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Ancient Cities Quiz

Can you name the modern-day countries in whose territory each pair of ancient cities were located?
Answer must correspond to the yellow box. Each answer is used only once.
Many of these cities still exist, often with a different name
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Featured Quiz
Last updated: January 13, 2020
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First submittedApril 24, 2011
Times taken49,310
Rating4.79
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Cities
Modern Country
Babylon | Nineveh
Iraq
Troy | Antioch
Turkey
Tenochtitlan | Texcoco
Mexico
Memphis | Crocodilopolis
Egypt
Xanadu | Chang'an
China
Pompeii | Ravenna
Italy
Sparta | Mycenae
Greece
Machu Picchu | Cusco
Peru
Edo | Asuka
Japan
Tyre | Sidon
Lebanon
Cities
Modern Country
Persepolis | Nishapur
Iran
Carthage | Utica
Tunisia
Tikal | Uaxactun
Guatemala
Angkor | Mahendraparvata
Cambodia
Ayutthaya | Sukhothai
Thailand
Timbuktu | Gao
Mali
Petra | Jerash
Jordan
Kharakhorum | Ordu-Baliq
Mongolia
Acre | Tiberias
Israel
Aquae Sulis | Eboracum
United Kingdom
Abs
+4
Level 9
Nov 20, 2013
Hey I'm Chinese how come I don't know there's a place called Xanadu, and it's wrong spelling. It's Chengdu. Oh whatever you didn't say that you need country names so I kept typing city names. :(
cuotak
+21
Level 60
Dec 13, 2013
Xanadu is Marco Polo's spelling of Shangdu 上都 during the Yuan dynasty, not Chengdu.
foil7
+11
Level 34
Mar 6, 2016
I'm Chinese, too and I know Xanadu. Xanadu was the vacation capital of Kublai Khan. It is located in modern-day Shangdu.
cpgatbyu
+2
Level 80
Jul 24, 2017
So, where's the sacred river Alph? The caves of ice?
Antofagasta
+4
Level 47
Jun 18, 2017
I just though of ELO.
Sifhraven
+5
Level 67
Jan 14, 2020
How can you say it is the wrong spelling and also say you dont know it? (I ve never heard of gyyrvutar, but you spelled it wrong..)
WanHuangdi
+1
Level 71
Mar 5, 2020
His point was that it’s impossible to even construct the word Xanadu in Mandarin, thus he thought that it must be wrong. It would be like me telling you that there is a city in the UK called Новгород. You would immediately recognize that as being problematic.
Yanni47
+1
Level 71
Jun 4, 2020
Not if it is the Russian spelling of an English city - especially if it happens to be in a Russian quiz.
Sifhraven
+5
Level 67
Jan 14, 2020
Plus it literally says "can you name the modern- day countries..."
JackintheBox
+2
Level 66
Jan 14, 2020
No, you're wrong. Xanadu is a completely different place to Chengdu.
jcassarino
+2
Level 62
Nov 30, 2013
Machu Picchu is spelled with two Cs.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Dec 14, 2013
Fixed!
roleybob
+5
Level 75
Jan 15, 2020
3 in fact :-P
kalbahamut
+9
Level 80
Dec 13, 2013
Only 19% got Karakorum... easy for me... but probably only because I'm used to seeing it as the capital city when you play as the Mongols in any of the Civilization computer games. oh and, though I'm sure I plug it enough already, oldest cities 2 of these clues are among the oldest continually-inhabited places on Earth.
jennywren21
+4
Level 52
Sep 20, 2014
yes Civ help me with a few as well!
Spitzbergen
+3
Level 43
Dec 12, 2015
Exposure to Civilization III since the age of six is paying off now that I've found this website!
kalbahamut
+1
Level 80
Mar 5, 2016
Here's an easier version of the same quiz I linked to above:

