Pre-History Trivia

1. Many historians believe that the first Americans migrated from Asia via a natural land formation towards the end of the last Ice Age. What is this area named?

From Quiz The First Americans

Answer: Beringia

Beringia refers to a natural land formation that is theorized to have emerged towards the end of the last Ice Age. The land bridge connected the continents of Asia and North America allowing humans and animal species to travel between the two continents. It is believed to have been caused by the simultaneous receding of glaciers combined with low sea levels at the time. Over time, as the glaciers melted and sea levels continued to rise Beringia became submerged and the area was changed into what we know today as the Bering Strait. The area was named after Danish explorer Vitus Bering who explored the region in the early 1700s.

From Quiz Tales of Peking Man

Answer: Cave System

Zhoukoudian is a natural limestone cave system. However, way before 1921 the roof of some of the cave had collapsed on top of what had previously been deposited inside. Scientists have charted thirteen layers of debris at the site where Peking Man was discovered. Fossils and implements have been found in Layer 13, however, the first skull of Peking Man, found in 1929, was located in Layer 11. In 1966 Layer 3 yielded another such skull. By 1937, more than 10,000 pieces of stoneware, 200 human fossils belonging to 40 different people, and fossils from 200 animal species have been found at the site. Fossils have been found in 20 different locations in the cave system since then.

From Quiz Who or what was Otzi?

Answer: A frozen mummy found in the Alps

The 5,300 years old male frozen mummy was found in September 1991. Only his head and shoulders were showing, the rest of his body was encased in ice.

From Quiz The Prehistoric Site of Lepenski Vir

Answer: Serbia

The Lepenski Vir site is located on the right bank of river Danube, close to Iron Gates gorge, in Serbia. The entire area is rich in prehistoric finds. The Danube is one of the main corridors for the influence and/or immigration of neolithic cultures from Asia Minor into Europe.

From Quiz The Origins of Man

Answer: Charles Darwin

Darwin's book, "On The Origin of the Species" set forth the idea that animals (including humans) changed their form over a long period of time in an evolutionary process called natural selection. In a developing species the superior individuals would gradually take the place of those with inferior characteristics. The press distorted Darwin's ideas by reporting that he said man derived from apes. What he did say, however, was that man and apes share a common ancestor. The most important evidence that man did not derive from apes is the fact that apes are still a thriving species.

From Quiz Neanderthal - Knuckle-dragger or Stand-Up Guy?

Answer: Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

Australopithecus lived about 3 million BC. Homo habilis came after them, arriving around 2 million BC. Homo erectus's arrival was approximately 1.5 million BC, immediately preceding the Neanderthal, who appeared around 500,000 years BC.

From Quiz Prehistory II: Fantastic Animals

Answer: Woolly Mammoth

Woolly Mammoth was a cold climate dweller equipped with a thick layer of fat for insulation, and an exterior of long black hair.

From Quiz Early Humans

Answer: Africa

In March 2015 a 55-million year old primate fossil was discovered in Ethiopia.

From Quiz Britain Before the Days of Writing

Answer: Heidelbergensis

Boxgrove dates to a warm period about 500,000 years ago. It was originally thought to be 200,000 years old. Apart from the human remains (a tibia and two teeth), what makes the site special is the huge preserved land surface - it is possible to reconstruct flint working methods from the scatter of chips and even reassemble flint nodules with a hand axe sized hole in the middle. Some of the bones that were found had marks that are very similar to those that would be made by a modern butcher. Some sceptics have pointed out that Boxgrove is not far from Piltdown (the 'source' of the infamous fake ape man).

From Quiz The First Americans

Answer: Yukon Territory

The Bluefish Caves as well as the Old Crow Flats are two archeological sites located in northern Yukon Territory, Canada. Artifacts unearthed at these locations seem to suggest that human migration across Beringia may have occurred earlier that what scientists had previously anticipated. While human remains have yet to be discovered at these locations, archaeologists have found the remains of animals such as mastodons and horses which show evidence that they were hunted by human civilizations that may have existed in the area more than 20,000 years ago.

