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Quiz about Historic Realms The Picts
Quiz about Historic Realms The Picts

Historic Realms: The Picts Trivia Quiz


A little rusty on your history? Come learn a little about the world's historic realms in this photo quiz series. Here we will talk about the Picts. (If you would like to have a better view of the images/maps, please click on them to enlarge!)

A photo quiz by trident. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
trident
Time
5 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
370,130
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
773
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: malidog (8/10), Guest 86 (8/10), Guest 94 (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The Picts were a conglomeration of peoples located in the dark blue area of this map. To the south, many different groups ruled including the Britons, the Anglo-Saxons, and even the Roman Empire, but none of them were ever able to fully conquer the Pictish lands. What was the Roman name for these northern lands? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The first historical records of the Picts were kept by the Romans, who considered them barbaric and uncivilized. In this illustration, you can see such a dramatization. The Romans named them the "Picti", which means what? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Since most of the historical accounts of the Picts comes from their enemies, it is important for historians to try and glean as much unbiased information from their artifacts as they can. The artifacts shown here are just a couple of many of what kind of artwork? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Pictured is a Pictish work known as the Bullion Stone. In it, a rider with a shield is drinking from a drinking horn that ends in a bird's head. What is unusual about this artwork compared to other Pictish works? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The Roman Empire attempted to protect itself from northern raids by building Hadrian's Wall in AD 122. However, they did not simply sit behind this wall and forget about the rest of the lands in the north. In AD 142, Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius started construction of what lesser-known wall represented in red on this map, which was abandoned only eight years later due to Pictish raids? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. This Pictish work is believed to show the Battle of Dun Nechtain in AD 685. King Bridei III of Pictland was an expansionary king, and he was able to remove the troops of what foreign power from Pictland? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. King Bridei III of the Picts was determined to push out foreign influence in his lands. He was widely successful in his war campaigns in the south as well as the east. In 682, he led a force against what area colored in red that was so violent that he was said to have simply "destroyed" the region? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Pictured is a replication of a certain structure that was common in the estuaries of Scotland and Ireland. The structure is an artificial island built from a combination of stone, timber, or straw. Their construction was at its peak from 800 BC to AD 200, but they were used and rebuilt during the time of the Picts as well. What are these structures called? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In the image you can find the Irish missionary Saint Columba, who is known as the Apostle of the Picts. He was well-regarded by the Picts and helped them convert to Christianity in the sixth century. Before the arrival of Columba, the Picts practiced a form of Celtic polytheism, which is sometimes referred to by what other name? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Some historians in the past believed that the Picts mysteriously vanished, and this lent them an aura of mysticism. However, most historians now believe that the Picts were simply assimilated into what cultural group represented in red here? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 24 2024 : malidog: 8/10
Mar 18 2024 : Guest 86: 8/10
Feb 27 2024 : Guest 94: 10/10
Feb 24 2024 : Guest 80: 9/10
Feb 24 2024 : Guest 92: 9/10
Feb 16 2024 : misdiaslocos: 7/10
Feb 11 2024 : Guest 92: 7/10
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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Picts were a conglomeration of peoples located in the dark blue area of this map. To the south, many different groups ruled including the Britons, the Anglo-Saxons, and even the Roman Empire, but none of them were ever able to fully conquer the Pictish lands. What was the Roman name for these northern lands?

Answer: Caledonia

The Picts were located in Caledonia (as the Romans had named it), and are generally taken to be the descendants of the many Caledonian tribes. The Picts were not ruled centrally, and instead fought invaders by gathering the many tribes together. Roman historian Tacitus was very careful not to use the word "king" when writing about the Pictish war leader, leading some historians to believe that the many Pictish peoples simply elected a single war leader when they went to battle.
2. The first historical records of the Picts were kept by the Romans, who considered them barbaric and uncivilized. In this illustration, you can see such a dramatization. The Romans named them the "Picti", which means what?

Answer: painted people

The Picts were said to be the "painted people" because they were said to have painted or tattooed themselves, especially during war. The warpaint was said most often to be of a blue color, though some other accounts depict various colors, with even the women painted.

The designs on the skin are undocumented, but often illustrations of the Pictish people tend to use the patterns used in Pictish artwork. The lack of historical documentation amongst the Pictish people themselves leaves all historical accounts to the Romans and other nations, so any definitive descriptions of them must be seen through the lens of historical bias. The Picts may have indeed painted themselves, but it is unknown to what extent this practice would have taken place.
3. Since most of the historical accounts of the Picts comes from their enemies, it is important for historians to try and glean as much unbiased information from their artifacts as they can. The artifacts shown here are just a couple of many of what kind of artwork?

