezuma?
Mexico. "The Halls of Montezuma" refers to the Battle of Chapultepec, during
the Mexican-American War, where a force of Marines stormed Chapultepec
Castle.
4. The Marine hymn begins:
From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli;
In what country would you find the shores of Tripoli?
Libya. The line "To the shores of Tripoli" refers to the First Barbary War, and
specifically the Battle of Derne in 1805.
5. A term for the Spanish invaders and conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th
century. (Hint: Francisco Pizzaro was one. The word means “conqueror.”)
Conquistador
6. The Incas were an ancient empire thought to have built Machu Picchu, a terraced city
perched atop the Andes. Now in ruins, it is a World Heritage site. In which country is it
located?
Peru
7. The civilization of ancient Egypt was concentrated around this famous river
Nile [the longest in the world?]
There are many factors, such as the source, the identification or the definition of the mouth, and the
scale of measurement[1] of the river length between source and mouth, that determine the precise
meaning of "river length". As a result, the length measurements of many rivers are only
approximations. In particular, there has long been disagreement as to whether the Nile or the
Amazon is the world's longest river. The Nile has traditionally been considered longer, but in recent
years some Brazilian and Peruvian studies have suggested that the Amazon is longer by measuring
the river plus the adjacent Pará estuary and the longest connecting tidal canal.
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8. This huge stone Egyptian structure is of a mythical creature with a lion’s body and a
human’s head. What is it called?
Sphynx (The Great Sphynx of Giza)
9. The largest archaeological preserve in the U.S. was made a national park in 1906 by
President Theodore Roosevelt. More than 600 cliff dwellings have been discovered
there. What is its name?
Mesa Verde (hint: located in southwestern Colorado. Its name means “green table.”)
10. Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. What is he commonly
known as?
King Tut
11. Ancient relative of the elephant, this animal, which appeared in the Americas, was
hunted by man. It is now extinct, perhaps from overhunting.
Mastodon
Mammoths and mastodons may have once roamed the Earth together, but they represent two
distinct species of the Proboscidean family. And while these extinct giants have a lot in
common, they also exhibit some interesting differences.
12. Paleontology is the study of what?
Fossils
13. What was the period called when large moving sheets of ice covered the earth?
Ice Age
14. Large moving sheets of ice covered the earth during the Ice Age. These were named
for the French word for ice. What were these large moving sheets called?
Glaciers
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from French, from glace ‘ice,’ based on Latin glacies .
15. When the last ice age occurred, were humans around yet? Yes or No.
Yes (They were only in Africa before. After, they spread to Europe, Asia, and Australia,
and when the glaciers retreated, to the Americas.)
16. This ancient Mesoamerican civilization is known for its pyramids, calendar, stone
carvings, corn cultivation, and human sacrifice.
Maya (Hint: Mesoamerica is most of Central America.)
17. The ancient Greek warrior society that defeated its rival state Athens shares its
name with Michigan State’s (Michigan State University) sports team.
Spartans
18. The people from the ancient Greek city of Troy share their name with the USC
(University of Southern California) sports team.
Trojans (Hint: Popular brand of condoms)
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19. This ancient fortification of ancient China can be seen from space.
Great Wall of China
20. When in this city, you do as its inhabitants do.
Rome (“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”)
21. This country, with ancient origins, is officially known as the Hellenic Republic.
Greece
22. This rocky prehistoric monument, estimated to be built from 3000 BC to 2000 BC, is
in Wiltshire, England.
Stonehenge
23. This ruthless military leader and warlord who created the Mongol empire, the
largest in the world at that time. What was his name?
Genghis Kahn (Hint: The second Star Trek movie contains his last name: “The Wrath of
___,” in which the ruthless character was played by Ricardo Montalban.)
24. This queen of Egypt was played on the silver screen by Elizabeth Taylor. Richard
Burton played Marc Antony.
Cleopatra
25. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle belonged to what profession of ancient Greece?
Philosophers
26. The Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis, Statue
of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum at Halicarnasssus, Colossus of Rhodes, and the
Lighthouse of Alexandria are collectively known as what?
