| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| To the west of this ancient city is the Third Dynasty complex at Djoser [[JOH-sehr]], while this city's namesake decrees were depicted in the trilingual Rosetta Stone. The Great Colossus of Ramesses II and the Temple of Ptah [[puh-TAH]] are both found within this city along the Nile. The unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menes, established his capital at, for the point, what Old Kingdom city which shares its name with a Tennessee city? | Memphis |
| Synesius [[sih-NEE-see-uhs]] of this city was a major 4th century writer who became the bishop of the nearby city of Ptolemais [[toh-lah-MAH-is]]. Battus I is the traditional founder of this city, which was incorporated into Ptolemaic Egypt in 250 BCE. For the point, what is this city in modern Libya whose resident Simon helped Jesus carry the cross? | Cyrene (accept Simon of Cyrene) |
| The Anji Bridge was constructed under this dynasty, during which the Confucian scholar Wang Tong lived. One leader of this dynasty partly ruled during the Kaihuang [[KAI- HWANG]] era, occurring after his construction of a palace away from Chang’an. The ease of making shipments to military outposts was one goal of Emperor Wen in working on the Grand Canal project during this dynasty. For the point, name this Chinese dynasty that preceded the Tang. | Sui [[SWEH]] Dynasty (be lenient on pronunciation; accept Suí Cháo) |
| The Battle of Pheidon [[FEH-dohn]] was a victory for this city-state, whose hoplites defeated the Spartans at the Battle of Hysiae [[hee-SEE-ay]]. This city-state lent its name to a Macedonian dynasty whose members included Philip II and Alexander the Great. Also lending their name to the Greeks who, in the Iliad were the attackers of Troy, this is, for the point, what city-state which lent its name to the Argives? | Argos |
| This kingdom's scribes created the oldest discovered printed material in the world, a copy of the Buddhist sutra "Pagoda That Casts No Shadows." A legendary prince of this non- Japanese kingdom named Amenohiboko [[ah-meh-noh-hee-BOH-koh]] travelled to Yamato- era Japan to become an early emperor. The kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje [[BAHK-JEH]], and, for the point, what other state comprise the "Three Kingdom" period of Korea? | Kingdom of Silla |
| This period is delineated by the simplification of burial rituals at sites like the Tholos tombs of Thessaly. The settlement of Lefkandi, known for elaborate golden jewelry amongst its bodies in its heroon, has been cited to refute that this period led to widespread economic destitution. The fall of the Mycenaean [[my-seh-NAY-ehn]] civilization and the Doric invasion characterize, for the point, what period of societal collapse in Greece? | Greek Dark Ages (prompt on "Bronze Age Collapse") |
| This battle, which was fought against an enemy sometimes known as the Lukka, was preceded by the Battle of Djahy [[JAH-hee]]. This battle during the wider Bronze Age collapse likely led the Peleset people, who are possibly analogous to the Philistines, to settle the southern Levant in the 1100s BCE. The marauding Sea Peoples were expelled by Ramses III following, for the point, what battle at the northern reaches of the Nile River? | Battle of the Delta |
| These conflicts began with the burning of a "pyre of paper and incense" at its start. The creator of the Triple Alliance, Tlacaelel [[tlah-kah-EHL-el]], first encouraged the the establishment of this institution, which led to Moctezuma I conducting a war against Tlaxcala [[tlaks-KAH-lah]] and other Nahua [[NAH-hwah]] city-states. For the point, name these less lethal, ritual wars fought by the Aztec in an effort to collect sacrifices. | Flower Wars (or Flowery Wars; accept Xochiyaoyotl) |
| This kingdom enhanced the Temple of Amun following their conquest of what is today Jebel Barkal by their king, Piye. Pharaoh Psamtik [[SAHM-tik]] II's protracted campaign against this kingdom led King Aspelta to move his people south between the fifth and sixth cataract. Meroë [[meh-ROH-eh]] and Napata served as capitals of, for the point, which ancient Nubian Kingdom? | Kingdom of Kush |
| This city was briefly renamed "City of God" after a particularly devastating earthquake, which, however, did not prevent the deportation of this city's population to a "better" version in Mesopotamia. John Chrysostom, a native of this city, was educated by this city's most famous son, Libanius [[lee-BAY-nee-ehs]]. For the point, what is this city in modern-day Turkey, a former Christian bastion that sits on the Orontes? | Antioch on the Orontes |
| A king of this city named Hiram sent the cedars used to build the Solomonic Temple of Jerusalem. Alexander the Great built an artificial causeway to capture the Mediterranean portion of this port city, being defended by Persian client-king Azemilcus [[ah-zeh-"MEAL"- kehs]]. The legendary royal Dido [[DAI-doh]] hailed from, for the point, what Phoenician city- state and rival of Sidon? | Tyre [["TIRE"]] |
| In one story, this king was allegedly inspired to change one military strategy after hearing a mother scold a child for eating from the middle of a cake. The greedy conqueror is contrasted with the moral conqueror in a work written by an advisor to this man, the father of Bindusara, who also married a daughter of Seleucus Nicator [[seh-LOO-kus nee-KAY- tohr]]. The grandfather of Ashoka was, for the point, what king of the Maurya? | Chandragupta Maurya (accept Candagutta Moriya; accept Candragupta Maurya) |
| Holders of this office are listed in the Fasti Capitolini. This office likely replaced the Praetor as the head magistrate, which was not meant to be held by one person in consecutive years. Usually given out to two people, this is, for the point, what office, which gave someone the power to command Roman armies, the chief magistrate of the Roman Republic? | Roman Consul (prompt on "Head Magistrate" or "Magistrate" before mentioned) |
