What exactly is a “garderobe” and where did it get its name? Rome wasn’t built in a day—so how long did it take? Can you name just five of the top 20 ancient Chinese inventions? What made global seafaring navigation possible? Which came first—wooly mammoths or the Great Pyramids at Giza? When did the first influenza outbreak occur and where? How often did people in the ancient world bathe? If you jumped at the chance to answer any of these, this quiz is the right one for you.
Do you enjoy dressing up for Renaissance fairs (slightly misnamed as they usually feature medieval European life)? Are the Greek philosophers your heroes? Maybe you’re a historian, a teacher of Latin or Greek, or maybe you’re just fascinated by the structure of ancient and medieval societies. If you want to test out your knowledge of some of the most colorful and scandalous societies in history, try our set of trivia questions and answers to see how you measure up. How much do you know about days gone by? Let’s find out!
If you consider yourself an aficionado of all things ancient and archaic, you’ll have no problem defeating our history trivia quiz. Why not continue your epic conquests with other historical topics, like Greek mythology, politics, and war? Or try your hand at our collection of the best trivia questions and answers.
Which ancient philosophers was famously executed?
Pythagoras
Thales
Democritus
Socrates
Which of these gods has a day of the week named after them?
Jupiter
Juno
Mars
Saturn
The armed combatants who battled to death in Roman times were known as what?
Elite Squad
Soliders
Marines
Gladiators
Emperor Go Dinago was a key figure in which period?
Muromachi
Kamakura
Todaji
Edo
The Battle of Hastings occurred in which country?
France
Ireland
Russia
England
What word was used in the Middle Ages to describe the attempt to change ordinary metal into gold?
Astrology
Allergy
Alchemy
Anatomy
What is the name of the film which is based on the ‘Battle of Thermopylae’?
300
100
500
700
Which ancient civilization did Hannibal rule?
Carthage
Babylon
Byzantium
Assyria
Dido was the founder and first queen of which civilization?
Carthage
Byzantium
Assyria
Babylon
In lieu of toilet paper, what did the ancient Romans use?
Sand
Sugar
A Wet Sponge
Salt
In which ancient civilization’s religion was Jupiter the king of the gods?
Roman
Carthaginian
Persian
Byzantine
What was the proper name for the Achaemenid Empire?
Egyptian
Carthaginian
Persian
Roman
The Golden Age of Athens started after the formation of which league?
Spartan League
Greek League
Peloponnesian League
Delian League
The story takes place in which of Middle-earth’s ages?
5th
1st
3rd
4th
Which Roman Emperor resided in the Villa Jovis on the Isle of Capri?
Nero
Caligula
Augustus
Tiberius
Which of these was a celebrated Greek warrior and later King of Macedon?
Alexander the Great
Genghis Khan
Montezuma
Sun Wu
Erasmus was from which country?
Italy
Holland
Turkey
Spain
In what years did the Black Death affect Europe?
1447 to 1451
1647 to 1651
1547 to 1551
1347 to 1351
Which of these women did Commodus order the execution of?
Domitia Lucilla
Faustina the Younger
Bruttia Crispina
Lucilla
Which civilization was Dido the founder and first queen of?
Ilipa
Carthage
Pydna
Zama
Which English city was called Aquae Sulis by the Romans?
Bath
Chester
Colchester
Bristol
During which age was Stonehenge built?
Stone Age
Iron Age
Bronze Age
Copper Age
According to legend, which pair of twins founded Rome in around 750BC?
Jedward
Romulus and Remus
Jerry and Terry Hall
Sam and Amanda Marchant
The Medici family were famously the patron of which artist?
Michelangelo
Leonardo
Raphael
Donatello
How was Ireland known by the ancient Romans?
Thracia
Gall
Hibernia
Lusitania
Which social system are the ancient Greeks often credited with inventing?
Democracy
Liberalism
Autocracy
Socialism
The famous theater in ancient Rome, Circus Maximus, had a capacity for how many people?
