I Love Digging in the Dirt! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Israel

Many scholars believe that the discovery of The Dead Sea Scrolls on the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel is one of the greatest archeological finds of all time. Discovered between 1947-1956, comprise over 800 documents which has disintegrated into tens of thousands of pieces. Careful preservation techniques have helped save these documents from complete annihilation.

The scrolls date from approximately 250 B.C. to 68 A.D. and are composed in Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew. They are made of papyrus, parchment and bronze.

The writings found in the scrolls include legal texts, prayers, Biblical works.

Answer: False

Many people mistakenly think that because so much wealth was found in Tutankhamen's tomb that it had remained a secret and was never reopened until discovered in 1922. Scholars believe that the tomb was opened and robbed at least twice before being discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon.

These robberies occurred in antiquity but subsequent restorations helped keep the tomb in a much more intact state than was found in any other royal burial site.

Answer: The Jesus Boat

In 1986, the areas around the Sea of Galilee had been caught in a terrible drought. Due to the lowered water levels, this wooden boat was discovered. It is thought to have sunk near the city of Ginosar about two thousand years ago. Scholars believe the boat was designed to be both a ferry and fishing boat, and may have been used in battle.

Although many people refer to the boat as "The Jesus Boat", there is no evidence showing that Jesus Christ ever rode in this particular boat. Nevertheless, many people look at this piece of the past as a visual reminder of the stories found in the Gospels.

Answer: It is a signet ring

In biblical times, in many middle eastern areas, papyrus was used in the same way paper is used today. In many regions, once an important document was written, it would be rolled up and the ends would be folded over. A string was tied around it, with a lump of clay impressed upon the string.

A bulla, an early form of signet ring was used to imprint the name of the author or owner of the document. Another interesting note about this Bulla was that one of the earliest fingerprints was found embedded in this seal.

Answer: Volcanic eruption

One of the most interesting and studied archeological finds has been the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Although their destruction was a matter of historical fact, it was not until the mid-18th century that the towns were rediscovered. Many mosaics and other artwork were found as were artifacts of the populations day to day life.

It was not until the eruption of the American volcano Mt. Saint Helens in 1980, that archeological exploration of the sites really took off. Natural disasters can cause the destruction of a city or culture, but will sometimes save a "photograph" of daily life for the general population that no burial chamber can provide.

Answer: True

When many people think of ancient structures, their minds go to the Pyramids, or maybe Stonehenge. In fact, the Megalithic temples of Malta, such as the Hagar Qim, are far older. They were thought to be the oldest free-standing buildings on the planet. They are dated to approx. 3600 BCE. These seaside structures were first excavated and explored in the mid-19th century.

Answer: T-shaped doors

Located in the very northern area of Mexico, Paquimé, is home to some of the most beautiful and extensive ruins of the Mogollon culture. These people played an important role between the ancient Mesoamerican cultures and the Navajo culture of the southwestern cultures of the United States.

These adobe ruins are evidence of the great skill and ingenuity displayed by a culture living in a very desolate area. Their ruins are known for their T-shaped doors, and dozens of bird pens. If you ever have the chance, this is some dirt you might want to dig in.

Answer: It is of Celtic origin and means "great hill".

Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hill fort which covers almost 50 acres. The name of this massive structure comes from Celtic phrase 'Mai Dun' which translates to 'big hill'. Even though it is over 3,000 years old, it has ramparts that still rise 20 ft. (6m.) Inside these ruins, the bodies of over 35 Iron Age warriors have been found, buried with food, water and weaponry, to assist with their journey into the afterlife.

Answer: Underwater archeology

Underwater archeology is type of archeology that focuses upon the investigation of shipwrecks, and ancient campsites or buildings that are now located beneath the surfaces of bodies of water. This is a field of archeology that requires specialized training such as deep-water diving skills.

The Antikythera Mechanism is a unique artifact found off the coast of Greece in 1901 but its relevance was not obvious at the time. Today it is considered by some scholars to be one of the very first modern computing devices.

It has several cogs, spokes, and wheels which are thought to predict eclipses, as well as many other types of celestial movements. It is thought to have been developed by ancient Greek scientists around 100 B.C.

Answer: No two soldiers are exactly alike

The Terra Cotta Army is possibly one of the most amazing archeological finds of the 20th century. With over 3,000 soldiers, not one of them is alike. Some scholars believe they may depictions of real soldiers of army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di. The exact number of figures to be found in this underground mausoleum may never be known, as it has not been completely explored, and may never be.

The intricacy of these figures is astonishing.