Answer: Euphrates
Uruk was a Sumerian city, near the Euphrates river in the present country of Iraq. Originally the city was on the southwestern bank of the Euphrates, but this old river branch dried up and a new branch of the Euphrates flows along the opposite side of the remains of the city of Uruk.
It was founded around or before 4000 BCE and grew to probably the most populated city in the world around 3200 BCE, with over 40,000 inhabitants in the city centre. A surplus of agricultural produce encouraged trade, and it may be the first writing evolved in Uruk.
The oldest named cities and towns on the other rivers were founded much later. Moorundie on the Murray river in Australia was founded in 1841 CE, while Natchez, Mississippi dates back to 1716 CE. And on the Amazon river historians discovered remains of the towns Cotoca and Landivar, that existed during the period 500 CE - 1400 CE.
From Quiz: First Steps to European History
Answer: 404 BC
The Peloponnesian War, fought between Sparta and Athens, raged from 431 BC to 404 BC. That's 27 years, a very long time! But don't worry, they did not fight all the time as they needed to tend to their land sometimes.
From Quiz: Nothing Matters Anymore
Answer: Jordan
Petra, built 300 years before the birth of Christ, is also called the Red Rose City because of the color of the rock from which it was built. Water was brought to the city by water pipes. This monument was used in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
From Quiz: Wonders Not Included in the Seven Wonders
Answer: Nile
The Nile is the world's longest river. It flows throughout the entire length of Egypt. The ancient Egyptians were so dependent on this river that Egypt is sometimes called "the gift of the Nile." Each year the Nile would flood and deposit rich soil along its banks. If it did not flood, people could not grow enough food and sometimes did not have enough to eat.
From Quiz: All About Ancient Egypt
Answer: Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great (356 BC - 323 BC) was the one we're looking for. He was born in Macedonia, which at that time was considered one of the less educated regions of the world. But Alexander worked hard and first subdued almost all of Greece. Then he secured the rest of the Balkan peninsula south of the Danube river and crossed to Persia. With a few remarkable battles he subdued the Persians and conquered South-Asia up till the frontier with today's India. He also won Egypt, and thus founded the greatest Empire up until his time.
Draco (7th century BC) was an Athenian monarch and lawgiver.
Leonidas (540 - 480 BC) was King of Sparta, who resisted with 300 Spartans and 700 allies against an army of 10,000 Persians.
According to Homer's "The Iliad", Agamemnon was king of Mycenae and commanded the Greeks who eventually destroyed Troy.
From Quiz: These Were All Greek To Me
Answer: Romulus
Romulus and his twin brother Remus were, according to legend, abandoned in a forest and raised by a she-wolf. Legend states that they started building the city wall around Rome in 753 BC, on April 21. (Don't learn this date by heart: it is pure speculation). Romulus quarrelled with Remus and killed his brother, after which he proclaimed himself king of Rome.
The other three Romans mentioned here are some of the other seven Kings of Rome.
From Quiz: Roman History for Kids
Answer: People who came from Rome.
Legend says that Rome was founded by a man called Romulus and his brother, Remus. It is said that they were the twin sons of the Roman god of war called Mars. About 2000 years ago, the Roman Empire was so big it would have taken 100 days to ride from one end to the other.
From Quiz: All About the Romans
Answer: Europe
Greece is in southeastern Europe. It is very mountainous, and has many islands.
From Quiz: Ancient Greece for Kids
Answer: Pharaoh
Along the river Nile, the Egyptian civilization developed in two regions: upper Egypt (near the mouth of the Nile) and lower Egypt (more to the south). Around 3100 BCE, these two separate regions were for the first time united by a king named Menes (or Narmer). Much later all Kings of ancient Egypt were indicated by the title "Pharaoh", which translates to "Great House".
Interesting Pharaohs include Menes, the first to unite Egypt; Khufu, whose great pyramid is one of the ancient world wonders; Pepi II, who may have ruled for 94 years; Ramesses II, who erected the most monuments; and Cleopatra VII, the last Queen of Egypt before it became a Roman province.
While the Pharaoh was the absolute ruler of Egypt, the vizier was his (or her) second in command, head of the administration and of the treasury. One of the best known Egyptian viziers was Imhotep, vizier to the Pharaoh Djoser and credited with architectural and medical discoveries.
The scribes were the civil servants. They were highly educated.