20000
5000
150000
500000
How many heads did the Greek mythological creature Cerberus have?
2
1
0
3
Which of these was NOT the name of an Emperor of ancient Rome?
Tiberius
Nero
Socrates
Augustus
The crane was invented by which ancient civilization?
Inca
Roman
Greece
Ottomans
What is the name of the small room considered to be the place where the Inca Empire came to an end?
Capture Room
Execution Room
Ransom Room
Stone Hut
Which disease is widely regarded to have claimed the lives of the majority of the Inca population?
Typhus
Smallpox
Malaria
Tuberculosis
Which new group of art patrons emerged during the Renaissance?
Merchants
Peasants
Kings
Explorers
When did slaves from Africa arrive in Brazil?
1550
1625
1610
1590
Catherine de Medici became Queen of which country during the Renaissance?
Italy
France
England
Spain
What did ancient Romans use in lieu of toilet paper?
A Wet Sponge
Palm Leaves
A Cloth
Cow Hide
The Shyris Civilisation thrived in which country?
Mexico
Ecuador
Honduras
Chile
Which Roman road ran from the Cotswold town of Bourton-on-the-Water?
Watling Street
Stane Street
Icknield Street
King Street
Which of these is a famous landmark and ancient Greek temple?
Parthenon
Olympia
Delos
Acropolis
What is the name of the temple dedicated to the goddess Athena?
Parthenon
Erechteion
Acropolis
Propylaea
How was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus destroyed?
Arson
Volcanic Eruption
Earthquake
Decay
Which of these countries is home to many fine Roman ruins?
Canada
Libya
Iceland
Argentina
Hieroglyphs were used by which of these civilizations?
Persia
Rome
Egypt
Aztec
What is the name of Mother Earth in Greek Mythology?
Maea
Kaea
Saea
Gaea
Which of these ancient women was known in Roman times as a skilled orator?
Hortensia
Hephaestus
Cornelia Africana
Dionysus
Approximately how many soldiers made up a Roman legion?
1500
5000
100
500
In which modern-day country were arrowheads first made?
South Africa
Ethiopia
Angola
Ghana
Who ‘fiddled’ while Rome burned?
Caligula
Tiberius
Nero
Augustus
The Greek mythological creature known as the Minotaur, had the head of a what?
Bull
Dog
Horse
Cat
Who was the first ever Holy Roman Emperor?
Charlemagne
Henry VIII
Henry II
Ivan the Great
In which Italian city was Renaissance artist Raphael born?
Venice
Urbino
Florence
Milan
Which country’s name, issued by Christopher Columbus, literally means ‘Depth’?
Mexico
El Salvador
Honduras
Ecuador
In which modern-day country was the Cycladic civilization located?
United Kingdom
Brazil
Greece
Spain
Which ancient civilization invented banknotes?
Japan
Britain
Roman
China
Roman emperors characteristically wore crowns made of what?
Laurel Leaves
Ivory
Gold
Olive Branches
The Roman goddess of luck went by which name?
Juno
Fortuna
Hera
Sol
Claudius was succeeded by who as Roman emperor?
Tiberius
Augustus
Nero
Caligula
In ancient Greece, Hades was the fearsome god of what?
The Underworld
Youth
Wealth
Health
How many tasks did the Greek hero Heracles have to complete for King Eurystheus?
100
12
1
0
Which leader commissioned the Domesday Book?
Henry II
Charlemagne
William Wallace
William the Conqueror
Juggling was frowned upon in the Middle Ages, what were proponents of this art disdainfully called?
Gleemen
Ballies
Ballmen
Chuckers
What is the Roman numeral for 3?
X
III
IV
VII
Charlemagne was crowned on what day in 800 A.D.?
Christmas
New Years Day
Easter
New Years Eve
Which of these Greeks is famous for his theorem on right-handed triangles?
Aesop
Sophocles
Sappho
Pythagoras
In ancient Rome, what was Spartacus famous for?
