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Quiz about Pioneers of Egyptology
Quiz about Pioneers of Egyptology

Pioneers of Egyptology Trivia Quiz


Highlighting some of their most significant contributions, learn about ten of the men who opened the door on a fascinating ancient world.

A multiple-choice quiz by sterretjie101. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
301,527
Updated
Mar 08 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
547
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
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Question 1 of 10
1. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Egypt was inaccessible to foreigners for many centuries. The situation started changing in the 18th century when men such as Fr Claude Sicard, Bishop Richard Pococke and Frederik Norden travelled to the region. Norden published a book on his travels in 1755. What famous person took such an interest in Egypt that he arrived there in 1798 with 35,000 men? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. During the 1798 expedition a flat basalt stone was found built into an old wall. Named the Rosetta stone, it was inscribed in hieroglyphics, Egyptian demotic and Greek. One of the scholars attempting to decipher hieroglyphics was Jean Francois Champollion. Born in 1790, he was an avid linguist, having taught himself Arabic, Syrian, Chaldean, Coptic and Persian. After studying the inscriptions on the stone for many years, in what year did he publish his findings on cracking the code? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. While Champollion poured over ancient texts in France, the Italian adventurer Giovanni Belzoni was in Egypt, literally blasting his way into pyramids and tombs. Collecting antiquities at any cost had become the rage. Earlier in his life Belzoni starred in music hall productions. As what Biblical character had he appeared in Sadler's Wells theatre? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In 1821 the Englishman John Gardner Wilkinson arrived in Egypt and remained in the country until 1833. In what branch of archaeology did he specialize? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia wanted to emulate the 1798 expedition to Egypt. He chose Carl Lepsius to head the 1842 venture. Lepsius had studied Greek and Roman archaeology. After the expedition, he was appointed professor at Berlin university. For what occasion did he later visit Egypt for the last time? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In 1850 another Frenchman appeared on the fledgling Egyptology stage. Auguste Mariette arrived in Egypt with the charge of buying up Coptic manuscripts. Not meeting with success, he turned his attention to Egyptology. What museum did he found in order to preserve, record, excavate and administer Egyptian antiquities? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Gaston Maspero's passion for Ancient Egypt began at an early age. After many years of research and excavation, he was chosen to be guide to an important lady for the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Who was she? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Related to Matthew Flinders who explored Australia, William Flinders Petrie was born in Kent in 1853. Before setting off for Egypt, young Petrie helped survey Stonehenge. In Egypt in 1895 he made the important discovery of the tombs at Nagada. To what period of Egyptian history do the tombs belong? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Yet another avid linguist, Sir E. A. Wallis Budge worked as a clerk while studying Hebrew and Syriac. Entering the service of the British Museum in 1883, he retired forty-one years later. What did the initials E.A. stand for? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In November 1922 Howard Carter stunned the world with his discovery of the treasure-packed tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Having once discovered seals of the hitherto-unknown king, Carter searched every inch of the Valley of the Kings for eight years before locating the tomb. Who was the wealthy Englishman who backed him financially? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Egypt was inaccessible to foreigners for many centuries. The situation started changing in the 18th century when men such as Fr Claude Sicard, Bishop Richard Pococke and Frederik Norden travelled to the region. Norden published a book on his travels in 1755. What famous person took such an interest in Egypt that he arrived there in 1798 with 35,000 men?

Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon's chief aim was to conquer Egypt and reduce Britain's power. Although the military expedition was a disaster, the work on Egyptian antiquities caused a sensation. Surveyors, engineers, botanists and artists contributed to the famous 'Description of Egypt', lavishly illustrated in twenty volumes.
2. During the 1798 expedition a flat basalt stone was found built into an old wall. Named the Rosetta stone, it was inscribed in hieroglyphics, Egyptian demotic and Greek. One of the scholars attempting to decipher hieroglyphics was Jean Francois Champollion. Born in 1790, he was an avid linguist, having taught himself Arabic, Syrian, Chaldean, Coptic and Persian. After studying the inscriptions on the stone for many years, in what year did he publish his findings on cracking the code?

Answer: 1824

Champollion was only one of a number of scholars vying for the honour of having deciphered hieroglyphics. Sylvestre de Sacy, Dr Thomas Young and Johan Akerblad lost out when Champollion published his 'Primer of the Hieroglyphic System of the Ancient Egyptians' in 1824. Champollion was appointed director of the Egyptian department at the Louvre in Paris, while a Chair of Egyptian History was later created for him at the College of France.

He died at age 42 in 1832.
3. While Champollion poured over ancient texts in France, the Italian adventurer Giovanni Belzoni was in Egypt, literally blasting his way into pyramids and tombs. Collecting antiquities at any cost had become the rage. Earlier in his life Belzoni starred in music hall productions. As what Biblical character had he appeared in Sadler's Wells theatre?

