Take Me to the Pyramids! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mesopotamia

The Great Ziggurat of Ur ("Etemenniguru" in Sumerian, i.e. "temple whose foundation creates aura") was originally built in the 21st century BC by Sumerian king Ur-Nammu. This massive step pyramid, built of sun-baked mud bricks and over 30 m (98 ft) high, was dedicated to the moon god Nanna, patron deity of the city of Ur, located near Nasiriyah in modern-day Iraq.

The structure was restored in the 6th century BC, during the Neo-Babylonian period. The remains of the ziggurat, excavated in the 1920s and 1930s, are a three-layered, solid mass of mud bricks whose bottom layer dates from the original construction.

The ziggurat was also restored under Saddam Hussein, when the monumental staircase was rebuilt.

Answer: Sudan

Like their better-known Egyptian counterparts, the Nubian pyramids were meant as tombs for the rulers of the three Kushite kingdoms of Kerma, Napata and Meröe. These kingdoms, which lasted from about 2600 BC to 350 AD, flourished in an area of the Nile Valley that is now part of Sudan. Over 350 pyramids, built of blocks of granite and sandstone at a steeper angle than the Egyptian ones, have been discovered in Sudan.

They are grouped in five sites (all part of the UNESCO World Heritage List), the most extensive of which is the ancient capital of Meröe (shown in the photo), located between the fifth and the sixth cataract of the Nile. Nubian pyramids are between 6 and 30 metres high(20-98 ft), and much narrower than the Egyptian ones. Unfortunately, the pyramids were plundered and damaged by would-be explorers and treasure hunters in ancient and more recent times; in spite of that, excavations have yielded a wealth of artifacts attesting to the contacts between the Kushite kingdoms and other parts of the known world.

Answer: Argos

According to Greek traveler and geographer Pausanias (2nd century AD), several pyramids stood on the plain of Argolis, in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. In fact, the ruins of two pyramid-like structures can still be found in the same area - one at Lygourio (near Epidaurus) and the other at Hellinikon.

As references to these buildings are scarce in ancient sources, their purpose is unknown, though experts believe the Pyramid of Hellinikon, built of large limestone blocks, might have been used as a military fort or a point of observation. Pausanias, on the other hand, wrote that the pyramid was a burial monument for the soldiers of Argos fallen in the struggle for that city's throne.

The dating of these ruins has also proved controversial: though some believe the pyramid may have been built around 3000 BC, others suggest a much later date, such as the 4th century BC. Argos was a major power centre in the Mycenaean era, and is often mentioned in Greek mythology. Diomedes, one of the heroes of the Trojan War, was king of Argos.

Answer: Rome

Located near the majestic Porta San Paolo, one of the gates in Rome's Aurelian Walls, almost at the beginning of the Via Ostiense (the ancient road leading to the Tyrrhenian coast), the Pyramid of Cestius was built around 12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a magistrate and member of a religious corporation.

The 37-metre (121-ft) high structure was built of concrete covered with slabs of white marble; the simple, barrel-vaulted burial chamber was decorated with frescoes, of which only a few traces remain.

The pyramid's steeply pointed shape is reminiscent of the Nubian pyramids mentioned in Question 2; the conquest of Egypt by Rome in 30 BC had made pyramids and other Egyptian artifacts fashionable. The Pyramid of Cestius was recently restored, and is now open to the public twice a month.

Answer: Canary Islands

The six (out of nine) surviving Pyramids of Güímar are found in the district of Chacona on the island of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands - Spain's southernmost autonomous community, situated in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of North Africa. Though the six buildings have been dated to the 19th century, Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl hypothesized that they were much older - part of a transatlantic connection between Egypt and Mesoamerica (the homes of the world's most famous pyramids) - and associated them with the islands' aboriginal population, the Guanches, who may have built similar structures. Other controversial theories link the pyramids with astronomical research and Freemasonry: however, it is likely that the structures were created by the rural population when clearing arable land from stones.

