Historic and Ancient Ruins VII Quiz

Answer: Paderne

Paderne was built by the Moors in the late 12th century AD. When Afonso III, King of Portugal, ascended the throne in 1248 AD, he waged war against the Moorish state of Algarve in 1249 AD and succeeded in driving out the Moors. With this victory, not only did he complete the Reconquista in Portugal, but also greatly increased the land area of Portugal.

During the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, Paderne Castle suffered great devastation and was left in ruins.

Answer: Egypt

The deity Sobek was usually shown as a human with the head of a crocodile. In ancient Egypt, especially along the Nile River, the fear of crocodiles led Egyptians to worship Sobek in the belief that Sobek would prevent any crocodiles from harming them. Sobek was a powerful deity, worshiped for his strength, ferocity and agility. The Book of the Dead even featured Sobek and his assistance in the birth of Horus, as well as his role in the defeat of Set.

Throughout Ancient Egypt, some temples of Sobek housed live crocodiles. The one in Crocodilopolis was known as Petsuchos. Mummified crocodiles were even found in tombs of Ancient Egypt.

Answer: Oxyrhynchus

An important archaeological site in Egypt, Oxyrhynchus meant "sharp-nosed" in Greek and was named after a species of fish in the Nile River. Oxyrhynchus was also well-known as the site where a huge treasure trove of papyrus texts was discovered. Many lost works written by famed writers like Sophocles and Hesiod were found. Plays by Menander were also discovered. Perhaps the most important document found was the Gospel of Thomas. It was found in fragments, and analysis revealed it to be somewhat gnostic in nature. Apparently secret words and messages were also written in the Gospel of Thomas.

Reference: The Lost Gospels (www.youtube.com)

Answer: Chile

Cape Horn was located 56° South. The region around Cape Horn had strong and ferocious winds and towering waves which could reach enormous heights. Coupled with its stormy gales, it was dangerous for sailing ships of that era. Magellan Strait, thus, offered a relatively safer passage and was a tightly guarded secret by the Spanish.

However, by 1578 AD Sir Francis Drake learned of the Magellan Strait. Thus, a Spanish navigator named Sarmiento was sent with about 4000 men to colonise the region. After a series of disasters, about 300 men arrived and the settlement was founded in 1584 AD.

When Sir Thomas Cavendish arrived in 1587 AD, 18 survivors were found, but only one settler trusted Cavendish to go aboard the ship on a journey back to Europe. The others were left behind. Such was the plight of the ill-fated settlement that Sir Thomas Cavendish renamed it as "Port Famine", otherwise known as Puerto Hambre in Spanish.

Answer: Samos

Pythagoras was famous for his Pythagorean Theorem, whereas Aristarchus was famous for being one of the first known individuals to propose that Earth moved around the sun.

In the 6th century BC, under orders of tyrant Polycrates of Samos, the Tunnel of Eupalinos was built to connect to a water spring. Digging simultaneously from both ends of tunnel, the diggers managed to join both ends at the centre. Comprising a length of over one km, it was an ancient marvel of engineering.
On the island were the ruins of an ancient port known as Pythagoreion. There was also an ancient temple known as Heraion of Samos, where the Goddess Hera was worshiped.

Answer: Akdamar

Lake Van, which is located in Eastern Turkey, is the biggest lake in the country. Its waters are alkaline, and are rich in sodium carbonate. It feels soapy to the touch and can even foam. One could even supposedly wash one's clothes there.

Located in Eastern Turkey, there are four islands in Lake Van. Akdamar Island is the second largest and was once a residence of King Gagik of the Kingdom of Vaspurakan. An Armenian church known as the Cathedral Church of Holy Cross was built. It was richly decorated with pictorial reliefs of Biblical scenes, such as David and Goliath and Adam and Eve. However, in 1915 during the Armenian genocide, many of the buildings were destroyed and many monks were massacred.

Reference: "Akdamar Island, Lake Van, Turkey" (www.sacredsites.com)

Answer: Syria

With the Anti-Lebanon Mountains comprising much of the border between Syria and Lebanon and Al-Ansariyah mountains to the north, there was an important passage known as the Hims Gap whereby one could access into the interior of Syria. The Krak des Chevaliers, situated atop a hill (650m high), was strategically located near the Hims Gap so as to control the traffic flow between the interior of Syria and the Mediterranean Sea.

Krak des Chevaliers was initially built for the general of Aleppo, but was captured by the Crusaders in 1099 AD. In its time, it was considered one of the strongest fortresses in the medieval world. There was an inner and outer wall, with a moat that surrounded the inner wall, which helped to protect the palace.

Answer: Mehrgarh

Inhabitants of Mehrgarh lived in mud-brick houses, cultivated crops and reared animals. Artifacts of male figurines excavated were found wearing turbans. Teeth excavated in Mehrgarh revealed signs of drilling, with 11 drilled crowns and surprisingly, stone flint heads were used as dental tools. The oldest granary found in South Asia was in Mehrgarh as was the first usage of cotton. Excavations also revealed Mehrgarh to be the world's oldest urban settlement, with a great infrastructure in place.

With all these achievements and discoveries, some archaeologists have challenged Mesopotamia as the cradle of human civilisation. Notwithstanding, Mehrgarh, which had brought to light a whole new wave of discoveries and marvels of ancient engineering and technology, was certainly a triumph in human achievement.

Reference: chowk.com/articles/13505

Answer: Gungywamp

Gungywamp had many stone circles and stone chambers. The stone circles were believed to align with heavenly bodies and events. The stone chambers were constructed to take note of special days in the year. During the equinoxes, the light from the sun shone through a shaft onto a stone which reflected the sunlight throughout the chamber. It was thus called the "Calendar Chamber". There was also a supposedly paranormal place known as "The Cliff of Tears", where a strong electromagnetic field could cause one to experience strange bouts of feelings.

Answer: Switzerland

The Swiss Plateau was an area sandwiched between the Swiss Alps and the Jura Mountains and was settled by the Helvetti tribe. However in 58 BC, the Helvetti decided to migrate to Gaul. Also in that same year, Julius Caesar defeated the Helvetti in the Battle of Bibracte.

As the Helvetti became more exposed to Roman culture and influences over the next 50 years, Aventicum sprang up as a Roman city sometime in 5 AD, where many of the Helvetti eventually settled. It gradually grew and expanded as it was being situated along well-traveled roads linking Italy towards Germany. Roman buildings like amphitheaters and bathhouses were also built.