The nomarchs were local rulers, comparable to the provincial governors in many later countries. At one time Egypt was divided into 42 nomes (provinces), each with their own nomarch.
From Quiz: First Steps to European History
Answer: The Great Wall of China
The building of the Great Wall started hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. It is said that Emperor Qin Shihuang, who was the first emperor of China, added many miles to already existing portions of protective walls.
From Quiz: Wonders Not Included in the Seven Wonders
Answer: Hatshepsut was a woman
The Egyptians considered their pharaoh to be a living god. They were so in awe of him that they did not even call him by his name or titles. Pharaoh comes from two Egyptian words that mean "great house," because the pharaoh lived in a palace.
Hatshepsut was not the first woman pharaoh, and she was not the last, but she was one of the most famous. When her husband, Thutmose II, died, Hatshepsut's half-brother, Thutmose III, should have become pharaoh, but he was still a young boy. Hatshepsut decided to proclaim herself pharaoh. Since the Egyptians were used to being ruled by men, Hatshepsut would often dress like a man, and even wore a false beard!
Hatshepsut enjoyed a long and peaceful reign, and built many beautiful temples and monuments. After she died, however, her statues were destroyed and her name erased from many monuments. It is still not known for certain when or why this happened. It might have been because she was not regarded as a rightful ruler, or it might have been just because the Egyptians did not want to remember that they had once been ruled by a female pharaoh.
From Quiz: All About Ancient Egypt
Answer: A law of physics
Archimedes (287 BC -212 BC) made several discoveries in physics and in mathematics.
Archimedes' principle, which he allegedly found when taking a bath, is the following: "the volume of water displaced equals the volume of the object submerged". So if you fill a bath up till the brim and you step in it, the volume of your body equals the volume of water spilled.
Archimedes then used this new finding to verify whether a crown made for King Hiero of Syracuse, was made of solid gold. It turned out the goldsmith had cheated.
Rubber ducks didn't exist in Archimedes' time.
If a scientist would leap out of his bath and run into the street yelling "I found the soap" or "I found the towel", it would not quite be worthy to mention in a history book!
From Quiz: These Were All Greek To Me
Answer: Centurion
The Roman army consisted of several legions guarding different regions. Each legion had sixty divisions of one hundred infantry, commanded by a centurion. The number of infantry troops was officially one hundred per centurion, but due to losses most centurions commanded only eighty-odd troops.
A decurion commanded (officially) ten infantry.
Decathlon and heptathlon are athletic disciplines: ten track and field challenges for men (decathlon), seven for women (heptathlon).
From Quiz: Roman History for Kids
Answer: A cat
Cats were considered sacred to the goddess Bastet. When a cat died, all the people in the family mourned and gave the cat a proper burial.
From Quiz: Once upon a time in Egypt
Answer: A grown man who was not a slave and lived in Athens..
In Athens, men who were not slaves were citizens. They could vote for or against new laws and could speak at the Assembly.
From Quiz: All About the Greeks
Answer: All of these.
Throughout history, Rome was ruled in three different ways: first by kings, then by a number of officials who were chosen by the people, and finally by emperors. Really, an emperor was just a king with a different title!
From Quiz: All About the Romans
Answer: Pakistan
Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and some other cities in Pakistan were important cities in the Indus Valley in present-day Pakistan. These cities were built between 3000 BCE and 2500 BCE. Mohenjo-Daro was a large city planned in a modern style, with streets laid out as a large grid of rectangular blocks. It held (among other amazing buildings) a large public bath, a storage hall perhaps for grain, and (for its time) advanced sewers.
For some reason that is not clear, the cities of the Indus Valley civilization were abandoned around 1900 BCE and almost forgotten. Excavations started only more than 3500 years later.
Neither Greenland nor Argentina nor South-Africa have cities dating back to the time indicated. The Spanish founded Santiago del Estero in Argentina in 1553. Cape Town in South Africa was founded in 1652 CE. And the oldest settlement in Greenland that still is inhabited, is Sermersooq, founded in 1728 CE.
From Quiz: First Steps to European History
Answer: Southern Europe
Both Sparta and Athens were city-states of Greece, in the southern part of Europe. Sparta and Athens were the two most powerful city-states at that time.
