| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The emperor Julian begged residents of this city to send him a stone object which was not set up until the reign of Theodosius I. Dioscorus [[dee-oh-SKOHR-uhs]] of this city was deposed at the Council of Chalcedon, and this city was later ruled by a bishop known as "the cat." This city, which replaced an earlier city called Rhakotis, was the site of a major learning site called the Serapeum [[seh-rah-PEH-uhm]], although not quite on the scale of this city's Museion. For the point, what is this Egyptian city which once boasted a massive library? | Alexandria |
| The fortress of Sarkel was built by the Byzantines to protect a trade route through the lands of these people. The Byzantine emperor Leo IV was named for his descent from these people through his mother Tzitzak [["ZIT"-zahk]]. Letters sent to the Andalusian diplomat Hasdai ibn Shaprut claimed that these people’s leaders converted to Judaism. For the point, name these semi-nomadic Turkic people that ruled the European steppe during the early Middle Ages. | Khazars (accept Khazar Khaganate) |
| While serving as the court lady to Empress Consort Teishi [[TAY-SHEE]] during this period, Sei [["SAY"]] Shōnagon wrote a collection of her personal musings known as The Pillow Book. This period, whose name is derived from the local word for "peace," witnessed the beginnings of the samurai under the guidance of the Fujiwara Clan. The Nara Period followed, for the point, what epoch which began with Emperor Kanmu and saw the establishment of Japan's capital at Kyoto? | Heian Period (or Heian Jidai) |
| This monarch had the patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem deported, an action which involved trampling an important relic. This monarch's reign saw the destruction of the fire temple at Ganzak, which precipitated a crisis that resulted in this monarch being murdered by his son Sheroe [[sheh-ROH-eh]]. Earlier in his reign, this monarch won a civil war against the usurper Bahram Chobin, in part thanks to the assistance of the Roman emperor Maurice. The Sassanian's temporary capture of much of the Near East occurred during the reign of, for the point, what last great king of Pre-Islamic Persia? | Khosrow II (or Khosrow Parviz; accept Khosrau II; accept Khosrau the Great; accept Khosrow the Victorious) |
| In the treaty forming this body, the parties claimed they would not "take any city, or fortress, nor harbour by craft or contrivance." That Treaty of the Common Peace was signed by members of this body, which created a Synedrion to serve as a congress, though it was led by a hegemon who won the 337 BCE Battle of Chaeronea [[kay-roh-NAY-uh]]. This body, formed by Philip II, was sometimes named for Corinth, where it first convened. For the point, name this alliance of Greek city states that jointly opposed Achaemenid [[ah-kah-MEH-nihd]] Persia. | Hellenic League (accept League of Corinth before mentioned) |
| A.M. Devine claim that Amyntas' [[ah-MIHN-tahs]] failed offensive was meant to purposefully draw out one side at this battle led by Arsites. Dascylium [[dah-skeh-LEH-uhm]] was occupied in the aftermath of this battle before its winning commander led a march on nearby Sardis. Charles le Brun depicts Spithridates [[spith-rih-DAY-tees]] attacking the victor of this battle, fought in the historian region of Troad in what is now the Biga Peninsula of Turkey. Fought in 334 BCE, this is, for the point, what first major victory of Alexander the Great over the Persian Empire? | Battle of the Granicus River |
| These people created luck amulets out of a naturally occurring metal alloy known as Guanín, while this people's word for a small boat lent its name to the English word for "canoe." A subset of these people named the Borikén [[boh-ree-KEHN]] were led by a cacique named Agüeybaná [[ah-gweh-bah-NAH]] the Mad, who rebelled against the cruel governance of Juan Ponce de León. The islands of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Cuba were inhabited by, for the point, which native people closely related to the Arawak of the lesser Antilles? | Taino [[tah-EE-noh]] |