From Quiz Tales of Peking Man

Answer: Davidson Black

Davidson Black earned a degree in medical science from the University of Toronto in 1906. He continued to study comparative anatomy before becoming an anatomy teacher three years later. It was while working in England in 1914 that he became interested in paleoanthropology; it was at that time that Piltdown Man, which turned out to be an elaborate hoax, had been discovered. At the end of WWI after being discharged from the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Black took a job at Peking Union Medical College, where he would become head of the anatomy department, and moved his family to China. Although he was interested in studying fossils during this time, the college did not support the study. Other scientists, however, were making fossil discoveries, and by 1922 Black had been given a Rockefeller Foundation grant to search on his own. It was then that he began to search at Zoukoudian.

From Quiz Who or what was Otzi?

Answer: On the border between Austria and Italy

Because his body was encased in ice, it was very difficult to remove it without damaging it.

From Quiz The Prehistoric Site of Lepenski Vir

Answer: Mesolithic

Lepenski Vir is a typical Mesolithic culture, i.e. the transitional phase from paleolithic (hunter gatherer cultures) to neolithic (predominantly sedentary agricultural) cultures. People from Lepenski Vir knew of some domesticated animals and corns, but used them only in the rituals. Thus Lepenski Vir clearly demonstrates both paleolithic and neolithic cultural traits.

From Quiz The Origins of Man

Answer: Mankind

Beginning in 1931 Louis and Mary Leakey found not only bones of hominids, but also tools and other debris left behind - even fossilized dung, containing lizard bones and other creatures that must have been eaten whole. In addition a circle of stones was found that is believed to be the foundation of a hut over 700,000 years old, which is the earliest man made structure in the world.

From Quiz Neanderthal - Knuckle-dragger or Stand-Up Guy?

Answer: Dinosaurs

The dinosaurs died out approximately 65 million years ago -- well before the time of Neanderthal.

From Quiz Prehistory II: Fantastic Animals

Answer: Cambrian period

The Cambrian period of the Paleozoic era was characterized by a diverse new creatures in the seas. The Trilobites emerged in this period and continued right through to the end of the Permian era.

From Quiz Britain Before the Days of Writing

Answer: Alps or South Germany

His probable place of origin was found by looking at the isotopes in his teeth. The nearest place that produces the mix of isotopes he has is somewhere near Switzerland. His burial place was incredibly rich compared with that of his contemporaries and included two gold ornaments and copper knives. The metal in the knives came from Spain or western France. Some people have called him the "King of Stonehenge". Near him was a second body with a pair of identical pieces of gold and an identical rare peculiarity in the bones of his feet. This man was born locally but had spent time in his teens in central England or Scotland.

From Quiz The First Americans

Answer: greater than 12,000 years old

The Paisley Caves are located in southern Oregon. The area has been under archeological investigation since the late 1930s. A team of researchers from colleges and universities in Oregon began studying the area more closely in 2002. Archaeologists soon began to unearth evidence that humans from Pleistocene era may have existed in the region. Some of the artifacts that were analyzed via radiocarbon dating methods were estimated to be greater than 12,000 years old, which makes them some of the oldest specimens in the United States.

From Quiz He Who Hesitates Is Last

Answer: Sivalik Hills

The Sohanian or Soanian culture was present in the Indian subcontinent during the Lower Paleolithic. This culture is distinct in the technology and traditions that were used compared to the other cultures present at that time. Archeological evidence for this culture was found on many sites along the Sivalik Hills in what is present day northwestern India and Pakistan. This culture gets its name from the Sohan River. Many stone tool assemblages like pebbled tools, hand axes, and cleavers have been found in these Sohanian sites. There have been fossilised remains of animals like elephants, horses, and hippopotamus that have also been found here. The Sohanian tradition is estimated to have lasted from the Mindel-Riss interglacial (300 - 400,000 B.C.) to the end of the Pleistocene.

