Archeology and ancient history… The two sciences that we use to learn about our distant past… If we take the date of the emergence of Homo sapiens, we can say that people have just used writing. Therefore, archeology has a key role in learning about our distant past. If you’re interested in archeology or ancient history, here’s a quick quiz for you to test yourself.
Are Archaeology and Ancient History the Same?
The period called Ancient History began with the use of writing. The history of humanity before ancient history is called prehistory. Ancient History, according to many historians, ended with the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Archaeology is one of the most important auxiliary sciences of ancient history, but not the only one. Chorography, epigraphy, numismatics, palaeography and philology are some of the auxiliary sciences of ancient history.
Correct Answers
The correct answer to question #1 is Paleolithic. The Paleolithic ended about 12000 years ago, and then the Mesolithic began. All species of the genus Homo appeared in the Paleolithic Era.
The correct answer to question #2 is the Olmecs. The Olmecs are a Mesoamerican civilization. But, the Medes, Hattians and Luwians are the civilizations of Anatolia and the Near East.
The correct answer to question #3 is epigraphy. The discipline that studies inscriptions and writings on ancient structures is known as epigraphy.
The correct answer to question #4 is Keatley Creek. Keatley Creek is an archaeological site in Canada. But Lind Coulee, Hell Gap and Tule Springs are in the United States.
The correct answer to question #5 is Herodotus. Herodotus was a Carian historian and writer, also called the Father of History.
The correct answer to question #6 is Mousterian. The Mousterian is an archaeological culture that roots go back at least 120,000 years from the present day.1 According to some archaeologists, its roots go back even further. So, the Mousterian industry, which spread throughout Eurasia, appeared long before the Neolithic period.
The correct answer to question #7 is GAD-7. Dendrochronology, Potassium-Argon and OSL are dating techniques that archaeologists use. But GAD-7 is an psychiatric questionnaire.
The correct answer to question #8 is the Pyramid of Cholula. It is in Mexico. But Khafre, Djoser and Menkaure are some of the pyramids in Egypt.
The correct answer to question #9 is Tash Rabat. Augusta Raurica in Switzerland, Baelo Claudia in Spain, Biskupin in Poland are some of the archaeological sites in Europe. But Tash Rabat, a medieval inn, is located in Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian country.
The correct answer to question #10 is Venus of Willendorf. It was found in Austria.
The correct answer to question #11 is Sumerian. It is an ancient language that is not related to other language families.2 The languages in the other options are Indo-European languages.
The correct answer to question #12 is hieroglyphs. The writing system associated with ancient Egypt and based on images is called hieroglyphs. Similar writing systems used by some civilizations in Anatolia, Mesopotamia and America are also sometimes called hieroglyphs.
- Giorgio Marcuzzi, “European Ecosystems”, Springer Science & Business Media, 2012, ISBN: 9400996160[↩]
- Ignace J. GELB, “Sumerian Language“, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019[↩]