How did archaeologists make the famous casts of Pompeii's victims?

By pouring plaster into hollows in the ash

Buried Cities Quiz: 10 Questions That Test What You Know

This buried cities quiz covers Pompeii, Herculaneum, Akrotiri, Skara Brae, Troy's many layers, Ciudad Perdida and cities hidden under sand, ash and jungle. Ten questions test what you know about lost cities brought back to light.

Start Buried Cities Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Italy
Which Roman city was buried by ash from Vesuvius in AD 79?
Casts
How did archaeologists make the famous casts of Pompeii's victims?
Greece
Which Bronze Age town on Santorini was buried by a volcanic eruption?
Scotland
Which Neolithic village was uncovered by a storm in 1850?
Troy
About how many layers of cities have been found at Troy?
Colombia
Which lost city in Colombia's Sierra Nevada was found in 1972?
Turkey
Which underground city in Cappadocia could shelter thousands?
Sand
Which ancient Silk Road city was buried by desert sand in China?
Jungle
Which Cambodian temple city was swallowed by the forest after the 1400s?
Mud
Which Roman town was buried by mudflows rather than falling ash?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which Roman city was buried by ash from Vesuvius in AD 79?
Answer: Pompeii
Excavations began in 1748, and about two-thirds of the city has now been uncovered.
Q2: How did archaeologists make the famous casts of Pompeii's victims?
Answer: By pouring plaster into hollows in the ash
Giuseppe Fiorelli developed the method in 1863, revealing people's final poses.
Q3: Which Bronze Age town on Santorini was buried by a volcanic eruption?
Answer: Akrotiri
Its colorful frescoes and multi-story houses were preserved under thick ash.
Q4: Which Neolithic village was uncovered by a storm in 1850?
Answer: Skara Brae
Its stone houses on Orkney have built-in beds and dressers about 5,000 years old.
Q5: About how many layers of cities have been found at Troy?
Answer: Nine or more
Each city was built on the ruins of the previous one, forming a mound called Hisarlik.
Q6: Which lost city in Colombia's Sierra Nevada was found in 1972?
Answer: Ciudad Perdida
It was built by the Tairona people around AD 800.
Q7: Which underground city in Cappadocia could shelter thousands?
Answer: Derinkuyu
It has many levels carved into soft volcanic rock.
Q8: Which ancient Silk Road city was buried by desert sand in China?
Answer: Niya
Aurel Stein excavated wooden documents there.
Q9: Which Cambodian temple city was swallowed by the forest after the 1400s?
Answer: Angkor
Trees still grow through Ta Prohm's walls.
Q10: Which Roman town was buried by mudflows rather than falling ash?
Answer: Herculaneum
Its deeper burial preserved wood, papyrus scrolls and food.

Buried Cities Quiz – Cities Frozen in Time

Some cities were buried suddenly, others slowly. Volcanic eruptions covered Pompeii, Herculaneum and Akrotiri, preserving buildings, art and even food. Storms, sand, mud and jungle hid places like Skara Brae, Niya and Angkor.

Buried cities offer rare snapshots of everyday life. Archaeologists find kitchens, shops, graffiti, tools and personal belongings exactly where people left them, showing how ordinary people lived, worked and died.

Excavating them is slow and careful. Exposed ruins can decay quickly, so archaeologists balance digging with conservation. New technologies like ground-penetrating radar and lidar help locate buried structures without disturbing them.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for history fans fascinated by buried and lost cities.

What buried Pompeii
How the casts were made
What Akrotiri is
How Skara Brae was found
Why Herculaneum preserved wood

Did You Know?

Pompeii had about 11,000 residents.
Herculaneum's scrolls are being read with AI.
Ur's tombs were buried under flood silt.
Mesa Verde was abandoned around 1300.
Hattusa was rediscovered in the 1800s.