THE MEDIEVAL ERA
BY MARC MORRIS
1 Who was the first Anglo-Saxon king to convert to Christianity?
2 Which saint was the first abbess of Whitby?
3 Which island did the Vikings attack in 793?
4 Which king was killed in the New Forest?
5 Isabella of Angoulême was married to which English king?
6 In which century did friars first arrive in what's now Britain?
7 Which master mason was in charge of Edward I's castle-building campaign in Wales?
8 In which English cathedral would you find the Octagon?
9 Which Welsh leader held a parliament in 1404?
10 In which castle did Richard II die?
Marc Morris is the author of books including The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England (Hutchinson, 2021)
Answers to all 300 questions can be found on page 84
GLOBAL CITIES
BY PAUL BLOOMFIELD
1 Which city is infamous for not one but three defenestrations – violent episodes in which people were thrown from windows in the 15th and 17th centuries?
2 Which British poet is honoured with a statue in Athens for his role supporting Greek independence from Ottoman rule in the 19th century?
3 Which capital's ancient Roman name was, literally, Mud – reflecting its marshy, boggy setting?
4 In which city can you climb a 50metre-high hill made of bottles 18 centuries old?
5 Citizens of which capital are known as ‘cats’, from an incident in an 11th-century battle?
6 In which city was the world's first stock exchange established at the start of the 17th century?
7 In which capital can you view the remains of medieval Viking buildings through the glass floor of a Lidl supermarket?
8 The heart of which city is a regal retirement home built for a Roman emperor?
9 Which city was riven in the 13th century by a conflict between factions known as Ghibellines and Guelphs?
10 Which city's name is derived from the ancient Phoenician meaning ‘port of enchantment'?
Paul Bloomfield is a journalist and travel writer and host of the HistoryExtra podcast series History's Greatest Cities: historyextra.com/greatest-cities
WHO'S MISSING?
THE ANCIENT WORLD
BY CATHERINE NIXEY
1 Pliny the Younger was an early proponent of what popular lockdown pursuit?
a Baking sourdough bread: it came into fashion after Octavian annexed Egypt in 30 BC
b Wild swimming: he felt that cutting through the billows of the Tiber freshened the mind
c Working from home: he thought being out of the office made him think better
2 Which of the following last words were not attributed to a Roman emperor?
a Oh dear, I think I'm becoming a god!
b Oh dear, I think I've shat myself!
c Et tu, Brute?
3 Why did emperor Elagabalus become embroiled in a culture wars spat in 2023?
a It was claimed that Elagabalus was a trans woman
b It was claimed that Elagabalus was colonialist
c It was claimed that Elagabalus was sexist
4 Pliny the Younger's uncle invited him to go with him to watch the eruption of Vesuvius up close. Pliny declined. Why?
a Because he had asthma and thought it would make it worse
b Because he was scared
c Because he had homework to do
5 Which Roman emperor took a daily dose of opium?
a Nero (naturally)
b Marcus Aurelius – laced with honey, it helped with the burden of being emperor
c Claudius – it helped him suppress his stammer
6 Jesus, Augustus and Dionysius all have one thing in common. What is it?
a They all liked wine
b They were all called sons of god
c Their birthdays were all celebrated on 25 December
7 Which of the following inventions did the Roman empire lack?
a The whoopee cushion
b The stirrup
c The steam engine
8 In the 2023 film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the archaeologist travels back to ancient Syracuse thanks to the ‘Antikythera mechanism’. What is it thought that the Greek mechanism actually was?
a An early clock
b An early calculator
c An early orrery
9 What did one late Roman law forbid everyone from wearing within the city of Rome?
a Gems
b Trousers
c Gold embroidery
10 Which ancient Greek work was recently brought vividly up to