| An important source for this empire was a Chinese Buddhist monk named Faxian [[FAH-SHAHN]], who recounted how their kings had no use for corporal punishment and outlawed harming animals. While serving in the court of this empire, Aryabhata [[ahr-yah- BAH-tah]] may have been the first polymath to recognize the number zero in the Bakhshali Manuscript. The Mahabodhi [[mah-hah-BOH-dee]] Temple was built by this empire, whose ruler, Samudragupta, kept track of his tributaries on the Allahabad Inscription. Two kings whose names began with "Chandra" ruled, for the point, what North Indian empire that began in the 4th century? | Gupta Empire |
| Regalianus briefly ruled this kingdom as an independent state during the Crisis of Third Century, with his tenure ending following a raid by the neighboring Roxolani tribe. Caracalla may have extended the borders of this province 50 miles east of the Olt River following his visit to its provincial capital Porolissum. Eutropius [[yoo-TROH-pee-ehs]] records the evacuation of this province in favor of the more defensible region of Moesia [[moh-EE-shuh]] during the reign of Aurelian. The emperor Trajan partially names, for the point, what mineral-rich Roman province beyond the Danube in Eastern Europe? | Dacia [[dah-KEE-ah]] Traiana (accept Roman Dacia) |
| This man's father, Sneferu, is recorded in the Palermo Stone as building the Tuatua ships of mer wood in an effort to invade neighboring Libya and Nubia. During the Second Intermediate Period, a work in Hieratic [["high"-RAH-tik]] script called the Westcar Papyrus records the The Tales of [this man's] Court. This Old Kingdom ruler commissioned the only Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. The Great Pyramid of Giza was commissioned by, for the point, which Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh also known as Cheops? | Khufu (accept Cheops before mentioned) |
| The Uyghur [[WEE-gur]] people of the oasis city of Turpan adopted this specific faith until the construction of the Bezeklik Caves convinced them to practice Buddhism instead. It's not Christianity, but Diocletian executed heretics of this faith by killing their poor and sending their elite to work in the mines of Marmara Island. This faith, which was outlawed by the Sassanids, follows the teachings of a 3rd century Parthian who was executed by the order of Bahram I. Saint Augustine once practiced, for the point, what Gnostic, dualistic faith of Iran which claimed to be a successor to Zoroastrianism? | Manichaeism (accept Āyīn-e Mānī; or Móníjiào) |
| One of the three assassination attempts on this man involved stabbing him with a dagger rolled up in a map. This ruler, assisted by Chancellor Li Si, implemented Legalist policies, which resulted in the burning and execution of Confucian scholars. The final campaigns of the Warring States Period led to this man's reign as emperor, which saw the beginning of the construction of the Great Wall of China. For the point, name this first emperor of China who was buried in Xian [[SHEE-AHN]] with his terracotta army. | Qin Shi Huang Di (or Ying Zheng; or Zhao Zheng; or King Zheng of Qin; or Shi Huangdi) |
| This era saw the Hyksos [[HIK-sohs]] driven out of the Nile Valley, and this era preceded the Third Intermediate Period. During this era, one monarch was murdered in the Harem Conspiracy, and that monarch was this era's last conqueror, Ramesses III. During this era, the world's first peace treaty was signed with the Hittites following the Battle of Kadesh. Ramesses II developed the "Valley of the Kings" during, for the point, what last of Egypt's three great ancient "kingdoms"? | New Kingdom (prompt on "Egyptian Empire") |
| A commander of this military force, Adherbal, captured a contingent led by Publius Claudius Pulcher at Drepani following his rash decision to lead an assault in the middle of the night. Roman engineers developed the corvus, a type of boarding device, to combat this specific military force. For the point, name this military apparatus of Carthage which fought the Battle of Mylae [[ME-leh]] in the Tyrrhenian Sea during the First Punic War. | Carthaginian Navy |
| Following the expulsion of the Xiongnu [[ZHEE-AHNG-noo]], general Ban Chao sent an expedition along this route in an attempt to find an empire centered on Daqin [[DAH- "CHIN"]]. Ürümqi [[OO-ROOM-CHEE]], Loulan, and Kashgar were oasis cities of the Taklamakan [[tah-klah-MAH-kehn]] Desert along this route. A maritime route connecting East Asia to the Red Sea was one iteration of, for the point, what ancient trade route named for a valuable linen produced in China? | The Silk Road (accept the Maritime Silk Road) |
