Expedition Excavate! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zimri-Lim

Zimi-Lim was an Akkadian king who ruled Mari, northwest of Babylon, for approximately thirteen years. Tablets found at Mari describe him as being married to a variety of women and having eight daughters. Although it appears that he never personally met Hammurabi, there is evidence that they exchanged messages and Zimri-Lim provided troops for some of Hammurabi's wars.

Mari was an important kingdom in Mesopotamia because of its proximity to other, perhaps better known, city-states, such as Babylon. While Zimri-Lim did not originally build the royal palace, he is credited with expanding it to its grandest extent. The palace complex included royal apartments, plus housing for the military, royal guards, and others, and was extensively decorated with frescoes and statues. Historically, almost 25,000 tablets were found there when the complex was uncovered in 1935 by Andre Parrot.

Answer: Sargon II

Today Khosobad is known as Dur-Sharrukin; it is located in Iraq, not too far away from Mosul. Constructed in the time prior to 706 BC, the city served as the Assyrian capital until the death of Sargon II, when Nineveh became the new Assyrian capital. The city was 1758.6 by 1635 meters, and was protected by a wall that contained 157 towers. Archaeological excavation began in modern times there in the 19th century.

Sargon II became the king of the Assyrians in 722 BC, and planned to conquer the world. Indeed, his titles include King of Assyria, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the Four Corners of the World, and King of the Universe. While his realm wasn't quite as large as the titles suggest, Sargon II did win several military campaigns, and tried to accept the conquered into his empire, even giving them the same rights as his native Assyrians. He was killed in battle, and, because his body could not be given a proper burial, his people believed that he would be a ghost forever.

Answer: Turkey

Hattusas was the capital of the ancient Hittite empire; the ruins of the ancient city are found near Boğazkale, Turkey, today. It appears that the Hittites founded the capital in about 1900 BC (some sources say later), and conquered most of ancient Anatolia, modern Turkey, within 100 years.

Hattusas was protected by a 4 mile-long stone wall that was later found to be 25 feet thick. Every 100 feet, a tower and gate had been placed, and the Lion's Gate is believed to have been the entrance that led to the king's palace. A French archaeologist, Charles Texier, found the ancient ruins in 1833, but it was Hugo Winckler, a German archaeologist, who is credited with finding the Lion's Gate in the early 1900s.

Answer: Third Dynasty of Ur

The Great Ziggurat was constructed by Ur-Nammu sometime during the 21st century BC. Built in the Sumerian city-state of Ur out of clay bricks, the zigguart honored Nanna/Sîn, who was the god of the moon in ancient Mesopotamia. Although most of the original zigguart was destroyed centuries ago, it is believed to have been 210 feet long, 148 feet wide, and 98 feet tall.

The renovation that took place in the 6th century BC, was sponsored by the Chaldean King Nabonidus. His architects apparently had little information about the original structure, and their work is primarily what can be seen at the site today. Sir Leonard Woolley made history in the 1920s when he excavated the site and found the Royal Cemetery of Ur.

Answer: Gordion

Historians believe there were at least three Phrygian rulers named Midas; that may help explain why there are so many stories about him. King Midas, according to mythological stories, had the gift of turning whatever he touched into gold. He and his father, Gordias, founded Gordion and tied the Gordion Knot, which held an ox-cart. According to the legend, whoever could untangle the knot would become Lord of Asia. Alexander the Great just cut it!

The ancient city of Gordion, found in present-day Turkey, was located at the confluence of the Sakarya and Porsuk Rivers. Inhabited for centuries, the city was established as the Phrygian capital from approximately 1000-800 BC, and afterwards was occupied by others, such as the Lydians and Persians. Alexander captured the city in 333 BC.

Answer: Persepolis

While some believe that Cyrus the Great choose the site for Persepolis, it was Darius the Great, or Darius I, who began building there about 518 BC. Why did the Persians build another capital? They already used the cities of Susa, Ecbatana, and Babylon as administrative centers. Persepolis was used as a ceremonial center. All of the Persian vassals would bring tribute there during the time of the spring equinox. Its location in a remote, mountainous area was a perfect place to store the king's wealth.

Darius I was succeeded by his son, Xerxes, who completed the ceremonial capital. It was in such a secluded place that many ancient people did not know about its location. Alexander the Great did, however, as he is credited with not only removing all the treasures, but destroying the city as well. It was mentioned by travelers throughout history, but did not become well known until the late 1800s, when Eugène Flandin and Pascal Coste published both commentary and illustrations of what they found at the site. Still, archeological excavation did not take place there until the 1930s.

Answer: India

Mamallapurum is located in Tamil Nadu, India. It features many Hindu sites carved from rock during the 8th and 9th centuries, including monuments, temples, and caves. Import structures include the Thirukadalmallai, a temple dedicated to Vishnu, the Preserver, and a huge rock relief called the Descent of the Ganges, which features nearly life sized elephant sculptures.

Ellora is located in Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest religious complexes in the world that was constructed by rock cutting. There are over 100 caves there, with art that dates from 600-1000 AD, dedicated to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. They were used as monasteries, temples, and housing for pilgrims visiting the site. Today the complex is a tourist destination, as well as a holy place.

Answer: Ashoka the Great

Stupas are monuments that are used in the Buddhist religion to house religious relics. The Great Stupa at Sanchi was commissioned by Ashoka the Great, who also was the construction foreman. His wife was from Sanchi, and it was the city where they were married. Ashoka's greatest contribution is believed to be the spread of Buddhism; after building an empire that stretched from Afghanistan to Bangladesh on today's map, he became disillusioned by the horrors of wars and began to send out Buddhist missionaries instead.

The Great Stupa was built to house the relics of Buddha, and the faithful believe that his ashes are housed there, along with the relics of other Buddhist masters from other countries.

Answer: Baalbek

In Roman times a sun cult occupied what is today the city of of Baalbek, and that is why it was called Heliopolis. The name continued to be used during the Hellenistic Age, which took place after the conquests of Alexander the Great.

The Temple of Jupiter, king of the gods, was the largest temple built anywhere by the ancient Romans. It was there that the ancients believed that they could receive prophecies. Much about the temple's construction is unknown, but it is believed that work began on the temple about 16 BC and was mostly completed by 60 AD.

The Temple of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, is also difficult to date, however, historians believe it was commissioned by Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, who ruled from 138-161. It is just little smaller than the Temple of Jupiter.

Both temples were probably closed when pagan religious were outlawed in the Roman Empire, and the complex fell into disuse and disrepair. The city of Baalbek is 42 miles from Beirut, Lebanon's capital, and is an important tourist site today.

Answer: Konark Sun Temple

European sailors named the Konark Sun Temple the "Black Pagoda", because it appeared to be a tower that was black in color. Located in Odisha, India, the temple dates back to about 1250; King Narasimhadeva I, who ruled the area from c. 1238-1264, is credited with its construction. It is believed that at one time the temple was once over 200 feet tall; it is about half that height today.

The Konark Sun Temple, a Hindu temple, was dedicated to the sun god, Surya, and was built to resemble a chariot. It was believed that Surya, the sun, rose in the east and traveled across the sky in a chariot driven by seven horses. Today it is an important destination for pilgrims.