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Hint: this is a list of 7 items)
27. This traditional or legendary story, usually containing a hero, great event, and
dieties, are used to explain a practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
Myth
28. These German Norse seafarers used longships for their explorations.
Vikings (Hint: Minnesota’s NFL team is named for them.)
29. The sneaky way the Trojans used to gain access to the city of Troy involved hiding
men in a giant wooden container in the shape of this animal.
Horse (Trojan Horse)
30. The Xian Tombs of Quin Dynasty are known for its army of life-size sculptures of
horses and soldiers. They were buried with the first emperor of China to protect him in
his afterlife. What were the sculptures made of?
Terra Cotta (Hint: In Italian, it means “baked earth.” The material is commonly used for
flower pots, water pipes, and bricks.)
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31. A type of salad shares the same name with a prolific assassinated Roman leader.
Julius Caesar
32. Zeus was god of the sky, among other things. Who was god of the underworld?
Hades
33. These armed combatants entertained Roman audiences by fighting wild animals
and each other.
Gladiators
34. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain early books of the Hebrew bible. What two countries
is the Dead Sea located between?
Israel and Jordan (Bonus: Why is it called dead? Because of its high salt content,
animals cannot live in it.)
35. This Roman emperor was infamously known as the emperor who “fiddled while
Rome burned.”
Nero
36. The Holy Grail figured prominently in many of the tales involving King Arthur. The
grail became intertwined with stories of the Holy Chalice, with which Jesus used to
serve wine. At what event did this famous serving take place?
Last Supper
37. This fictional island famously submerges in the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantis
38. The formal writing system of the ancient Egyptians.
Hieroglyphics
39. The kingdom of Mesopotamia was between these two rivers.
Tigris and Euphrates
91. This tower of Babylonia appears in the Bible in a story explaining the creation of
foreign languages.
Tower of Babel.
41. “Cradle of Chinese Civilization,” this river is the second longest in China, after the
Yangtze. Yellow River
42. Rome was found along this river, one of the longest in Italy.
Tiber
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43. On this stone are carved a decree issued by King Ptolemy V at Memphis, Egypt
Stone in three different languages: Ancient Greek, Demotic, and Egyptian hieroglyphs. It
is now the name of an education technology company that helps people learn foreign
languages.
Rosetta Stone
44. A word for a stone pillar with four sides and tapers toward the top, like our
Washington Monument.
Obelisk
45. An early paper made by Egyptians from the pith of a sedge plant.
Papyrus
46. A person who writes documents by hand as a profession.
Scribe
47. In the Bible, this inland body of water was known as The Great Sea.
Mediterranean Sea
48. In the Bible, this Middle Eastern city is known as ‘The City of David.’
Jerusalem.
49. In what ancient location were the Hanging Gardens, a system of high walls
containing plants and flowers, built in the 6th century by King Nebuchadnezzar.
Babylon
50. What country is Persia now known as?
Iran
51. What city is Constantinople now known as?
Istanbul
52. The “Four Great Inventions” of this country were the compass, gunpowder,
papermaking, and printing.
China
53. Most houses in the ancient world were made from mud bricks dried in the sun. If
you fire them (bake them) they last much longer. What is the name of the type of oven
in which you fire bricks, clay, or pottery?
Kiln
54. In 490 BC, a Greek soldier ran about 26 miles to give Athens the good news that the
invading Persians had been turned back. What long-distance running sport
commemorates this event?
Marathon.
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55. Hatha, Vinyasa, Bikram, and Ashtanga are all forms of this ancient physical, mental,
and spiritual practice that is popular today.
Yoga
56. The classical language of India and the liturgical language of Hinduism and
Buddhism, this language is considered the oldest in the world.
Sanskrit
57. What is the name of the network of trade routes between the East and West, which
reached throughout the Asian continent, China, India, and the Mediterranean Sea?
Silk Road (Hint: It’s named for a material made by worms who live in mulberry bushes
in China.)
58. What is the name for the study of human activity in the past, primarily through the
excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains?