Answer: carved stoneworks

The Picts were widely known for their stone carvings and their intricate patterns. Many of the Pictish patterns are known for being drawn from a single line. As can also be seen, the Picts were known for creating crosses, due to the fact that Christianity was brought to their civilization between the sixth and ninth centuries.
4. Pictured is a Pictish work known as the Bullion Stone. In it, a rider with a shield is drinking from a drinking horn that ends in a bird's head. What is unusual about this artwork compared to other Pictish works?

Answer: It is not embellished, which is typical of Pictish art.

No conspiracy theories here; the Bullion Stone is a carved stone from the late Pictish period around the tenth century. It is unusual because Pictish art is usually embellished with patterns and symbols, leaving little to no empty space. However, the Bullion stone depicts just a single figure. The stone itself was found in Angus, Scotland.
5. The Roman Empire attempted to protect itself from northern raids by building Hadrian's Wall in AD 122. However, they did not simply sit behind this wall and forget about the rest of the lands in the north. In AD 142, Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius started construction of what lesser-known wall represented in red on this map, which was abandoned only eight years later due to Pictish raids?

Answer: Antonine Wall

The Antonine Wall meant to further distance the northern tribes from the Roman lands in southern Britannia. It was built with a stone foundation and the rest was simply turf. After only eight years of defending the wall, the Romans were ordered to fall back to Hadrian's Wall and abandon the north.

Some years later, Roman Emperor Septimus Severus arrived in Scotland and repaired much of the wall once again in order to extend Rome's lands. This led to some referring to the Antonine Wall as the Severus Wall. However, Severus' campaign was pushed back again after only a few years.
6. This Pictish work is believed to show the Battle of Dun Nechtain in AD 685. King Bridei III of Pictland was an expansionary king, and he was able to remove the troops of what foreign power from Pictland?

Answer: Northumbria

Northumbria was an Anglian kingdom which grew from the merged kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira. In the seventh century, they began to invade north into Pictish lands, but the Pictish warriors gathered under King Bridei III and removed the invaders. The battle was seen as a real victory against the Angles and was celebrated as far away as the Celtic tribes in Ireland.
7. King Bridei III of the Picts was determined to push out foreign influence in his lands. He was widely successful in his war campaigns in the south as well as the east. In 682, he led a force against what area colored in red that was so violent that he was said to have simply "destroyed" the region?

Answer: Orkney

Bridei's Orkney campaign was brutal, though little else is known about it. Orkney had been ruled by a small independent kingdom that was easily conquered. Bridei III also skirmished with the Gaels and the Angles, successfully establishing the Picts as a power in the north.
8. Pictured is a replication of a certain structure that was common in the estuaries of Scotland and Ireland. The structure is an artificial island built from a combination of stone, timber, or straw. Their construction was at its peak from 800 BC to AD 200, but they were used and rebuilt during the time of the Picts as well. What are these structures called?

Answer: crannog

Crannogs were generally used as dwellings, sometimes for those who could afford them for the purpose of isolation. They occasionally had defensive purposes. It is believed that there were over 300 crannogs spread out through Scotland at their highest popularity.

The defining principles of what makes a crannog are debated, though one constant is that they are constructed within water, making them artificial islands. Sometimes this means they are simply mounds of stone and straw, and other times they are full structures.
9. In the image you can find the Irish missionary Saint Columba, who is known as the Apostle of the Picts. He was well-regarded by the Picts and helped them convert to Christianity in the sixth century. Before the arrival of Columba, the Picts practiced a form of Celtic polytheism, which is sometimes referred to by what other name?

Answer: Druidism

Celtic polytheism could be seen across the many Celtic regions, though they often differed slightly from group to group. However, the majority of them had adopted deities similar to those of the Romans and Greeks. Especially to Christians, their form or worship was known as "Celtic paganism".

Christianity would sweep through the Celtic realms and the missionaries were generally treated well. The Picts would go on to create a large swath of Christian art, and had a special affinity toward Christian crosses.
10. Some historians in the past believed that the Picts mysteriously vanished, and this lent them an aura of mysticism. However, most historians now believe that the Picts were simply assimilated into what cultural group represented in red here?

Answer: Gaels

The Gaels were those who spoke Gaelic, originating from Ireland and Gaelic Scotland. The Picts merged culturally with the Gaels who had lived in southwest Scotland forming the Kingdom of Alba, a precursor to the Kingdom of Scotland. Even today, there are those in Scotland who speak a form of Gaelic, or Scottish Gaelic, though it is typically not mandatory to study the language like it is to study Gaelic in Ireland.
Source: Author trident

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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