Sumer & Mesopotamia
What is the world's oldest epic poem about the king of Uruk searching for eternal life?
The Epic of Gilgamesh
What massive quadrilateral stone monuments were built as tombs for Egyptian pharaohs?
Pyramids
Who is the Olympian god of the sea, wielding a trident?
Poseidon / Neptune
What massive prehistoric megalithic monument in England is believed to be an ancient observatory or altar?
Stonehenge
What was the world's earliest writing system created using reed styluses on clay tablets?
Cuneiform
What artifact discovered in 1799 provided the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs?
The Rosetta Stone
What legendary king of Phrygia was granted the golden touch, turning everything he handled into gold?
King Midas
What magnificent palace on Crete became the legendary site of King Minos's labyrinth?
The Palace of Knossos
According to Sumerian myth, who were the primordial lower deities created to bear the workload of the gods?
The Anunnaki
What extensive communication and trade network was built by the Achaemenid kings of Persia?
Persian Royal Road
What is the name of the monstrous creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull trapped in a labyrinth?
The Minotaur
What massive tiered pyramid-temple structure made of mud-brick was built in Mesopotamia?
The Ziggurat
What is the world's oldest known law code, predating Hammurabi and focusing on fines rather than corporal punishment?
The Code of Ur-Nammu
What major 1274 BC clash between Egypt and the Hittites is recorded as history's first major chariot battle?
The Battle of Kadesh
Who was the divine mother of Achilles who dipped him in the River Styx to make him invulnerable?
Thetis
Located in Giza, which 4th-Dynasty pharaoh is widely believed to be the face of the Great Sphinx?
Khafre
In Sumerian mythology, which primordial mother and earth goddess is credited with helping create humanity?
Ninhursag / Nammu
During the Amarna period, what was the name of the solar disk deity that Pharaoh Akhenaten elevated to exclusive worship?
Aten
In Greek myth, which king of Corinth was condemned in Tartarus to endlessly roll a boulder up a steep hill?
Sisyphus
What two writing systems were used to record the world's first peace treaty between the Hittites and Egyptians?
Akkadian cuneiform and Luwian hieroglyphs