From Quiz: Nothing Matters Anymore
Answer: The Parthenon
The Parthenon, or what remains of it, is in the Acropolis, a hill in the city of Athens. It was built in 447 B.C. You can still admire the beauty and symmetry of this temple today. The statue of Athena Parthenos, which does not exist any longer, was a huge statue made of ivory and gold. The artist who made the statue was Phidias. Athena was the goddess of wisdom and military victory and the patroness of Athens. The Parthenon was built to celebrate the triumph of the Greek city-states against the Persians.
From Quiz: Wonders Not Included in the Seven Wonders
Answer: The Great Pyramid
Khufu began building his tomb, or pyramid, around 2550 BC (nobody knows the exact date). It was the biggest structure anyone had ever built. The Great Pyramid contains over 2,300,000 limestone blocks, and each block weighs over two tons. It was originally 481 feet (146.5 meters) high, and was the tallest structure on earth for over 3,800 years. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Other pharaohs built pyramids as well, but none was as large or grand as the Great Pyramid.
From Quiz: All About Ancient Egypt
Answer: Delphi
The most important oracle in Greece was Delphi, a temple dedicated to Apollo (the sun god). An elderly woman used to sit there on a tripod, next to a crack in the mountain where volcanic fumes emerged. The woman would chew on some herbs and, when somebody posed her a question, answer with some rabble. The priests then would offer the visitor an explanation. For example, when king Croesus asked if he should go to war against Persia, the advice was "A great kingdom will perish". But unfortunately it was his own kingdom that perished...
Dresden is a city in Germany. Dijon is a city in France. Darwin is a city in Australia. Neither of these existed in the Ancient Greek times.
From Quiz: These Were All Greek To Me
Answer: Pharaoh
The Egyptian words 'per aa' that meant 'great house' were used as a title for the king. Tutankhamun was one of Egypt's pharaohs.
From Quiz: Once upon a time in Egypt
Answer: An open air meeting where citizens could vote.
Citizens who spoke at the Assembly were timed with a water clock. When the last drop had dripped from the jar, they had to sit down and be quiet.
From Quiz: All About the Greeks
Answer: The "tortoise" was a name for the way they used their shields.
The "tortoise" was a special trick the army used to protect themselves as they advanced. They formed a square with the soldiers on inside holding their shields above their heads so that they would be protected on all sides.
From Quiz: All About the Romans
Answer: All of them
Zeus was the king of the gods, and could throw lightning. Poseidon was his brother, and was god of the sea. Athena was Zeus's daughter, and was the goddess of war and arts and crafts.
From Quiz: Ancient Greece for Kids
Answer: China
This is the tomb of the first emperor of China, the ruler reputed to have built the Great Wall, Qin Shi Huang. It was built during ancient times, around 209 B.C. The army of terracotta soldiers with weapons and war chariots were buried with the emperor to protect him in his afterlife.
From Quiz: Wonders Not Included in the Seven Wonders
Answer: Herodotus
Herodotus (484 BC - 425 BC) was one of the first to write down all kind of real events, earning him the title "father of history". He was also the first to include eyewitnesses to the most recent events.
But contrary to present historians, Herodotus did not check all the facts. Sometimes he wrote down a tale by someone who said they had lived it, but who was no eyewitness at all. Other texts by Herodotus are based upon folk tales or popular theatre plays, which may not render accurately what happened. So one of his successors called Herodotus "the father of lies".
Other Greek historians include Thucydides (460 BC - 395 BC) and Xenophon (430 BC -354 BC).
Hippocrates (460 BC - 370 BC) was one of the first known medics in the world.
Apelles (contemporary of Alexander the Great) was a gifted Greek painter.
Phidias (480 BC - 430 BC) was the best known sculptor of Ancient Greece.
From Quiz: These Were All Greek To Me
Answer: Hannibal
Hannibal was a Carthaginian general. In 218 BC Hannibal assembled a massive army in Spain, crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps, and threatened the Roman army on its own terrain. Only a few elephants survived the trip to the mountains, but they scared the Roman infantry. A clever Roman general cut off the supply lines to Hannibal's army and so defeated him.
Astarte, Isis and Aphrodite are goddesses of love - from Babylon, Egypt and Greece.
From Quiz: Roman History for Kids
Answer: Nubia
Nubia was the name for the country south of Egypt. In the modern world it is called Sudan.
From Quiz: Once upon a time in Egypt
Answer: The soldiers bought their own.
A wealthy soldier would be able to equip himself with good armour, a sword and a spear. A poor soldier had to make do with whatever he could find, this could be just an animal skin and a wooden club.