| Much of this dynasty’s legal system was developed by Shen Buhei. A eunuch from this dynasty named Zheng Zhong helped Emperor He [[HUH]] overthrow Empress Dowager Dou [[DOO]]. A Daoist movement founded during this dynasty required followers to donate five pecks of rice. This dynasty is split into “Western” and “Eastern” phases separated by the rebellion of Wang Mang. The Three Kingdoms period followed, for the point, what dynasty that names China’s largest ethnic group? | Han Dynasty (or Hàncháo) |
| A.N. Sherwin-White wrote the standard history of this institution, including the "munera" that went along with it, as well as the associated rights of intermarriage. This institution faded from relevance and was replaced by a distinction between "humble" and "honest" people starting in the third century CE, and this institution was often extended to new cities "without the vote," or the alternative of "Latin rights" was given. For the point, what is this institution, a member of which was given full political rights in the Roman Empire? | Roman Citizenship (or Civitas) |
| This ancient city's "Little Throne Room" includes an artistic depiction of the griffin couchant lying alongside the pulpit. Strabo records that this island city conducted its trade through the port of Amnisos [[ahm-NEE-sohs]], while its citizens colonized Brundusium in Magna Graecia [[GRAY-shuh]]. The Aegean was cleared of pirates by a king of this city, the legendary Minos. A palace depicting Minoans leaping over bulls is found in, for the point, what ancient Cretan city in the suburbs of present-day Heraklion? | Knossos (prompt on "Heraklion" before mentioned) |
| The founder of this dynasty was supposedly born when his mother swallowed a black bird egg. This dynasty’s final king died near the “Lake of Wine and Forest of Meat” after losing the Battle of Muye [[MOO-yeh]]. This dynasty’s final capital, Anyang, is an archaeological site that has yielded finds like oracle bones. The degeneracy of this dynasty’s final king led to the promulgation of the Mandate of Heaven. For the point, name this Chinese dynasty that overthrew the Xia [[ZHEE-AH]] dynasty and preceded the Zhou dynasty. | Shang dynasty (or Shāng Cháo; accept Yin Dynasty; or Yin Dai) |
| The lack of physical development in a statue of a "Squatting" man in this profession led historians to speculate that these people were exempt from physical labor. Thoth served as the patron saint of this profession, while an official in this profession named Thanuny is the primary source on the 15th century BCE Battle of Megiddo. The royal records and government bureaucracy was maintained by members of, for the point, which profession who wrote on papyrus? | Scribes (prompt on "Writers" or similar answers) |
| One historian wrote that victims of this event would see ghost ships out at see before dying, while another, Evagrius Scholasticus, wrote about losing his family to this event. Procopius wrote that this event started from the port city of Pelusium and that this event's sparing of a namesake emperor showed that it tended to leave the worst people alive. This event likely started in central Asia and moved to humans via fleas jumping from rats. For the point, what is this pestilence, the first known outbreak of yersinia pestis? | Plague of Justinian (prompt on "Bubonic Plague"; prompt on "Yersinia Pestis" before mentioned; do not accept "Black Death" or "Black Plague") |
| Friar Sebastian Englert was the first to describe a dozen shared words between this people's tongue and the Mapuche, including the word for "axe", toki-toki, and the word for "black", kuri-uri. Jared Diamond used these people as an example of societal degradation in Collapse, where excessive use of resources led to cultural disintegration in the 1600s. A thousand moai [[MOH-"eye"]] were built by, for the point, which Polynesian people of the Pacific? | Rapa Nui (accept Easter Islanders) |
| A siege of this city featured a fort called "the circle" and centered around the little and great harbors. That siege of this city resulted in the death of Nicias [[nih-KEE-ahs]] and the imprisonment of thousands of captives in a nearby quarry. One siege of this city also resulted in the death of a man who probably did not invent a death ray and whose last words were supposedly "do not disturb my circles." For the point, what is this port city in eastern Sicily, the home of Archimedes? | Syracuse (or Syracusae; or Sarausa) |