Answer: Samson

Immensely strong and standing 6'7" tall, Belzoni appeared on stage with an iron harness, carrying twelve people on his shoulders as 'The Patagonian Samson'. After failing to interest the Turkish viceroy in his invention of a water-raising device, he joined up with the British consul Henry Salt, who collected antiquities for the British Museum. To his credit, Belzoni was also a good artist, copying tomb paintings and texts, later exhibited to great acclaim.

He died near Timbuktu in the African country Benin.
4. In 1821 the Englishman John Gardner Wilkinson arrived in Egypt and remained in the country until 1833. In what branch of archaeology did he specialize?

Answer: Epigraphy

An epigraph is an inscription on stone or on a statue. Wilkinson did valuable work in studying ancient inscriptions and his publications were extremely precise. His work helped indentify the names of ancient pharaohs for the first time. He died at age 78 in Wales in 1875.

Genealogy is the study of family relationships, descent and family history.
5. Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia wanted to emulate the 1798 expedition to Egypt. He chose Carl Lepsius to head the 1842 venture. Lepsius had studied Greek and Roman archaeology. After the expedition, he was appointed professor at Berlin university. For what occasion did he later visit Egypt for the last time?

Answer: Inauguration of Suez Canal

Lepsuis took his brief of collecting antiquities seriously. He contributed more than 15,000 items and casts to the Berlin Museum. In the book about his travels, he described many sites that have since disappeared or been vandalized. He died in Berlin in 1884.
6. In 1850 another Frenchman appeared on the fledgling Egyptology stage. Auguste Mariette arrived in Egypt with the charge of buying up Coptic manuscripts. Not meeting with success, he turned his attention to Egyptology. What museum did he found in order to preserve, record, excavate and administer Egyptian antiquities?

Answer: Cairo Museum

Born in Boulogne-sur-Mer in France, his cousin had been Champollion's draughtsman. He worked at the Louvre for a while before the viceroy of Egypt provided him with state finance to gather antiquities, most of which later ended up in the Cairo Museum. Raised to the rank of pasha, Mariette died in 1881 and was buried in the grounds of the museum.
7. Gaston Maspero's passion for Ancient Egypt began at an early age. After many years of research and excavation, he was chosen to be guide to an important lady for the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Who was she?

Answer: Empress Eugenie

Maspero taught Egyptology at the College de France before being appointed professor of Egyptian antiquities. In Egypt he copied tomb inscriptions until Mariette died and he stepped into his shoes as Director of Excavations. In 1869 he took Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III on a grand tour of the sites.

The number of his books were enormous, reaching the figure of around 1,200. He died in Paris in 1916 at age seventy.
8. Related to Matthew Flinders who explored Australia, William Flinders Petrie was born in Kent in 1853. Before setting off for Egypt, young Petrie helped survey Stonehenge. In Egypt in 1895 he made the important discovery of the tombs at Nagada. To what period of Egyptian history do the tombs belong?

Answer: Pre-dynastic

Petrie is called the Father of Modern Egyptology. Even Mariette had used dynamite to excavate and Petrie was determined to put a stop to such destructive methods. Since the Nagada tombs fell outside datable history, Petrie developed sequence dating to order finds chronologically. The method is still in use. Busy as ever, Petric died in Jerusalem in 1942.
9. Yet another avid linguist, Sir E. A. Wallis Budge worked as a clerk while studying Hebrew and Syriac. Entering the service of the British Museum in 1883, he retired forty-one years later. What did the initials E.A. stand for?

Answer: Ernest Alfred

The British Museum in London was opened in 1759. In 1836 the museum appointed the first Egyptologist in the person of Samuel Birch. Budge was his successor. In 1866, the Egyptian artifacts numbered ten thousand. When Budge retired in 1924, the collection had grown to 57 000. Budge was a prolific writer of over 140 books, many of which have remained in print.
10. In November 1922 Howard Carter stunned the world with his discovery of the treasure-packed tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Having once discovered seals of the hitherto-unknown king, Carter searched every inch of the Valley of the Kings for eight years before locating the tomb. Who was the wealthy Englishman who backed him financially?

Answer: Lord Carnarvon

Howard Carter was born as the youngest of eleven children. Working his way up the ranks, he was appointed Inspector of Antiquities to Upper Egypt and Nubia in 1904. The Earl of Carnarvon started spending winters in Cairo after an automobile accident. The two men teamed up in 1908, but by 1922 Carnarvon was ready to give up as Carter had not yet made a major discovery. Soon after the most spectacular find in all of Egyptology, Carnarvon died, leaving Carter to painstakingly record the overwhelming number of objects in the small tomb.

Many of Carter's colleagues ascribed the discovery to sheer luck and did not accord him much respect. Carter died in 1939 and was quietly buried in Putney Vale, London.
Source: Author sterretjie101

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