Inventions of Ancient Civilizations
The ancient Romans invented these, used to transport water over great distances using gravity alone.
What are Aqueducts?
This Greek king of the Gods ruled from Mount Olympus and wielded a thunderbolt.
Who is Zues?
This ancient civilization along the Nile River built monumental pyramids as tombs for their pharaohs.
Who are the Ancient Egyptians?
These basic units of heredity come in pairs and can be dominant or recessive.
What are Genes?
The prefix “O’” in Irish surnames, such as O’Connor, originally meant this family connection.
What is descendant of (sometimes grandson of)?
Around 3,000 BCE these ancient innovators created the Potters Wheel, revolutionizing pottery production.
Who are the Mesopotamians?
This Greek goddess is known for her wisdom and warfare strategy. She is said to have sprung fully grown from Zues' head.
Who is Athena?
This civilization created a vast empire in the Andes and built Machu Picchu high in the mountains.
What is the Inca Empire?
Discovered in 1953 by Watson and Crick—with help from images created by Rosalind Franklin—this structure revealed how genetic information is passed from cell to cell.
What is a Double Helix?
Many English surnames like Baker, Smith, and Taylor come from this type of name based on a person’s job.
What are occupational surnames?
China is famous for inventing this explosive mixture during the 9th century, originally for medicinal purposes.
What is Gunpowder?
He was the Roman god of war - often more revered than his Greek counterpart.
Who is Mars?
Centered along the Tiber River, this ancient civilization eventually grew into a massive empire ruled by emperors.
What is Ancient Rome?
Humans have this number of chromosomes in each typical body cell.
What is 46?
Italian surnames like Rossi or Russo come from a word meaning this hair color.
What is Red?
This ancient civilization is credited with inventing one of the earliest known calendars, a 365 day solar calendar, around 2600 BCE.
Who are the Ancient Egyptians?
These legendary twin brothers were born of Rhea Silvia and the God Mars. They are said to have founded Rome and are a symbol of it's origins and values.
Who are Romulus and Remus?
Known for inventing cuneiform writing, this civilization flourished in the Fertile Crescent.
Who are the Sumerians?
Often described as “genetic scissors,” this gene‑editing tool can cut and change DNA with remarkable precision.
What is CRISPR?
Japanese surnames like Tanaka, Yamamoto, and Kobayashi often describe features of this.
What is the natural landscape?
These movable, transportable shelters that could be assembled in less than an hour are credited to nomadic peoples of central Asia first being documented between 484 and 424 BCE.
What are Yurts?
In Greek mythology he was Hermes, the messenger of the gods. In Roman mythology this swift moving deity was known as this.
Who is Mercury?
This ancient civilization, known for its ziggurats and early legal codes, is credited with creating one of the world’s first organized law systems, written by a king famous for his “eye for an eye” principles.
What is Babylon?
Scientists use this lab technique to insert a gene into a circular DNA molecule, which can then be placed into bacteria to make proteins like insulin.
What is Plasmid Cloning?
The last names Peterson, Henderson, and Robertson all fall into this category of surnames meaning “son of” someone.
What are Patronymic Surnames?