| Outside this city are the sacred caves of Balankanche [[bahl-ahn-KAHN-cheh]], which contain a series of idols, including one of the thunder deity, Bacab. This city, whose name is derived from a nearby cenote [[seh-NOH-teh]], was bequeathed to the nobleman Hunac Ceel after he survived a night in a namesake well by the grace of Chaac, the rain god. The Temple of Kukulcán [[koo-kool-KAHN]] is the centerpiece of, for the point, which Late Classical Mayan city-state in the Yucatán? | Chichén Itzá |
| In one tradition, this object will supposedly be taken out of Lake Tiberias by the Mahdi. A portion of this object is known as the “mercy seat” and depicts two cherubim, between which one being was said to have spoken. The son of a queen who supposedly ruled southern Yemen, Menelik, was said to have brought this object to one country, where it is supposedly housed in a Tewahedo Church in the city of Axum. The Jordan River turned dry as the Levites crossed while holding, for the point, what holy relic of Judaism? | Ark of the Covenant |
| Potbelly examples of these specific structures litter the Takalik [[tah-KAH-"leak"]] Abaj site, a prominent 10th century center of commerce. Due to marshy terrain, many historians discredited the theory that these structures were moved by "Wooden Rollers." These structures, which were built out of volcanic basalt sourced in the Tuxtla Sierra Mountains, were first found at the site of Tres Zapotes [[zah-POH-tehs]]. Headgear possibly worn in the Mesoamerican ball game is depicted in, for the point, what large stone statues that are hallmarks of the Olmec civilization? | Olmec Colossal Heads (prompt on partial answers) |
| This civilization obeyed a set of three moral codes telling people to not steal, lie, or be lazy. This civilization, which utilized the vertical archipelago to demand agricultural tribute, ran a command economy that at times required subjects to repair rope bridges. Those bridges were used by this civilization's running messengers, or chasquis [[CHAS-kees]], who carried messages between its four provinces. For the point, name this civilization that, instead of writing out messages, knotted quipu [[KEE-poo]]. | Incans (accept Tawantinsuyu; accept Four Parts Together) |
| A food shortage during this man’s reign inspired him to establish the position of praefectus annonae, which contributed to the Roman public’s perception of this man as a dictator. After a disastrous loss for this man's forces, he apocryphally butted his head against a wall and cried, "Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!" This emperor's soldiers lost the Battle of Teutoberg Forest, years after his ally, Marcus Agrippa, helped him secure control of the empire at the Battle of Actium. The Pax Romana began with the reign of, for the point, what first Roman Emperor? | Caesar Augustus (accept Octavian; or Gaius Octavius) |
| A life of this man was written by Pseudo-Herodotus, who states this man's birth name was Melesigenes [[meh-leh-SEE-gee-nees]]. Milman Perry's travels in Yugoslavia led him to argue that this man worked in a long-established oral tradition, which is often used to explain the seeming historicity of this man's "catalogue of ships." Whether this man existed is the subject of his namesake "question," and Heinrich Schliemann set out to prove that events described by this man did indeed happen. For the point, name this poet of the Iliad and Odyssey. | Homer |
| This person rose to power when his Argead father was assassinated at his sister Cleopatra’s wedding. Little is known about the Indian king Porus except that he was the last leader to suffer a major defeat at this man’s hands, at the Battle of Hydaspes. This man’s death at the height of his success might have resulted from a night of excessive alcohol consumption. After this man’s death, the Diadochi divided his realm. For the point, name this Macedonian general whose career ushered in the Hellenistic Age. | Alexander the Great (accept Alexander III of Macedon) |
| It's not tin, but early cultures in the Aegean fashioned this metal into distinctive “oxhide” ingots, and the earliest discovered alloy of this metal was found mixed with arsenic. The island of Cyprus was named for the large deposits of this metal found on it. An archeological age called the “Chalco-” is named for this metal, and preceded one named for an alloy of this metal and tin. For the point, name this main component of bronze with atomic number 29 and symbol Cu. | Copper |