Which Nile civilisation built the Pyramids of Giza?
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Ancient Egypt
The pharaohs were seen as divine rulers.
💡 Did you know? Their writing was hieroglyphs.
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In which ancient culture arose democracy, philosophy and city-states like Athens?
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Ancient Greece
Athens is seen as the cradle of democracy.
💡 Did you know? Socrates, Plato and Aristotle taught there.
Which ancient empire ruled the Mediterranean from Rome?
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Roman Empire
Its symbol is the Colosseum.
💡 Did you know? In the West it fell in 476 AD.
Which “land between the rivers” Euphrates and Tigris produced the first writing?
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Mesopotamia
Cuneiform script emerged there.
💡 Did you know? It is called the “cradle of civilisation”.
Which empire under kings like Darius was the great rival of the Greeks?
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Persian Empire
It fought Greece in the Persian Wars.
💡 Did you know? Alexander the Great later conquered it.
Who was the first Roman emperor?
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Augustus
Under him began a long peace (Pax Romana).
💡 Did you know? The month August is named after him.
Which Macedonian general conquered an empire as far as India?
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Alexander the Great
He was tutored by Aristotle.
💡 Did you know? He died at just 32.
Which athletic games in honour of Zeus were held from 776 BC?
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Olympic Games
They were held at Olympia in Greece.
💡 Did you know? They were revived in Athens in 1896.
Which last pharaoh of Egypt allied with Caesar and Mark Antony?
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Cleopatra
Her death ended the age of the pharaohs.
💡 Did you know? She came from the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty.
Which Roman general and dictator was assassinated in 44 BC?
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Julius Caesar
“You too, Brutus?” he is said to have gasped.
💡 Did you know? His name lives on in “Kaiser” and “Tsar”.
Which Greek city-state was famous for its harsh warrior upbringing?
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Sparta
300 Spartans fought at Thermopylae.
💡 Did you know? “Spartan” still means “bare, tough”.
Which famous ancient library in Egypt gathered the world's knowledge?
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Library of Alexandria
It reputedly held hundreds of thousands of scrolls.
💡 Did you know? Its loss is seen as a great loss of knowledge.
Which empire built the Colosseum?
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Roman Empire
The Colosseum in Rome held around 50,000 spectators and hosted gladiator fights and animal hunts. At its peak the Roman Empire spanned three continents around the Mediterranean.
💡 Did you know? Its inauguration in AD 80 was marked by 100 days of games.
Which city was buried by Vesuvius in AD 79?
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Pompeii
The eruption of Vesuvius buried the town under metres of ash, preserving it for centuries. Excavations still reveal streets, houses and wall paintings.
💡 Did you know? Cavities in the ash kept the shape of the victims: later filled with plaster to make casts.
When were the first ancient Olympic Games held?
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776 BC
The ancient Games were held every four years in honour of the god Zeus at Olympia. During the Games a sacred truce held between the Greek city-states.
💡 Did you know? Athletes usually competed naked: 'gymnastics' comes from the Greek 'gymnos' = naked.
When was Rome traditionally founded?
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753 BC
Legend says the twins Romulus and Remus founded the city; Romulus became its first king. From a small settlement on the Tiber grew a world empire.
💡 Did you know? As abandoned infants the twins were said to have been suckled by a she-wolf.
What writing did the ancient Egyptians use?
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hieroglyphs
The ancient Egyptian picture-script was used for over 3000 years, then forgotten. Only in 1822 did Jean-François Champollion decipher it again.
💡 Did you know? The key was the 'Rosetta Stone', bearing the same text in three scripts.
What were the rulers of ancient Egypt called?
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pharaohs
The pharaoh was regarded as a divine ruler and mediator between gods and people. Among the best known are Tutankhamun, Ramesses II and Queen Cleopatra.
💡 Did you know? 'Pharaoh' originally means 'great house': referring to the palace.
What place are the Olympic Games named after?
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Olympia
Olympia was a sanctuary in the western Peloponnese with a huge temple of Zeus. It once held the statue of Zeus (one of the Seven Wonders) beside the competition grounds.
💡 Did you know? The Olympic flame is still lit at Olympia using a mirror and the sun.
To whom are the Iliad and the Odyssey attributed?
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Homer
The 'Iliad' tells of the Trojan War, the 'Odyssey' of Odysseus's ten-year journey home. Both epics are foundations of Western literature.
💡 Did you know? Whether Homer really existed is still unclear: some think he was several poets.
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