Ancient empires quiz: Can you match these lands to the historical powers that ruled them?

Ancient empires quiz: Can you match these lands to the historical powers that ruled them? From the Andes to the steppes of Central Asia, great empires have waxed and waned. Can you match each territory to the culture that once ruled it? Empires have shaped human history, often growing from a single city or cultural group into territories spanning continents. Some empires rose through conquest, and others grew through trade or shrewd alliances. Their borders, captured in maps described by historians or revealed by long-forgotten burials and artifacts, show just how far their influences once reached. Whether you’re a casual history fan or a devoted scholar of the ancient to modern world, this quiz offers a chance to test your knowledge of bygone empires and the lands they once ruled. Remember to log in to put your name on the leaderboard; hints are available if you click the yellow button! More science quizzes —Ancient Egypt quiz: Test your smarts about pyramids, hieroglyphs and King Tut —Roman emperor quiz: Test your knowledge of the rulers of the ancient empire —First Americans quiz: How much do you know about the first people to reach the Americas? Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. Olivia Maule is a science journalist whose beats include space, biotechnology and the environment. She holds a B.A. in biology and a B.S. in anthropology from the University of Florida and completed a master's degree in science communication at U.C. Santa Cruz. A 2025 AAAS Mass Media Fellow, she wrote stories and produced videos during a summer at El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico's largest newspaper, and has written for Eos, Mongabay, Science magazine and Stanford Report. Olivia is a native Spanish and English speaker. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.