Let's Get Quizzical: Archaeology
It’s time for another quiz and we’re testing your knowledge of archaeology, in celebration of The Festival of British Archaeology! Yep, this quiz is all about digging things up, famous archeologists in film and TV, and more. How much do you know? Answers below…
QUESTIONS
1. Archaeology is the study of _____ and _____ through material remains?
a) Life and death
b) Human history and prehistory
c) Humans and animals
d) Past events and places
2. Which on screen archeologist was famous for their hat and whip?
a) Indiana Jones
b) Scarlett Marlowe
c) Benjamin Gates
d) Lara Croft
3. In 1974, 8,000 clay soldiers were discovered guarding the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. What are they better known as?
a) The Qin Shi Huang Soldiers
b) The Clay Soldiers
c) The Terracotta Army
d) The Tomb Guards
4. What happened in 79 AD to preserve many artefacts in the city of Pompeii?
a) An earthquake
b) A volcanic eruption
c) A tsunami
d) An ice storm
5. What is the name of the historic slab, found in Egypt, with three different languages inscribed on it?
a) The Speaking Slab
b) The Stone of Truth
c) The Sawlumin Inscription
d) The Rosetta Stone
6. Which famous archeological site in England gains more than one million visitors a year?
a) Stonehenge
b) La Brea Tarpits
c) Arthur’s Seat
d) Durdle Door
7. True or False: The tomb of Tutenkhamen was first located and opened in 1922?
TRUE
FALSE
8. Easter Island is famous for its what?
a) Mini caves
b) Mummified men
c) Monolithic statues
d) Mazes
9. Ötzi, a mummified man who lived between 3400 and 3100 BC, was found preserved in ice, in The Alps in 1991. What was found alongside him?
a) A book of poetry
b) A copper bladed axe
c) A mummified dog
d) A three headed snake
10. The Cave of Altamira, found in 1879, with cave paintings of animals, handprints and abstract shapes, is in which country?
a) Mexico
b) England
c) Russia
d) Spain
ANSWERS
1. The answer is b) Human history and prehistory!
The best definition of archaeology is the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artefacts and other physical remains.
2. The answer is a) Indiana Jones!
Did you know the character was originally named Indiana Smith, after a dog that George Lucas owned (which was also the basis of Star Wars character, Chewbacca!) but Steven Spielberg wasn’t fond of the last named Smith and suggested Jones as an alternative!
3. The answer is c) The Terracotta Army!
Over the past 35 years, archaeologists have located 600 pits of soldiers. Some are hard to get to, but three major pits are easily accessible, enclosed inside the four-acre Museum of the Terracotta Army!
4. The answer is b) A volcanic eruption!
When Mt. Vesuvius exploded in 79 AD, it instantly decimated the city of Pompeii, covering it with many layers of ash and pumice. Other cities were built over these layers, and it took hundreds and hundreds of years before archeologists uncovered the ancient ruins beneath.
5. The answer is d) The Rosetta Stone!
The Rosetta Stone was discovered by a French soldier in Egypt; it's actually a fragment of a much larger stone that contained a royal decree, which was inscribed in three languages: Egyptian hieroglyphics, Egyptian written script, and ancient Greek.
6. The answer is a) Stonehenge!
Stonehenge is one of the most well-known monuments in the world, and the mystery of its functions adds to the fascination. Archeologists estimate it was built between 3000 BC to 2000 BC, but they have little definitive evidence as to why the pillars of stone were built in the first place.
7. The answer is FALSE!
Many people mistakenly think that because so much was found in Tutankhamen's tomb it must have been sealed and never reopened. But scholars believe that the tomb was opened and robbed at least twice before being discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1922!
8. The answer is c) Monolithic statues!
Easter Island, known by natives as Rapa Nui, is the setting for nearly 900 statues that were carved sometime between 1100 and 1680 CE. Some are just heads, while others are heads that sit on torsos, and some even have knees. The statues are so heavy, archeologists have not actually determined how their creators moved them!
9. The answer is b) A copper bladed axe!
Ötzi was found on the border between Italy and Austria, at an altitude of 3,200 m above sea level. Alongside him were many artefacts, including: a bow and quiver with arrows, a complete copper-bladed axe, a flint dagger with a wicker sheath, two birch wood vessels clad with maple leaves, remnants of a backpack, a leather pouch with small objects, fur and leather garments, and shoes!
10. The answer is d) Spain!
The cave art in the Cave of Altamira was discovered in 1879 by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. The art dates back to the Palaeolithic Age, marking the first acknowledgement that the people of that period were capable of making carvings and paintings on the walls and ceilings of caves and rock shelters!
