[steve_nova]

Here is a mini quiz as a break from all things birding.

1. By what name is Siddhartha Gautama better known?
2. In which modern day country are the ancient ruins of Mohenjo-daro to be found?
3. Which native-american civilisation was the only one to acheive true literacy?
4. The Ancient Egyptians gave the name Aten to what?
5. European capital said to be founded in the year 753BC.

[pduxon]

1 - Buddha
4 - The Sun - to be strictly accurate it was "invented" by Akenhaten.
5 - Rome

[steve_nova]

You are of course quite correct about the specifics of #4.
1 & 5 correct also.

[steve_nova]

Number 2 and 3 still available anyone?

[pduxon]

Don't I sound pompous about no 4 !!

Anyone know numbers 2&3? I don't want to result to Google.

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally Posted by pduxon

Don't I sound pompous about no 4 !!

Anyone know numbers 2&3? I don't want to result to Google.

Why not? Anyway, I used Ask Jeeves to answer 2 - Pakistan.

Yes, you do sound pompous!

[steve_nova]

Oooh, Elizabeth!

Well, as a clue to #3, anyone remember Space 1999 with Martin Landau and a shape changing alien female played by Catherine Schell? Well, her alien name is the same as the civilisation!

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Originally Posted by steve_nova

Well, as a clue to #3, anyone remember Space 1999 with Martin Landau and a shape changing alien female played by Catherine Schell? Well, her alien name is the same as the civilisation!

Maya?

[steve_nova]

Ha! in one. too much of a clue there me thinks. Well done anyway Elizabeth.

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Just as a side question Steve, what's meant in question number 3 by true literacy? I'm not sure but I'm thinking that there must be a lot of Native American 'civilisations' (another word I don't fully understand) that are 'truly literate' these days. Just fulfilling my usual role as house pedant I guess.

Ooh and thanks for the great picture of Catherine Schell!

[steve_nova]

Hi Fifebirder,

well...true literacy is (in this context) where a civilization or culture, in this case pre-columbian, develop their own true writing system completely independently of outside influences ie. earlier systems of writing developed in other parts of the world.

Yes, of course the Spanish and Portuguese introduced their languages at first inadvertently through gold fueled conquest (Especially the Spanish) and later under their great missionary umbrella. But this was introduced language and writing. The Olmec, Toltec, Aztec, Chavin, Nasca, Inca etc. never reached full writing that could describe in detail their lives for posterity as the Maya could.

This website concerened with one of the great Mayan Kings, Pacal Votan of the Mayan city of Palenque http://www.usu.edu/anthro/origins_of_writing/pacal/ makes quite interesting reading.

My pleasure with the pic of catherine Schell!