From Quiz The Prehistoric Site of Lepenski Vir

Answer: between 5500 BC and 6500 BC

The caves surrounding Lepenski Vir were inhabited from around 20,000 BC on. The first humans arrived at the Lepenski Vir site around 7000 BC (Proto Lepenski Vir), when the climate became significantly warmer after the last glaciation. It reached its peak between 6500 BC and 5500 BC. The culture slowly evolved into a Neolithic type of culture, common to the surrounding area.

From Quiz Ahh, Those Silly Irish!

Answer: Mount Sandel

It is believed that humans first came to Ireland around 8000 BC during the Mesolithic era. Although this earlier date is suspected, the earliest evidence for human habitation comes from charcoal remains found at Woodpark in County Sligo that date to 7490 BC. Another site at Lough Boora in County Offaly dates to around 6800 BC but again no structures or permanent settlement buildings were found. It is believed it was a temporary camp site, most probably a summer one. The oldest settlement evidence has been found at Mount Sandel in County Derry and dates back to 7000 BC. This site also shows signs of consistent habitation and possible rebuilding of structures. It is located near the iron age site of Mount Sandel Fort (Kill Santain or Kilsandel). The fort site is believed to have been the residence of the Norman king John de Courcy in the 12th century AD.

From Quiz The Origins of Man

Answer: Neanderthal

The first Neanderthal skull was found in 1856. Although modern commercials suggest otherwise, some scientists argue that Neanderthal man looked so much like homo sapiens sapiens that if a Neanderthal dressed in modern clothes walked down the street, no one would notice any difference.

From Quiz Neanderthal - Knuckle-dragger or Stand-Up Guy?

Answer: From the valley where the remains were first found

The first remains were found in the Neander Valley, near Düsseldorf, in Germany. The valley was named after Joachim Neander, a theologian who composed more than sixty hymns for the Reformed (Calvinist) Church. Many of them were later widely adopted by other denominations.

From Quiz Prehistory II: Fantastic Animals

Answer: Snakes and salamanders

Large amphibians could also live on land at this time, and sharks existed in abundance.

From Quiz Early Humans

Answer: Homo sapiens sapiens

Yes, I know, hard to believe right? In fact, we are all Homo sapiens sapiens! Homo sapiens is the heading in front of another 'modern' human, such as Homo sapiens: Neanderthal.

From Quiz Human Prehistory

Answer: Würm

The Würm, or Wisconsin, Glaciation began its retreat about 15,000 years ago, but not before human beings would cross the Bering Strait from Asia into the Americas. During the most recent Ice Age, the Neanderthals, a people especially suited for cold weather, flourished in Europe. The term 'Würm' comes from a river in Switzerland at which the glaciation was first discovered.

From Quiz The First Americans

Answer: Buhl Woman

The Buhl Woman was discovered by a team of quarry workers in January, 1989. She was named Buhla or the Buhl Woman after the town of Buhl, Idaho, which was the closest town to the location where she had been found. The town of Buhl is located in southern Idaho, about 15-20 miles west of the city of Twin Falls. Radiocarbon dating has estimated that the remains of the Buhl Woman are more than 10,000 years old. Scientists also believe that the woman died at an early age, between 17 and 21 years old.

From Quiz He Who Hesitates Is Last

Answer: Northeast India

There is no evidence of Acheulean occupation in many parts of India like the Western Ghats, the western coastline, the Ganga plains and the northeastern part of India. This is speculated to be because of many reasons, like the presence of heavy rainfall and/or dense forests or the lack of stone. This culture spread to many regions of the Deccan plateau, Eastern Ghats, Chota Nagpur plateau, and western Rajasthan. The remnants of this culture have also been found scattered around the Sivalik Hills in India, alongside the remnants of the Sohanian culture. The Acheulean culture is named after the French site of St. Acheul.

From Quiz Who or what was Otzi?

Answer: He was found in the Otztal Alps

He has also been called the Iceman, but when they started calling him Otzi, the nickname stuck.

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