90+ Ancient History Trivia Questions And Answers

By January Nelson Updated November 9, 2022

If you’re a history buff, you’re going to love this quiz! It will test how much you know about the Roman Empire and other ancient civilizations. You might even learn something new about the past that you never knew before. Here is an ancient history quiz that will blow your mind:

Ancient History Quiz:

What was the first capital of ancient Egypt?

Memphis.

What Roman Emperor was once captured by pirates and held for a 12,000 gold-piece ransom?

Julius Caesar.

What were the two most important city states in ancient Greece?

Athens and Sparta.

On what island did ancient Greek civilization originate?

Crete.

What fortification was built by the Romans around 122 A.D. across the width of Great Britain to separate Romans from the people to the north?

Hadrian’s Wall.

What famous structure was built during the Old Kingdom in Egypt?

The Sphinx.

Which country is famous for its amazing (and very old) terracotta army?

China.

Who is considered the founder of the Xia Dynasty in ancient China?

Yu the Great.

The Mayans were a powerful civilization in the area that is now_____.

Guatemala.

How many of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still exist?

One.

Which one of the Seven Wonders of the world still exists?

The Great Pyramid of Giza.

In 1922, excited explorers found the tomb of which famous ancient ruler?

Tutankhamen.

Cleopatra VII was a legendary ruler of which area?

Egypt.

The construction of Stonehenge was begun around 2400 BC. How much do some of the stones weigh?

Around 40 tons.

The Mayans were the only ancient society in the area of Latin America that accomplished which feat?

Writing.

Ancient Rome began growing in the area that is now ____?

Italy.

What was the original purpose of Stonehenge, an iconic stone monument located in England?

No one knows.

More Trivia Questions:

coliseum under white sky — Unsplash / Kasturi Roy

Question: Where would you find the world-famous Colosseum?
Answer: Rome.

Question: The surface of Egypt’s ancient pyramids were covered with what?
Answer: White limestone.

Question: Which great warrior conquered Egypt in 332 BC?
Answer: Alexander the Great.

Question: How was the ancient Roman city of Pompeii destroyed?
Answer: Volcano.

Question: Which age followed the Bronze Age?
Answer: Iron age.

Question: Tenochtitlan was a massive capital city in which society?
Answer: Aztec.

Question: When did the first documented Olympic Games take place?
Answer: 776 B.C.

Question: Can you name the modern-day countries that were settled by the Ancient Greeks in 550 B.C.?
Answer: Turkey, Spain, France, Italy, and northern Africa.

Question: Who are the ancient people who invented the Seismograph?
Answer: The Chinese.

Question: Most of Egypt is desert, so people living there depended on a river for water to drink and grow their crops. What is the name of this river?
Answer: The Nile is the world’s longest river that the ancient Egyptians would rely on.

Question: What dynasty ruled China for nearly 400 years?
Answer: Han.

Question: The rise and fall of the _____ Empire is one of the most consequential events of ancient history.
Answer: Roman.

Question: Ancient Puebloans are renowned for the ruins of their amazing ______.
Answer: Cliff dwellings.

Question: Who is credited with making the first map of the known world?
Answer: Anaximander.

Question: Who colonized Tunisia in ancient times?
Answer: Phoenicians.

Question: The God of the Parsees was called what?
Answer: Ahura Mazda.

brown concrete building on top of mountain — Unsplash / Max van den Oetelaar

Question: Who was the most famous Greek poet?
Answer: Homer.

Question: Who is the most powerful leader in Persia in the 6lh century B.C?
Answer: Cyrus.

Question: What place is known as the Queen of the Mediterranean Sea?
Answer: Greece.

Question: Name a Greek city state.
Answer: The names of the five Greek city states were Athens, Sparta, Thebes, Corinth, and Delphi.

Question: Who is the founder of the religion Zoroastrianism?
Answer: Zoroaster.

Question: Who first invented writing?
Answer: Sumerians.

Question: Which female leader of Ancient Egypt had a relationship with Mark Antony?
Answer: Cleopatra.

Question: Who is a great lyric poet who wrote poems to honor the victorious Greek athletes?
Answer: Pindar.

Question: What was one of the Inca cities which was situated at a height of nearly 3500 meters?
Answer: Machu Picchu.

Question: What was the name given to the floating gardens made by the Aztecs?
Answer: Chinampas.

Question: Who is the founder of tragedy dramas?
Answer: Aeschylus.

Question: Who is the most famous ruler of ancient Athens?
Answer: Pericles.

Question: Who is the great Greek woman who sang on the beauty of love and nature?
Answer: Sappho.

Question: Where did the ancient Phoenicians live?
Answer: Phoenicia.

Question: What is meant by oligarchy?
Answer: The rule by a few rich men.

Question: What historic event took place in Rome in 64 A.D.?
Answer: Rome burned for six days and seven nights.

Question: How many years did the Peloponnesian War last?
Answer: 27 years.

