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1. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China. He unified the country by a decade of warfare and the ruthless extermination of his enemies, including his own relatives. But he died before his fiftieth birthday, and many think it was due to his practice of drinking elixirs that were supposed to prolong his life, but which contained which poisonous substance?
2. Menes was a great warrior, who unified Upper and Lower Egypt in the 31st Century BC. He evidently had a long and successful reign, but according to the Egyptian historian Manetho he died in what unusual way?
3. Alexander the Great was one of the greatest conquerors of the ancient world. The location of his tomb, however, is lost to history.
4. Let's move on to the man who gave us the title of our quiz. Most of us know that Julius Caesar uttered the words "Veni, vidi, vici" after the Battle of Zela, and that he was stabbed to death in 44 BC. His last words are said to be, "Et tu, Brute?" What reason might Brutus have had, aside from political ones, to participate in Caesar's assassination?
5. Cambyses II of Persia conquered Egypt in 525 BC. He died a few years later, according to some accounts the victim of a curse. Cambyses did a lot of bad things, but which act is believed have especially angered the Gods of Egypt?
6. The Romans were great conquerors, but few of their emperors died natural deaths. They were assassinated, poisoned, smothered, killed in battle, and committed suicide. But one died a truly unusual death. How did the emperor Carus die, according to ancient accounts?
7. Attila the Hun, known to the Romans as "the scourge of God", was a great warrior, but he died a rather ignominious death. What killed Attila?
8. With our next conqueror, it is not the manner of his death that was unusual, but what happened after he died. Tamerlane rose from humble origins to become the ruler of a vast empire. Archeologists defied a curse inscribed on his tomb and opened it. What happened a few days later?
9. We've all heard of the famous William the Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066. What happened at his funeral in 1087?
10. Many of us have seen the movie "Braveheart", and know that William Wallace died by being hung, drawn and quartered. A horrible way to die, but the fate of Longshank's heir, Edward II, was not much better. How does legend say he died?
Source: Author
daver852
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stedman before going online.
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