From Quiz: All About the Greeks
Answer: To show that they were Roman citizens.
Only Roman citizens were allowed to wear togas. An ordinary citizen wore a plain white one, a member of the senate had a purple edge to his toga and the emperor's was purple all over.
From Quiz: All About the Romans
Answer: Myths
The Greeks had hundreds of myths. One of the most famous was about the Trojan War, where heroes from all over Greece fought at Troy to win back Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world.
From Quiz: Ancient Greece for Kids
Answer: Crete
Crete, the largest island in Greece, was indeed the cradle of the Minoan culture. There were several palaces on Crete, of which Knossos is the best known. The place of Knossos is a very large building, with many hallways that don't always lead in the expected direction - which gave the impression of a giant maze or labyrinth.
Legend has it that in the mid of this labyrinth lived a creature half-man, half-bull, who was fed young Athenian children. This so-called Minotaur was defeated by the Athenian hero Theseus.
Several paintings illustrate that the Minoan youth was keen on sporting events such as jumping over oversized bulls.
Crete was a quite fertile place, and the Minoans were eager to trade their agricultural surplus with other people. Around 1500 BCE, Crete prospered.
From Quiz: First Steps to European History
Answer: The Colosseum
The Colosseum was built by Emperor Vespasian in 72 A.D., but he did not see it complete as it was not finished until after his death.
From Quiz: Wonders Not Included in the Seven Wonders
Answer: The Rosetta Stone
For a long time, no one could read Egyptian writing. Then a large stone was found that had an inscription in both Greek and hieroglyphs. It was called the Rosetta Stone because it was found near a village called Rosetta. A man named Jean-François Champollion used the Rosetta Stone's inscriptions to make the first translation of ancient Egyptian writing. Today the Rosetta Stone is in the British Museum in London.
Hieroglyphs are written in the form of pictures. Some stand for entire words, and others stand for sounds, like the letters of our alphabet. One strange thing about hieroglyphs is that until very late in Egyptian history, only the consonants were written, so scientists have to guess what the vowels were. Hieroglyphs were last used for writing around 400 AD.
From Quiz: All About Ancient Egypt
Answer: Marathon
Persia invaded Greece in 490 BC. One of the first battles was on the site of Marathon, where we now can find a national park. This battlefield is about 40 to 50 km to the northeast of Athens.
Some historians claim a soldier named Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens in order to tell the outcome: the Athenians won. According to these sources, Pheidippides died immediately after telling the outcome of the battle to the governors of Athens.
Another story is about the same Pheidippides, running from Athens to Sparta (about 250 km southwest) to ask for reinforcements. However, the Spartans didn't arrive in time for the battle of Marathon.
When baron Pierre de Coubertin reinstated the Olympic Games in 1896, he chose the marathon (about 42 km) as the crowning event in running. The exact distance of the Olympic marathon was defined in 1908.
Olympia is the place where the ancient Olympic games were held. These involved track and field events (javelin throw, long jump, sprint...), wrestling, boxing and chariot-racing.
Pancration was a martial art at the ancient Olympics, in which almost everything was allowed.
Decathlon is the modern Olympic discipline consisting of ten different track and field events.
From Quiz: These Were All Greek To Me
Answer: He was stabbed to death
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC. During his lifetime, civil war was quite common. Caesar conquered France, and then marched his army to Rome where he seized power. Some of his closest advisors were upset by this move, so they decided to remove him from office - in the most decisive way: they stabbed him twenty-odd times.
By the way, Gaius Julius Caesar was not the first Emperor, but later Emperors chose his third name (Caesar) as an honorary title.
Emperor Claudius ate poisoned mushrooms, and Emperor Nero fell on his sword - aided by his slave.
From Quiz: Roman History for Kids
Answer: Papyrus
Papyrus was made from reeds that grew along the Nile. The reeds were cut into strips and pasted together to make a type of parchment (paper).
From Quiz: Once upon a time in Egypt
Answer: Triremes
A trireme had 170 oarsmen and was equipped with a ram at the front to make holes in enemy ships. Each ship had a flute player and the oarsmen would pull in time to the music.
From Quiz: All About the Greeks
Answer: Tragedies
Three actors played all the roles. There was also a chorus, which sang music between the scenes. All the performers wore masks.
From Quiz: Ancient Greece for Kids