Question: What word means “of the Middle Ages”?
Answer: Medieval.

Question: Why do we know so little about the Indus Valley Civilization?
Answer: We cannot decipher their script or written language.

Question: Which great warrior conquered Egypt in 332 BC?
Answer: Alexander the Great.

Question: In which civilization did the first Olympic games take place?
Answer: Ancient Greece.

Question: Which ancient civilization invented the wheel?
Answer: Mesopotamia.

Question: Where would you find the world-famous Colosseum?
Answer: Rome.

Question: Which of these is an early period in the Bronze Age?
Answer: Chalcolithic.

Question: To whom is attributed the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
Answer: Nebuchadnezzar II.

Question: Can you name the modern-day countries who were part of the Byzantine Empire at its peak in 555 A.D.?
Answer: Italy, Greece, and Turkey.

Question: How was the ancient Roman city of Pompeii destroyed?
Answer: By the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Question: Cleopatra VII was a legendary ruler of…
Answer: Egypt.

Question: In 1922, excited explorers found the tomb of which famous ancient ruler?
Answer: King Tutankhamen, AKA King Tut.

Question: How did the Roman army use tortoises?
Answer: The “tortoise” was a name for the way they used their shields.

Question: Which Greek writer is considered “the father of history” but also “the father of lies”?
Answer: Herodotus.

Question: This building is a temple to goddess Athena, represented in the statue Athena Parthenos. What is the name of this temple?
Answer: The Parthenon.

Question: What was the Assembly?
Answer: An open air meeting where citizens could vote.

Question: Where in Greece would you find the most important oracle?
Answer: Delphi.

Question: This monument was built in a large country in Asia, to protect the country from enemy invasions, to control immigration, and to protect the merchants of the silk trade. What is its name?
Answer: The Great Wall of China.

Question: The ancient Egyptians were ruled by kings who were called pharaohs. There was one pharaoh named Hatshepsut. What was unusual about Hatshepsut?
Answer: Hatshepsut was a woman.

Question: Where did the Peloponnesian War happen?
Answer: Southern Europe.

Question: Why did the Romans wear togas?
Answer: To show that they were Roman citizens.

two brown columns in front of ruins — Unsplash / Cristina Gottardi

Question: Gold was very valuable in Egypt. Many things were made of gold. What country was most of the gold mined in?
Answer: Nubia.

Question: The Greek army was very fierce, especially the Spartans. Who paid for their weapons and armor?
Answer: The soldiers bought their own.

Question: At which naval battle near Athens were the Persians utterly defeated in 480 BC?
Answer: Salamis.

Question: Who was the first Roman Emperor, whom we also find on the calendar?
Answer: Octavius Augustus.

Question: Most ancient Egyptians drank this beverage made of grain and dates. What was it?
Answer: Beer.

Question: Why did the Greeks build temples?
Answer: As homes for their gods.

Question: Why were Roman roads straight?
Answer: Because it was the shortest route from one place to another.

Question: What do we call the stories the Greeks told about their gods and heroes?
Answer: Myths.

Question: A modern sports event was named after the battle against the Persians in 490 BC. What is the name of the battlefield and of the running event?
Answer: Marathon.

Question: What did the Egyptians use to write on?
Answer: Papyrus.

Question: The biggest Greek warships had three rows of oarsmen. What were these ships called?
Answer: Triremes.

Question: The ancient Greeks performed plays about their gods and heroes. What were these plays called?
Answer: Tragedies.

Question: Romans had their own names for various regions and countries. What did they call France?
Answer: Gaul.

Question: The Greeks had a lot of gods. Who did they believe was the king of the gods?
Answer: Zeus.

Question: The Greeks invented a way of thinking deeply about the world and the meaning of life. What did they call it?
Answer: Philosophy.

Question: One of the fierce adversaries of Rome crossed the Alps with 37 elephants. Who was this general?
Answer: Hannibal.

Question: The Egyptians had a special way of writing that involved pictures called hieroglyphs. For a long time, no one could read this writing. Then something was discovered that allowed hieroglyphs to be translated. What was it?
Answer: The Rosetta Stone.

Question: When did Sparta conquer Athens at the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War?
Answer: 404 BC.

Question: What does BC or BCE mean?
Answer: Before Christ/Before the Common (or Current) Era.

Question: Where is Greece?
Answer: Europe.

Question: Who was the king who not only united Greece but also conquered the archenemy Persia?
Answer: Alexander the Great.

Question: According to Roman historians, who was the first King of Rome
Answer: Romulus.

Question: Complete the sequence of Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, _____Who?
Answer: Nero.

Question: The Stone Age is called that because of its…
Answer: An abundance of stone tools

Question: Which metal is associated with the end of the Stone Age?
Answer: Bronze.

More Quizzes:

Don’t worry, there are plenty of more quizzes to take! Here are some more trivia questions!