Oldest Cities by Country
cosmokim
+2
Level 57
Mar 5, 2016
I don't play civilization, but I learned about the Mongol empire, so yah.
Antofagasta
+2
Level 47
Jun 18, 2017
I too owe a great debt to Civ.
cpgatbyu
+2
Level 80
Jul 24, 2017
There's a mountain range by that name in China/Pakistan/India and, consequently, the name is used to brand a lot of mountaineering products. That might have steered some people away from Mongolia.
Damangio
+1
Level 54
Mar 6, 2020
Yeah, I went for those countries.
qcumber
+3
Level 47
Feb 18, 2019
ive played 3 4 and 5. maybe 6 soon
markthoma
+2
Level 68
Jan 13, 2020
I knew most of them from playing Civ 5 myself. Great game. :-)
Cedo
+5
Level 43
Mar 9, 2015
Timbuktu still exists, same city, same location.
cosmokim
+1
Level 57
Mar 5, 2016
With that logic, Carthage still exists
McLerristarr
+9
Level 63
Mar 11, 2016
What logic? The city still does exist and is still called Timbuktu.
qcumber
+1
Level 47
Feb 18, 2019
just near it
Sifhraven
+2
Level 67
Oct 22, 2019
So, it says some cities still exist.
Djilas
+2
Level 77
Jan 13, 2020
Even if it didn't, by what logic is an ancient city supposed to not exist anymore?
Malbaby
+1
Level 70
Mar 8, 2016
Thanks for mentioning Nineveh, it took me back to schooldays and to 'Cargoes' a poem By John Masefield that starts ................. "QUINQUIREME of Nineveh from distant Ophir, Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine................ I loved that poem when I was a day-dreaming little boy.
jandjandlemur
+1
Level 57
Jun 28, 2016
I thought it was Timbikuku
YantheMan
+2
Level 65
Jan 15, 2020
it's not
drLuigi
+1
Level 46
Nov 12, 2016
Got 'em all except Kharakhorum... tried India and all -stans
blox6man
+1
Level 19
Aug 23, 2017
How did I miss Timbuktu, Mali?
Tamarin07
+1
Level 35
Aug 8, 2018
Cool!
takmike
+2
Level 55
Aug 17, 2019
cant believe kharakorum was least famous! its where Ghengis Kahn ruled. I thought he was the most famous person rivalled only by Jesus christ, Muhammad and Confucius.
Sifhraven
+1
Level 67
Oct 22, 2019
A big name with a big history, but not someone I learned alot about. Nor in later years hear a lot of info on, just, gets, mentioned now and then, would definitely not call most famous. So many people more famous. Cleopatra, hitler, elvis the list is rather endless.

I would argue even cthulhu is more famous he pops up in wayy more places, books, videogames, memes, tshirts (and basicly any product you can think of that is printed with an image) You havent made it untill you are on a tshirt and fanfiction is being made about you!

angrobper14
+1
Level 79
Jan 13, 2020
People know more about Chinggis Khaan's conquests and the influence himself and his Hordes had in the regions conquered, than the city where he ruled.
Damangio
+1
Level 54
Mar 6, 2020
Probably because he's know for moving around a lot. :-)
WanHuangdi
+2
Level 71
Dec 4, 2019
I think that Cahokia would be a great addition to this quiz.
MaxStickies
+2
Level 70
Dec 14, 2019
Does Edo really count as ancient?
angrobper14
+1
Level 79
Jan 13, 2020
Well, it's an old city that happens to be continuously inhabited, just like Aquae Sulis, Texcoco or Cusco.
MaxStickies
+1
Level 70
Jun 4, 2020
I suppose it depends on whether, in this case, ancient means from ancient times or just old. If it is the former, then Edo would not be a correct fit, but then neither would Cusco or Texcoco, whereas Aquae Sulis would. Then again, while there were truly ancient cities in Peru and Mexico they aren't as well known.
dunkinggandalf2
+1
Level 50
Oct 12, 2020
Edo is apparently first mentioned in the 12th century, which makes it pretty old (especially by US standards).
blizzrd33
+5
Level 73
Jan 13, 2020
Great quiz concept. Suggest it could be expanded to include Harappa/Mohenjo-daro (Pakistan) and Anuradhapura/Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka)
Damangio
+2
Level 54
Mar 6, 2020
I second Pakistan.
MaxStickies
+1
Level 70
Jun 4, 2020
Agreed.
cbragg923
+1
Level 54
Jan 15, 2020
Please include England as a correct response to the UK :)
mf3
+2
Level 83
Jan 16, 2020
It's not a country again, yet (although Scotland and N. Ireland are working to start the process...)
WelshWizard
+2
Level 71
Mar 5, 2020
Oi, don't leave out Wales. We'll be following on shortly afterwards.
breathoftheearth
+2
Level 63
Mar 5, 2020
Agreed. The country was England (technically Brittania) when those cities Aquae Sulis and Eboracum were named that (now Bath and York - both in England). And, yes, England IS a country
tzhg
+1
Level 58
Aug 11, 2020
No, the country was the Roman Empire when those cities were named that. And now, they're in the UK. England is not a country in the same sense as the others in the quiz. It's just a subdivision that happens to be called a "country".
dunkinggandalf2
+1
Level 50
Oct 12, 2020
England is currently a country of the world in the same way that Planet Hollywood is a planet of the Solar system.
Geografen
+1
Level 60
Jan 24, 2020
Acre and Tiberias still exists, with the same names.
BlackToadKillerGames
+2
Level 62
Mar 5, 2020
True, but the quiz is about cities that existed in ancient times, not if they became lost in time or still exist
michelesol
+1
Level 66
Mar 5, 2020
Dude, Ravenna is safe and sound
Yoshimano
+1
Level 55
Jul 29, 2020
Ha, 1:12 ! Got stuck a bit on UK but made it, finally! Thanks )
EmeraldOracle
+1
Level 60
Jul 29, 2020
Great quiz! Please make more historic and ancient themed quizzes. Was slightly surprised that no cities from India were included but maybe next time.
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