| Lycurgus developed this city's constitution, the Great Rhetra, which provided for a thirty-member legislature known as the Gerousia [[geh-ROO-see-ah]]. The Agiad and Eurypontid [[yoo-ree-POHN-tihd]] lines shared this city-state's double kingship, with heirs, such as Leonidas, exempted from the grueling agoge [[ah-GOH-geh]] militaristic education regimen. For the point, name this not-so-democratic rival of Athens. | Sparta (accept Lacedaemon) |
| This ethnic group, who developed Sangam literature, describes its classical kingdoms as the Moovendhar. This ethnic group escaped Mauryan conquest in part due to migrating to northern Sri Lanka. Rajendra Chola ended the era of three kingdoms of, for the point, what Dravidian ethnic group whose Chera and Pandya dynasties inhabited what is now their namesake "Nadu" state. | Tamils (accept Tamilar; accept Tamil Nadu) |
| This society created the sculpture Chimera of Arezzo. While dictator, Camillus led a plebiscite [[pleh-"BEE"-"site"]] army that used siege tunnels against these people’s city of Veii [[VAY]]. A league of these people allied with the southern city of Capua to oppose Roman influence. For the point, name these people of North and Central Italy that lend their name to the region of Tuscany. | Etruscan People (or Etrusci; or Tusci; or Rasenna; or Rasna; accept Tyrrhenians; accept Tyrrhenoi) |
| A text produced by the scribes of this empire, the Tawagalawa letter, has been interpreted by Homeric historians as revealing the war between the Achaeans [[ah-KAY- ehns]] and Troy, or Wilusa. This empire's ruler, Hattusili III, signed the first known peace treaty with Egypt. For the point, name this Anatolian empire centered on Hattusa which collapsed following the "Bronze Age Collapse." | Hittite Empire (accept Neo-Hittite State; accept Hattusa before mentioned; *Editor's Note: the Hittite's name for themselves was "Ha-at-tu-sa") |
| The northernmost example of a structure built for this activity can be found at Wupatki [[woo-PAHT-kee]] National Monument. According to the Popul Vuh [[PUH-puhl VUH]], the Hero Twins defeated the lords of Xibalba [[SHI-bal-bah]] by taking part in this activity, in which the central object could only be touched by a player’s hips in one ruleset. For the point, name this athletic activity performed with a rubber object in a region of Pre- Columbian America, which might have resulted in the losers being sacrificed. | Mesoamerican Ball Game (accept Pokolpok; or Ōllamaliztli; or Tlachtli) |
| This politician gave the funeral oration at a public burial honoring Lucius Verginius Rufus, who died while bending over to pick up a book. This man wrote a biography of his father-in-law, where he recounts Gnaeus [[NAY-es]] Julius Agricola's conquest of Britannia and service during the Year of the Four Emperors. The writer of an early ethnography known as Germania was, for the point, which Roman historian, whose Annals cover the reigns of Tiberius to Nero? | Publius Cornelius Tacitus |
| Hyperanthes [["high"-peh-RAHN-thees]] and Abrocomes were among those killed at this battle in which one side sighted the advance of the other across the Malian Gulf. Swords known as xiphe [[ZHE-feh]] were used after each spear was broken by one side at this battle, which was fought near a mountain pass. For the point, name this 480 BCE battle where Leonidas died leading a small contingent of Spartans and Greek allies against a massive Persian army. | Battle of Thermopylae (accept Máchē tōn Thermopylōn) |
| In a found letter to his colleague, Atticus, Cicero recounts how he aspired to build these specific structures on the grounds of old baths to increase his personal wealth. In one anecdote, a private fire department owned by Crassus would not put out fires in these places until the owners agreed to sell to Crassus. The insula is a style of, for the point, what type of high-density housing common in Rome? | Apartments (accept Tenements; accept Insulae before mentioned; prompt on "house (s)" or "home (s)") |
| A tax on this faith was levied to raise funds for the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, while Hadrian renamed a province to "Syria Palaestina" to weaken this faith's historical ties to one region. Zealots of this faith rebelled against Roman dominance, culminating in the siege of Masada. For the point, name this state faith of the Kingdom of Israel. | Judaism (accept the Jewish Faith) |
| Howard Carter discovered objects used in this specific activity, whose individual pieces resemble the heads of dogs and jackals. The royal wife of Ramses, Nefertari, is seen seated doing this specific activity, known in Egyptian as senet, and that example translates to "Passing the Afternoon." For the point, name these games like Mehen, which is played on a snake-like disc made of stone. | Board Games (accept specific board games like Mehen or Senet before "Mehen" is mentioned; prompt on "Hounds and Jackals"; do not accept Card Games) |
| The matured, ripened form of this crop was personified by the god Chicomecoatl [[chee-koh-meh-KWAH-teel]], who is often shown kneeling to the virginal goddess Xilonen [[zhee-LOH-nehn]]. The Aztec used a process of "nixtamalization," which soaked the flour of this crop in alkaline limewater to increase its nutritional value. For the point, name this primary staple grain of Mesoamerica. | Corn (accept Maize) |
| Despite receiving financial backing from Ptolemy III, this structure was never rebuilt following a 226 BCE earthquake due to a foreboding prediction by the Oracle of Delphi. Caliph Mu'awiyah I had the remains of this bronze statue melted following a successful siege of the island it was located in. A depiction of Helios carrying a torch comprises, for the point, which of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World once found in Rhodes? | Great Colossus of Rhodes |
| An attempted replacement of this structure was abandoned after eight years despite the victor of the Battle of Lugdunum's campaigning near it. The Great Conspiracy started with a revolt at this structure, which divided the region of Caledonia from the rest of a certain island. For the point, what is this imperially-named large structure which divided Roman Britain from modern Scotland? | Hadrian's Wall |