Banker
Ruler
Philosopher
Slave
What is the name of the Spartan king who led the Greeks in the ‘Battle of Thermopylae’?
Themistocles
Dorieus
Leonidas
Garrincha
In the process of knighthood, what age did a squire become a full knight?
16
12
21
30
In the Middle Ages, what was a vassal?
Lower ranking noble
A boat
A pet
A weapon
What name was given to the tunics worn by people in Ancient Rome?
Pogas
Logas
Yogas
Togas
Who was the 3rd wife of Claudius renowned for her promiscuity?
Statilia Messalina
Poppaea Sabina
Valeria Messalina
Claudia Octavia
The ancient Greeks are considered the first to practice which of these?
Religion
Law
Medicine
Democracy
The Olympic Games were first enacted by which ancient civilization?
Egyptian
Greek
Roman
Byzantine
When Caligula was murdered, which of his relatives took his place as Roman Emperor?
Cousin
Uncle
Father
Nephew
Now meaning ‘wild’, what was the name of the people who destroyed the western Roman Empire some 1600 years ago?
Livid
Barbarian
Untamed
Feral
Isca Dumnoniorum was the Roman name for which UK city?
Leicester
Exeter
Carlisle
Peterborough
Pigments were invented in which modern-day country?
China
India
Nepal
Zambia
The Roman emperor, Nero, famously killed which of his family members?
His Son and Wife
His Brother and Son
His Wife and Mother
His Father and Mother
Which of these is the name of the coin used in the Ancient Roman Empire?
Denarius
Dubius
Delerius
Darius
Which Emperor had his horse elected a consul of Rome?
Caesar
Claudius
Caligula
Nero
The Incas regarded which of these plants as being sacred or magical?
Coca
Almond
Manioc
Mesquite
The Mayan codices are what?
Temples
Coding Manuals
Books
DNA
In which century did the ‘Middle Ages’ begin?
4th
7th
6th
5th
Which ancient empire included the cites Sparta, Athens and Crete?
Arabic
Spanish
Greek
Latin
Venus of Urbino is a famous work by which artist?
Titian
Klee
El Greco
Johns
Which ancient civilization was Alaric king of?
Patayan
Goths
Visigoths
Scots
Which language did Cleopatra speak?
Greek
Aramaic
Sanskrit
Latin
Which hero defeats the Minotaur in ancient Greek mythology?
Orpheus
Theseus
Hercules
Pirithous
Which civilization is associated with the implementation of aqueducts and roads?
Kush
Greece
Inca
Rome
Jupiter was the king of the gods in which ancient civilization’s religion?
Greek
Mayan
Egyptian
Roman
The western world’s modern-day calendar is derived from which ancient civilization?
Rome
Persia
Maya
Aztec
Paris of Troy famously stole away which woman during the Trojan War?
Juno
Joan
Jane
Helen
What was the name of the slave who famously led the revolt against the Roman government in 72BC?
Atticus
Ginganticus
Spartacus
Caractacus
Which game was banned for a period in the Middle Ages, fearing it might reduce time spent on archery?
Cricket
Bowls
Wrestling
Cards
Darius I ruled in which ancient empire?
Rome
Persia
Greece
Assyria
The ancient Greeks battled which other nation during the battle of Thermopylae?
Greece
Persia
Assyria
China
What was the ancient Egyptian god Re responsible for?
The Wind
The Moon
The Rivers
The Sun
Scarab beetles are most closely associated with which ancient civilization?
Carthaginian
Egyptian
Mongol
Roman
In the Middle Ages, which Italian city did The Medici’s rule?
Venice
Rome
Turin
Florence
In which constituent country of the United Kingdom can Stonehenge be found?
Gibraltor
Cornwall
Scotland
England
What was the main aim behind the king stopping the war against the indigenous population?
To be on good terms with the locals
To make work as slaves
To convert them to Christianity
To protect the settlers
Hannibal ruled in which ancient civilization?
Rome
Carthage
Greece
Babylon
You can do better
Not bad
Great!