Archaeology
59. Another word for a stone coffin, often found in tombs of Egypt, Rome, and Greece.
Sarcophagus
60. This classic 1932 horror film stars Boris Karloff as a revived ancient Egyptian
priest.
The Mummy
61. Members of the educated, professional class among the ancient Celtic people,
sometimes associated with trees.
Druids
62. A daily American comic strip featuring a group of cavemen.
B.C.
63. A member of a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and also the name
of a huge online retailer.
Amazon
64. The temple complex Angkor Wat is in which country?
Cambodia
65. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were Germanic tribes who invaded what country?
Britain (England)
66. Anyone who was not Greek, Roman, or Christian was often referred to as one of
these. The word is now used to describe someone who is uncultured or brutish.
Barbarian
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67. This ice-age cat-like carnivore roamed the Americas and are named for their
enormous canine teeth and were hunted by humans.
Saber-toothed cat or tiger (they are not related to modern tigers)
68. The highest mountain in Greece is home to twelve gods of the ancient Greek world
and the setting of many Greek myths.
Mount Olympus
69. The atl-atl is an ancient hand-held weapon, based on leverage, used to throw spears
or darts. It predated the bow and arrow. What is the term for the art and practice of
shooting a bow and arrow?
Archery
70. Knapping was a technique used by the first Native Americans to make these shaped
flints which attached to shafts were used in hunting.
Arrowheads.
Stone tools or arrowheads
knap verb
shape (a piece of stone, typically flint) by striking it so as to make stone tools or weapons or
to give a flat-faced stone for building walls: (as adj. knapped) : buildings made of knapped
flint.
71. The basenji, akita, shar-pei, and chow-chow are ancient breeds of what animal
species?
Dog (Canis lupus)
72. Rock carvings made by pecking the surface of a rock, especially prehistoric ones,
are called what?
Petroglyphs
74. A complex of caves called Lascaux contain ancient Paleolithic art, mostly of large
animals, like horses and deer. In what country are these caves?
France
75. This Chilean island contains 887 huge stone statues of early Rapa Nui people. The
statues are called Moai, and most of them are heads atop torsos. What is the name of the
island?
Easter Island
76. These carriages were pulled by horses and were used for war, hunting, and fast
transportation. Racing them was popular in Rome.
Chariot
77. This actress starred in the movie “One Million Years B.C.” clad in a deer-skin bikini.
The movie launched her career as a 1960s and 70s icon and sex symbol.
Raquel Welch (Hint: Shares a last name with a brand of grape juice.)
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78. Before there were Homo Sapiens (modern humans), there were these. Their fossil
remains were discovered in the Neander valley in Germany.
Neanderthals (Hint: the word Thal means “valley” in German.)
79. A popular amulet in ancient Egypt in the form of a beetle.
Scarab
80. This volcano erupted in AD 79 and buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and
Herculaneum. Located in a populous region of Italy, it is considered one of the most
dangerous volcanoes in the world.
Mount Vesuvius
81. In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic hall ruled by the god Odin and occupied
by the dead he has chosen to live there. Norsemen came from what region of Europe?
Scandinavia (Hint: Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes live there.)
82. In this 1960 movie, starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, a slave leads a
violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic.
Spartacus (Hint: the name of the movie is the name of the slave.)
83. This garment was the signature garment of ancient Rome.
Toga.
84. Believed to have originated in ancient Persia around 600 AD, this popular board game
pits 16 pieces, whose different types move differently, against each other on a checkered
board.
Chess.
85. Beautiful and alluring Cleopatra was known as queen of which famous river, the longest
world in the world?
Cleopatra, queen of the Nile.
86. The Parthenon is a temple dedicated to the goddess of Athena. In what Greek city
would you find this classic monument?
Athens.
87. Just near the 3 great pyramids of Giza reclines this largest monolith statue in the world,
a mythical creature with a lion’s body and a pharaoh’s head.
The Great Sphinx.
89. What were the kings of ancient Egypt called?
Pharoahs
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90. A watering system, practiced for thousands of years (at least 5000) used in places
where natural rainfall was insufficient to support crops.
Irrigation
91. You might store grain in this pottery structure.
Granary