Dig It Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Villa dei Papyri

The Villa dei Papiri is still the oldest intact library from antiquity. The villa was first excavated in 1750 C.E. Using a technique called 'Multi-spectral imagery', the scrolls can be read.

Answer: Knossos

Knossos covered a huge area and in fact included a labyrinth much like the one described in the myth of 'Theseus and the Minotaur'.

Answer: Hyssarlik

Hyssarlik is in present day Turkey. Schliemann used the writings of Homer as a guide to locating the actual site of Troy. Actually Hyssarlik is a 'Tell' atop a hill in Turkey.

Answer: Linear B

Linear B is the oldest surviving script of the Greek dialect from the Mycenean culture. It is believed to date from 1500-1200 BCE.

Answer: King Tutanhkamun's Tomb

Before opening the tomb, Carter contacted his benefactor Lord Caernarvon to join him in Egypt. Then on November 26, 1922, as Carter first peered into the tomb, Lord Caernarvon excitedly asked, "What do you see?" Carter famously replied, "Wonderful things".

Answer: The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone was inscribed with three sets of duplicate information in Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic Greek and ancient Greek. Fortunately each language expressed identical information thus making it possible to decipher the hieroglyphics, which Champollion accomplished in 1822.

Answer: Nefertiti

Although a great beauty, Nefertiti was married to the physically misshapen Pharaoh, Ankenaton. He was controversial as well for his attempt to create a monotheistic religion in ancient Egypt. Upon his death, all vestiges of belief in "Aton" were destroyed and polytheism returned to Egypt.

Answer: The Narmer Palette

The Narmer Palette shows the pharaoh, Narmer, ordering the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Many historians believe him to be the one of the earliest rulers in Egypt. The palette includes the earliest symbols like Narmer himself and bull heads that can be interpreted various ways. It has survived for over 5,000 years in almost perfect condition.

Answer: Mohenjo-Daro

Mohenjo-Daro was an amazingly 'modern' city. Not only did it have gridded streets, but its sewer system was very sophisticated and individual homes had swimming pools.

Answer: J J Winckelmann

J J Winckelmann (1717-1768) was a German art historian and archaeologist. He was the first archaeologist to insist on a science based procedure for dealing with excavations and artifacts.He developed a procedure that included careful, ordered excavations, and an orderly, method of caring for and working with artifacts. He brought the modern scientific method to archaeology.

Answer: The Decree of Canopus

The Decree of Canopus lists Egyptian priests and honors the deceased daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy III. It's another artifact that confirms the accuracy of Champollion's work with The Rosetta Stone.

Answer: Cuneiform

Cuneiform is one of the earliest writing systems from Sumer. Its name comes from its appearance, which is wedges probably pressed into clay tablets with a stylus.

Answer: The Palermo Stone

The Palermo Stone is a large fragment of basalt which contains the 'Royal Annals' for Egypt's Old Kingdom. It lists rulers from the 1st through the 5th dynasties. It can be seen today in the Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo, Sicily, which is why it is called 'The Palermo Stone'.

Answer: The Dresden Codex

Also known as the "Codex Dresdensis", "The Dresden Codex" is from the 11th-12th centuries CE. It is the oldest book written in the Americas known to historians. It was instrumental in deciphering Mayan hieroglyphics. Its name derives from the fact that it can be seen in the Museum of the Saxon State Library in Dresden, Germany.

Answer: Catul-Huyuk

Catul-Huyuk is in the Anatolia area of modern Turkey. It is a Neolithic site and dates from 6,500 B.C.E. It is believed to have had a population of 6,000.