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Mastabas Trivia Quiz

The original House of Eternity!

A multiple-choice quiz by wdstk. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
wdstk

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
284,655

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
829

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is a mastaba? Hint

house

tomb

palace

granarie

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Question 2 of 10

2. What does the word mastaba mean in Arabic? Hint

House of eternity

Bench

Palace

Mountain

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Question 3 of 10

3. Who was likely to be buried in a mastaba? Hint

Nobles

Early Kings

All of these

Queens

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Question 4 of 10

4. Were mastabas of solid construction?

Yes

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Question 5 of 10

5. What was a mastaba made of? Hint

Mud-brick

All of these

Large stones

Smaller stones

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Question 6 of 10

6. Where would the body be placed in a mastaba? Hint

In a pit next to the mastaba

On an altar in a chapel

In a chamber deep underground

On the roof, away from animals

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Question 7 of 10

7. What did the mastaba contain above ground? Hint

Chapels

Nothing, they were solid

The body

Burial goods

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Question 8 of 10

8. What was a false door in a mastaba? Hint

A stele

To confuse grave robers; thinking it was an entrance.

A place to bring food and offerings for the deceased

A nice decorative element; a homey touch

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Question 9 of 10

9. Because a mastaba was used for the dead, what became necessary? Hint

A light source so the deceased could see

Mummification

Air shafts

Decoration

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Question 10 of 10

10. What King expanded his mastaba into the first step pyramid? Hint

Sahure

Unas

Zoser/Djoser

Khufu

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is a mastaba?

Answer: tomb

They were rectangular buildings with flat tops and sloping sides. Those made of mud-brick were usually decorated with stucco.

2. What does the word mastaba mean in Arabic?

Answer: Bench

It looked like a bench that would sit outside of an average house. It is the term used by Egyptologists for these burial places.

3. Who was likely to be buried in a mastaba?

Answer: All of these

Early kings were buried in them before the switch to pyramids in the Third Dynasty.

4. Were mastabas of solid construction?

Answer: No

They contained chapels and passageways. Some with fantastic decorations. "The Geese of Medum", a beautiful, naturalistic painting of geese eating, comes from the mastaba of Atet and Neferma'at, near the pyramid of Medum.

5. What was a mastaba made of?

Answer: All of these

The more money a person had the better built and longer lasting was their 'house of eternity'. Some were built with huge finely shaped stones through and through. Others had a core that was of smaller stones or mud-brick with a nice veneer of fine stone. Others were simply mud-brick with an outer coating of stucco.

6. Where would the body be placed in a mastaba?

Answer: In a chamber deep underground

This made it harder for the grave to be robbed. Since people weren't being buried in pit-graves, where the hot sands naturally preserved the body, artificial means becomes important. Experiments with mummification started.

7. What did the mastaba contain above ground?

Answer: Chapels

Since mastabas were expensive to build they contained several burials and chapels. Many times it was a husband/wife or father/son.

8. What was a false door in a mastaba?

Answer: A place to bring food and offerings for the deceased

It was usually found in the west wall. The West was 'the land of the dead'. It's where the sun sets. The deceased, it was believed, could enter and exit from the false door and partake of the offerings that were left in front of it on the offering table.

9. Because a mastaba was used for the dead, what became necessary?

Answer: Mummification

In simple pit-burials the hot sand desiccated the body preserving it naturally. They started experimenting with ways to artificially preserving the body.

10. What King expanded his mastaba into the first step pyramid?

Answer: Zoser/Djoser

The mastaba was expanded and then had five more mastabas, each smaller in size, put on top. Imhotep was the architect and one of the few that we know from that ancient time.

Source: Author wdstk

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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