Question 1

Which ancient civilization built Machu Picchu in present-day Peru?

Accepted Answer

Inca. The Inca civilization built Machu Picchu around 1450 AD as a royal estate high in the Andes Mountains.

Question 2

Who built the original Temple in Jerusalem according to the Old Testament?

Accepted Answer

Solomon. King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem, as described in 1 Kings 6.

Question 3

The D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944 targeted beaches in which region of France?

Accepted Answer

Normandy. Operation Overlord's amphibious assault on June 6, 1944 landed Allied forces on five beaches in Normandy.

Question 4

Which sculptor designed the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States?

Accepted Answer

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. Bartholdi designed the statue; Eiffel engineered its internal framework.

Question 5

Which ancient wonder stood at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and was toppled by an earthquake around 226 BCE?

Accepted Answer

Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes, a giant bronze statue of Helios, was destroyed by an earthquake roughly 54 years after its completion.

Question 6

Which ancient city, capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, was described by a 19th-century poet as 'a rose-red city half as old as time'?

Accepted Answer

Petra. Petra in modern Jordan, the Nabataean capital carved into rose-colored sandstone cliffs, was immortalized in John William Burgon's 1845 Newdigate Prize poem.

Question 7

Which ancient wonder stood at the entrance to the harbor of which Mediterranean island's main city?

Accepted Answer

Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes stood at (or near) the harbor of Rhodes city, on the island of Rhodes, and was toppled by an earthquake around 226 BC.

Question 8

Explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa is credited as the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean from the Americas in which year?

Accepted Answer

1513. In September 1513, Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the New World, claiming it for the Spanish Crown.

Question 9

The ancient Library of Alexandria is generally believed to have been founded under which Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt?

Accepted Answer

Ptolemy I Soter. The Library of Alexandria was established in the early 3rd century BCE under Ptolemy I Soter, though it flourished greatly under subsequent rulers.

Question 10

Which ancient wonder, located at Halicarnassus, gave us a common word for large monumental tombs?

Accepted Answer

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, built for Carian satrap Mausolus (d. 353 BC), gave rise to the English word 'mausoleum' for grand funerary monuments.

Question 11

The ancient city of Carthage, destroyed by Rome in 146 BCE, was located in modern-day which country?

Accepted Answer

Tunisia. Carthage stood on the coast of North Africa near present-day Tunis, Tunisia; Rome razed it after the Third Punic War.

Question 12

Which ancient Mesopotamian city-state's ruler, Ur-Nammu, produced what historians consider the oldest surviving written law code, predating Hammurabi's by about three centuries?

Accepted Answer

Ur. Ur-Nammu of Ur composed his law code around 2100 BC, making it the oldest known surviving legal code, roughly 300 years before Hammurabi's more famous code.

Question 13

Which ancient wonder stood at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and was destroyed by an earthquake around 226 BC?

Accepted Answer

Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes, a giant bronze statue of the sun god Helios, stood for only about 54 years before being toppled by an earthquake c. 226 BC.

Question 14

Which ancient wonder of the world was located at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes?

Accepted Answer

Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes, a giant bronze statue of Helios, stood at the harbor of Rhodes and was toppled by an earthquake around 226 BC.

Question 15

Which ancient Egyptian pharaoh is credited with building the first true smooth-sided pyramid, at Meidum or Dahshur, transitioning from the step design?

Accepted Answer

Sneferu. Sneferu of the Fourth Dynasty built the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid at Dahshur, perfecting the smooth-sided form his son Khufu used at Giza.

Question 16

Which ancient wonder was still standing and visitable during Julius Caesar's lifetime but was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC?

Accepted Answer

Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes collapsed in a 226 BC earthquake; Caesar lived 100-44 BC, so it had already fallen, but its ruins remained famous.

Question 17

Which ancient wonder stood at the entrance of the harbor of Rhodes and was toppled by an earthquake around 226 BC?

Accepted Answer

The Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes, a giant bronze statue of the sun god Helios, stood for only about 54 years before an earthquake destroyed it circa 226 BC.

Question 18

Which ancient wonder was reportedly destroyed by an earthquake around 226 BC, less than 60 years after its construction?

Accepted Answer

Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue of Helios built circa 280 BC, toppled in a 226 BC earthquake after standing for only about 54 years.

Question 19

Which ancient wonder was located in the city of Halicarnassus and gave us a common word for grand tombs?

Accepted Answer

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, built for King Mausolus of Caria, gave English the word 'mausoleum.'

Question 20

Which ancient wonder was located at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and stood for only 56 years?

Accepted Answer

Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes, built around 280 BC, stood for approximately 56 years before being destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC.

Question 21

Which ancient wonder was still standing when Arab forces conquered Egypt in 641 AD?

Accepted Answer

The Lighthouse of Alexandria. The Lighthouse of Alexandria survived into the medieval period and was still functioning during the Arab conquest; it later collapsed due to earthquakes.

Question 22

Which Roman emperor ordered the construction of the Pantheon as it stands today, though it was later misattributed to Agrippa?

Accepted Answer

Hadrian. Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the Pantheon around AD 125, but preserved Agrippa's original dedicatory inscription, causing centuries of misattribution.

Question 23

The Moai statues of Easter Island were carved by the Rapa Nui people primarily from which volcanic rock found on the island?

Accepted Answer

Tuff (compressed volcanic ash). About 95% of the moai were carved from tuff, the compressed volcanic ash found at the Rano Raraku quarry on Easter Island.

LandmarksTrivia Questions & Answers

Landmarks Quiz — 23 Questions

1. Which ancient civilization built Machu Picchu in present-day Peru?

2. Who built the original Temple in Jerusalem according to the Old Testament?

3. The D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944 targeted beaches in which region of France?

4. Which sculptor designed the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States?

5. Which ancient wonder stood at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and was toppled by an earthquake around 226 BCE?

6. Which ancient city, capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, was described by a 19th-century poet as 'a rose-red city half as old as time'?

7. Which ancient wonder stood at the entrance to the harbor of which Mediterranean island's main city?

8. Explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa is credited as the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean from the Americas in which year?

9. The ancient Library of Alexandria is generally believed to have been founded under which Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt?

10. Which ancient wonder, located at Halicarnassus, gave us a common word for large monumental tombs?

11. The ancient city of Carthage, destroyed by Rome in 146 BCE, was located in modern-day which country?

12. Which ancient Mesopotamian city-state's ruler, Ur-Nammu, produced what historians consider the oldest surviving written law code, predating Hammurabi's by about three centuries?

13. Which ancient wonder stood at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and was destroyed by an earthquake around 226 BC?

14. Which ancient wonder of the world was located at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes?

15. Which ancient Egyptian pharaoh is credited with building the first true smooth-sided pyramid, at Meidum or Dahshur, transitioning from the step design?

16. Which ancient wonder was still standing and visitable during Julius Caesar's lifetime but was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC?

17. Which ancient wonder stood at the entrance of the harbor of Rhodes and was toppled by an earthquake around 226 BC?

18. Which ancient wonder was reportedly destroyed by an earthquake around 226 BC, less than 60 years after its construction?

19. Which ancient wonder was located in the city of Halicarnassus and gave us a common word for grand tombs?

20. Which ancient wonder was located at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and stood for only 56 years?

21. Which ancient wonder was still standing when Arab forces conquered Egypt in 641 AD?

22. Which Roman emperor ordered the construction of the Pantheon as it stands today, though it was later misattributed to Agrippa?

23. The Moai statues of Easter Island were carved by the Rapa Nui people primarily from which volcanic rock found on the island?

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