Of the remaining three choices, only the Azores are in the Atlantic Ocean, north-west of the Canary Islands. The Galapagos are in the Pacific Ocean, and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

Answer: Xi'an

The structures known as Chinese pyramids are platform mounds such as the ones found in North America. Most of them are located north-west of the city of Xi'an, the capital of the province of Shaanxi in central China, and the eastern terminus of the ancient Silk Road.

These large tumulus mounds - such as the one shown in the picture, the mausoleum of Emperor Jing of Han (188 BC-141 BC), or Hang Yan Ling - housed the remains of the early emperors of China and their families. This imposing structure comprises two mounds, one for the emperor and one for the empress, surrounded by 86 burial pits where over 50,000 terracotta figurines are on display.

The most famous of the Xi'an burial mounds, however, is the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, a 76-metre (249-ft) mound near which the famed Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974.

Answer: Borobudur

Built in the 8th-9th century, the magnificent temple complex of Borobudur is located in Central Java. It is one of the world's largest Buddhist temples, built of volcanic stone without the use of mortar; its nine stacked platforms - six square and three circular ones - are topped by a central dome. This stunning edifice is decorated by hundreds of Buddha statues and over 2,600 relief panels. The temple's unique architecture was influenced by indigenous Indonesian traditions: its structure reflects the Buddhist conception of the universe as well as the native belief in mountains as the abode of ancestral spirits. Borobudur lay hidden for centuries under a layer of volcanic ash, and was rediscovered in the early 19th century. After major renovation in 1973, the complex was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1991, and is now used again as a Buddhist place of worship; it is also Indonesia's foremost tourist attraction, visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year.

The other three choices are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in Asia: India (Kajuraho), Thailand (Sukhothai) and Cambodia (Angkor).

Answer: Sri Lanka

Polonnaruwa is located in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). It became the capital of the Chola dynasty at the end of the 10th century AD. and remained the island kingdom's capital for three centuries. The city's heyday was in the 12th century, when King Parakramabahu I built magnificent palaces, temples and gardens, as well as a remarkably efficient irrigation system that is still in use. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa includes the stunning Sathmahal Prasadaya, or Seven-Storied Palace, a 9-metre (30-ft) structure believed to be a square-shaped stupa (Buddhist shrine). Like in other stepped pyramids, the building's upper levels could be accessed by a staircase.

All the other options are island nations; however, Madagascar is NOT in Asia.

Answer: Shiva

Majestic, pyramid-like granite temples abound in Southern India, where they were erected by the Chola Empire in the 11th-12th AD; three of them are inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name of "Great Living Chola Temples", as they are still thriving centres of worship of the Hindu religion. The magnificent Brihadisvara Temple, located in Thanjavur, in the state of Tamil Nadu, is considered the highest achievement of Chola architecture. Decorated with intricate carvings (many of them depicting dance positions), it boasts a stunning 16-storey, 60-metre (197-ft) "vimana", the towering structure erected above the temple's inner sanctum. The latter contains a huge stone lingam, the abstract representation of Lord Shiva, to whom the temple is dedicated, as well as original frescoes from the Chola era.

Though all the other possible answers are Hindu deities, none of them are part of the Trimurti - which consists of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Answer: Church

Also known as Tlachihualtepetl (Nahuatl for "man-made mountain"), the Great Pyramid of Cholula has the distinction of being one of the largest monuments ever built in the world - if not the largest - with a volume of over 4.45 million cubic metres. This temple complex, probably dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, was built between over a period of about 1,000 years, starting from the 3rd century BC. Located just outside the city of Puebla, the six-tiered pyramid stands 55 m (180 ft) over the surrounding plain; looking like a hill surmounted by a church, the Santuario de la Beata Vírgen de los Remedios, built by the Spanish at the end of the 16th century.

The huge site comprises a number of other buildings besides the main one. Excavations, which began in 1931, have revealed a maze of tunnels inside the pyramid, as well as human remains and various artifacts, such as paintings and murals.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula is a major tourist attraction, and draws thousands of visitors every year.