What Ancient Disaster Did You Survive in a Past Life?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
What Ancient Disaster Did You Survive in a Past Life?
Image: Photography by Jeremy Villasis. Philippines / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

The world is a never-ending cycle of chaos and order that can't be predicted or planned for in any way. Some people probably knew what to do during the quake that rocked Crete in 365; others had no idea how to handle the trillions of locusts that swarmed like a plague across America in 1874, eating everything in sight. From meteor strikes to dust veils to volcanic eruptions that made summer disappear for an entire year, the people of the ancient world had a lot of rough hands dealt to them that we've been lucky enough to avoid in modern history.

For all the damage that nature can do, if there's one thing humans have proven time and again, it's that they overcome. They can survive. In the face of utter destruction, humans can regroup and rebuild. It may be a slow process, and the toll to get to that point is higher than anyone ever wanted to pay, but what else can we do? If you feel like you've been around the block before, then It's time to find out what ancient disaster you lived through during one of your past lives. Take the quiz and see!

1-Rome Throughout history, civilizations rose and fell. Which civilization that once ruled supreme would you have wanted to be a part of?
Ancient Rome
Ancient Greece
Ancient Egypt
The Mayan Empire

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2-Volcano Which kind of disaster terrifies you the most?
Tsunamis
Volcanoes
Earthquakes
Tornadoes

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3-Adventure Do you feel like you have a strong sense of adventure?
Very much so
Not super strong but a bit
Not really
Maybe?

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4-Greece The Ancient Greeks were brilliant innovators. What was their most amazing discovery?
Medicine
Democracy
Zoology
Philosophy

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5-Egypt The Egyptian pantheon had some seriously creepy gods. Which one would give you nightmares?
Ammit, the crocodile-headed eater of the dead
Shesmu, who pressed his victims into wine
Menhit, the lion-headed goddess of slaughter and war
Am-heh, the devourer of millions who lived on a lake of fire

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6-Vikings Which group of historical warriors do you think was the most incredible?
The Vikings
Spartans
Ninja
The Mongol Hordes

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7-Warrior In a disaster situation, would you help strangers before you helped yourself?
I like to think I would do that.
I'd try to help my family first.
I don't know if I can answer that.
If there's time

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8-Overhead There are a number of lost cities that exist only in legend. Which one is the most fascinating to you?
Atlantis
El Dorado, the lost city of gold
Shambala
Camelot, the castle of King Arthur

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9-Leader Some civilizations are defined by their leaders. Which historical leader would you have wanted to meet?
Cleopatra
Alexander the Great
Charlemagne
Xerxes

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10-China Ancient China was all about innovation. Which of their creations is the most impressive?
Paper
Gunpowder
Alcohol
Silk

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11-Stonehenge Some folks believe ancient landmarks were built by aliens. Which one do you find most interesting?
The Pyramids of Giza
Stonehenge
The Moai on Easter Island
The Nasca Lines of Peru

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12-Pyramid If you could watch one pyramid as it was being built, which one would you choose?
The Great Pyramid at Giza
The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan
The Nuban Pyramids in Sudan
The Ziggurat of Ur in Iraq

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13-Roots It never hurts to be bilingual. What dead language would you want to resurrect?
Sumerian
Sanskrit
Aramaic
Old Norse

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14-Stonehenge Let's dive into a mystery. What do you think Stonehenge was built for?
Religious ceremonies
Human sacrifice
Astronomy
A meeting place

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15-Gods Which ancient culture had the most interesting pantheon of gods?
Egyptians
Greeks
Norse
Mayans

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16-Farmer Many ancient Greeks believed in reincarnation. As what animal would you come back?
A shark
An eagle
A lion
A wolf

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17-Magic The world was a much more magical place back in the day. What magical beast would you have tried to find in the wild?
Kraken
Phoenix
Unicorn
Dragon

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18-Colosseum The Colosseum was clearly an important part of Roman culture. What would your job have been there?
Just a spectator
Gladiator
Animal handler
Racer

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19-Greece The Greeks were pioneers in philosophy. What's your philosophy?
Live every day like it's your last.
Treat others like you want to be treated.
Go hard or go home.
Just do it.

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20-Viking They say Vikings first discovered North America. Do you have that same adventurous spirit?
Not in the least
I like to think so.
I'll take on any adventure.
I'm into tiny adventures.

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21-Mayan Which empire of the Americas do you wish they taught more about in school?
Incan
Mayan
Aztec
Olmec

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22-Paleo The Paleo diet is meant to replicate an extremely old-school way of eating. Are you down?
Oh heck, no
I tried it and didn't like it.
I'd try it.
I've tried it, and it's not bad.

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23-Disaster We're used to "normal" disasters, but history has had some crazy ones. Which of these is mind-boggling to you?
The Tunguska meteor blast of 1908
The year with no summer in 1815
The Boston molasses flood of 1919
The year-long dust veil of 536 AD

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24-Stones What's a surefire way to end a civilation that doesn't involve natural disasters?
Political upheaval
War
Arrogance
All it takes is time.

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25-Past Lives Speaking of past lives, how many do you think you've lived?
One or two maybe?
Hundreds
I have no idea.
A lot

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26-Chat Which historical genius would be worth sitting down with for lunch and a chat?
Socrates
Confucius
Buddha
Aristotle

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27-Mayan You might be surprised to learn what was invented by ancient Indians. Which of these surprises you most?
Ancient dentistry
Flush toilets
Plastic surgery
Cataract surgery

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28-Living Picture life 2000 years ago. What would you be doing for a living?
Farmer
Carpenter
Sailor
Baker

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29-Roman In a battle between the Greeks and the Romans, who are you betting on?
The Romans!
The Greeks
At what point during history?
They wipe each other out.

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30-Egypt History has given us some incredible sculptures. Which one blows you away the most?
The Sphinx
Michaelangelo's David
The Colossus at Rhodes
Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in China

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