Lost to the Ages Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rome

Founded - at least according to legend - by twin brothers Romulus and Remus, the Romans thrived from 753 BCE to the 5th century CE. At the height of its power, Rome ruled all of Western Europe, the Balkans, North Africa and the area that is today known as Turkey.

Answer: Sparta

Sparta was one of the Greek city-states of antiquity, notable particularly for its military success and discipline. The word "Spartan" meaning poor conditions without comfort is derived from ancient Sparta's lifestyle - a style that shunned comfort and emphasized hard work and training, especially for war.

Answer: Egypt

While, of course, there is a country called Egypt today, it bears no relationship to the ancient Egyptian civilization. Supplied by the fertile Nile area, the Egyptians had a very advanced society as far back as 2500 BCE. Not only did they manage to construct the famous buildings lasting for thousands of years, but they also had ample knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and medicine.

Answer: Maya

The Maya civilization developed in the area that is, today, Mexico and Middle America. Like the Egyptians, the Maya had developed advanced astronomy and mathematics and a very accurate calendar. On December 21, 2012, their calendar finished the thirteenth so-called bak'tun, a unit of time lasting approximately 394 years.

It was seen by some as a negative omen, even a prediction of the world's end. As you can see, we're still around.

Answer: Sumer

The Sumerian civilization developed in Mesopotamia, a region roughly defined by the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. It existed from abut 4500 to 1900 BCE and developed what is widely regarded as the oldest writing system known, dating as far back as 3000 BCE. Cuneiform writing was done on clay which could be fired to create permanent records.

Answer: Minoans

Unlike the Spartan one, the Minoan lifestyle was one of luxury - at least for the upper classes. The island of Crete was very fertile in ancient times and the Minoans had developed advanced agriculture by 3000 BCE. This left them time to develop crafts and construct great buildings. The largest and richest Minoan palace was at Knossos and the ruins still show its glory even today.

Answer: Khmer

East Asia does not give us many forgotten civilizations - most of them have survived to the present day. However the Khmer Empire, also known as Angkor Empire, was a major power from the 800s to the early 1100s before declining. The culture left us a huge collection of art as well as its massive, still well-preserved Hindu and Buddhist temples.

Answer: Phoenicians

The Phoenicians lived mostly in the area that is today Lebanon but traveled the entire Mediterranean Sea, all the way to the Strait of Gibraltar. They were not a single nation but rather several city-states. Their ships carried many luxury goods, most importantly purple-dyed cloth. The peak of their civilization was around 1000 BCE.

Answer: Carthage

Carthage was founded just before 800 BCE as a Phoenician settlement but became independent around 650 BCE. Its main territory was in Northwest Africa and on the southern coast of Spain. It had a strong navy and, from the 400s BCE, waged wars against the Sicilians, Greek and finally Romans (including Hannibal's famous invasion attempt by crossing the Alps with elephant), before being conquered and annihilated in the Third Punic War, 146 BCE.

Answer: Celts

The Celts were never a single nation but rather many tribes, but their influence ranged all over Europe. They can be traced to a 6th century BCE culture around Hallstatt, Austria. By 275 BCE, various Celtic tribes had colonized all of Central and Western Europe, the British Isles and even expanded into Turkey.

The Roman expansion into Gaul and Germania, both core Celtic areas, effectively ended their era.