Ancient Inscriptions Knowledge Quiz – Test the Details
This ancient inscriptions knowledge quiz covers the Rosetta Stone, the Behistun Inscription, Ashoka's edicts, the Code of Hammurabi, the Mesha Stele and Viking runestones. Ten questions test the details of words carved in stone.
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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds
Egypt
In which three scripts is the Rosetta Stone written?
Iran
The Behistun Inscription helped decipher which writing?
Behistun
Whose deeds does the Behistun Inscription record?
India
Whose edicts were carved on pillars across India?
Babylon
Where is the stele of Hammurabi's laws displayed?
Jordan
Which stele mentions the kingdom of Israel and was found in 1868?
Scandinavia
Which Danish runestones are called Denmark's birth certificate?
Rome
What does SPQR on Roman inscriptions mean?
Ireland
Which early Irish script uses notches along stone edges?
Turkey
Which inscriptions in Mongolia are the oldest Turkic texts?
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Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions
- Q1: In which three scripts is the Rosetta Stone written?
Answer: Hieroglyphic, Demotic and Greek
It records a decree of Ptolemy V from 196 BC.
- Q2: The Behistun Inscription helped decipher which writing?
Answer: Cuneiform
Henry Rawlinson copied it from a cliff.
- Q3: Whose deeds does the Behistun Inscription record?
Answer: Darius I
It is in Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian.
- Q4: Whose edicts were carved on pillars across India?
Answer: Ashoka
They promoted nonviolence and tolerance.
- Q5: Where is the stele of Hammurabi's laws displayed?
Answer: The Louvre
It was found in Susa in 1901.
- Q6: Which stele mentions the kingdom of Israel and was found in 1868?
Answer: Mesha Stele
It records a Moabite king's victories.
- Q7: Which Danish runestones are called Denmark's birth certificate?
Answer: Jelling stones
Harald Bluetooth raised the larger one.
- Q8: What does SPQR on Roman inscriptions mean?
Answer: The Senate and People of Rome
It appears on monuments and coins.
- Q9: Which early Irish script uses notches along stone edges?
Answer: Ogham
Most inscriptions are names.
- Q10: Which inscriptions in Mongolia are the oldest Turkic texts?
Answer: Orkhon inscriptions
They date from the 700s.
Ancient Inscriptions Knowledge Quiz – Words Carved in Stone
Inscriptions are texts carved into stone, metal or other durable materials. Because they last, they preserve laws, decrees, prayers and records from ancient times.
Some inscriptions were keys to lost languages. The Rosetta Stone helped decode hieroglyphs, and the Behistun Inscription helped decipher cuneiform because both repeated the same text in several scripts.
Others tell history directly: Hammurabi's laws, Ashoka's edicts and runestones honoring Viking travelers. Epigraphy, the study of inscriptions, remains essential for historians.
What This Quiz Teaches
This quiz is for history fans exploring ancient inscriptions.
- What scripts are on the Rosetta Stone
- What Behistun helped decode
- What Ashoka carved
- Where Hammurabi's code is
- What SPQR means
Did You Know?
- The Merneptah Stele mentions Israel.
- The Res Gestae records Augustus's deeds.
- Runes were used for about 1,000 years.
- Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions.
- Maya stelae record royal events.
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