Famously Lost

History · 10 questions

Vanished libraries, undeciphered scripts and silenced languages.

Answer each question first, then check with “Show the answer”. You can also play the same quiz in the Quizera app by searching for it in Explore, as a live game, a test or flashcards.

1. What is now generally said about the destruction of the Library of Alexandria?

   1. It declined over a long period, not in one event
   2. It burned down in a single night
   3. It never actually existed
   4. It collapsed in an earthquake
   Show the answer

   A) It declined over a long period, not in one event

2. Why is the Etruscan language still not fully understood?

   1. Its script cannot be read at all
   2. They left no inscriptions
   3. The language is far too recent
   4. There are too few bilingual texts
   Show the answer

   D) There are too few bilingual texts

3. Which script found on Crete remains undeciphered?

   1. Linear B
   2. Hieroglyphs
   3. Linear A
   4. Cuneiform
   Show the answer

   C) Linear A

4. What did deciphering Linear B reveal?

   1. The texts were epic poetry
   2. The language written was an early Greek
   3. The writing was a forgery
   4. The language was Egyptian
   Show the answer

   B) The language written was an early Greek

5. How many of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still stand?

   1. Three
   2. Five
   3. One
   4. None
   Show the answer

   C) One

6. What does it mean for a language to be 'dead'?

   1. No one speaks it as a native language
   2. It was never written down
   3. Its dictionary was lost
   4. It was formally banned
   Show the answer

   A) No one speaks it as a native language

7. What do 'lost colony' stories have in common?

   1. They all sank at sea
   2. The settlers' fate remains unknown
   3. They were never founded
   4. They were destroyed by fire
   Show the answer

   B) The settlers' fate remains unknown

8. Most ancient texts survive because they were copied by hand over later centuries.

   1. True
   2. False
   Show the answer

   A) True

9. A large share of languages spoken today are considered at risk of disappearing.

   1. True
   2. False
   Show the answer

   A) True

10. Atlantis has been confirmed archaeologically.

    1. True
    2. False
    Show the answer

    B) False