Ancient Near Eastern Empires Quiz

Guess the following large Ancient Near Eastern states based on the provided descriptions. Main Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ancient_great_powers#Ancient_Africa_and_Western_Asia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabataean_Kingdom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmyrene_Empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine-Sasanian_War_of_602-628

The Ancient Near East refers to the same general area as the modern term "Middle East".

For the purposes of this quiz, "ancient" refers to events and empires before the Islamic Conquest, which began after the death of Muhammad in 632 C.E.

Though some of these empires originated outside the Near East, they conquered or heavily interacted with these regions.

The historicity of one of the empires (Question 11) is debated among modern scholarship, with some suggesting it was a Greek invention.

Quiz by

Rate:

Last updated: October 2, 2025

You have not attempted this quiz yet.

More quiz info >>

First submitted	October 2, 2025
Times taken	48
Average score	52.6%
Report this quiz	Report

Quiz and answer stats >>

Friends stats >>

5:00

Enter Empire Here

/ 19 guessed

The quiz is paused. You have remaining.

Copied!

Scoring

You scored / = %

This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%

The average score is

Your high score is

Your fastest time is

more stats >>

friends stats >>

Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...

Hint

Answer

Widely regarded as the world's first major empire, this state in central Mesopotamia began its conquest of the rest of the region under Sargon.

Akkadian Empire

This empire is famous for the law code devised by its most famous ruler, Hammurabi. Another empire would eventually come from the same city about a millennium later.

Old Babylonian Empire

This Hurrian state dominated northern Mesopotamia during the transition from the Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age, eventually being conquered by the surrounding empires, including the one mentioned below.

Kingdom of Mitanni

This Anatolian empire of Indo-European people was centered on the city of Hattusa and was a pioneer in ironworking. They are mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the groups inhabiting the land of Canaan.

Hittite Empire

This period of history for this civilization began when Ahmose I drove the Hyksos out of the Goshen region. Notable rulers from this period include Thutmose III, Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, and Ramesses II. This empire rivaled the above kingdom.

New Kingdom Egypt

The above nation was conquered by this empire until this nation's defeat by the empire below. This kingdom centered on the cities of Meroë and Napata in the modern-day country of Sudan.

Kingdom of Kush

This empire was known for its brutal conquests under rulers like Tiglath-Pileser III and Sennacherib. They are famous for their conquest of the Northern Israelite Kingdom and their failure to conquer their rebellious vassal King Hezekiah of Judah.

Neo-Assyrian Empire

This Iron Age Hurrian state, a predecessor to Armenia, was a powerful northern rival of the above empire. Its namesake mountain range mostly in modern-day Turkey is the purported landing site for the arks of several Near Eastern flood myths.

Kingdom of Urartu

Another Anatolian state that dominated western Asia Minor during the Iron Age. This state was eventually conquered by a certain Cyrus.

Kingdom of Lydia

A revival of an older empire that had formerly dominated Mesopotamia, under a new Chaldean dynasty, starting with Nabopolassar. This dynasty's ruler, Nebuchadnezzar II, is known for the seventy-year exile of the ancient Judahites.

Neo-Babylonian Empire

This empire, starting in the Zagros mountains region, was the first extensive Iranian state. Under Cyaxares, this entity collaborated with the above to attack Nineveh and destroy the time's most powerful empire, and laid the groundwork for the expansion of the empire below.

Median Empire

Under Cyrus the Great, this relatively small Elamite state, initially centered at Anshan, took over the Median Empire from within and conquered Babylon. Cyrus' successors created the largest empire the world had ever seen, reaching its height under Xerxes I.

Achaemenid Empire

Though not originating in the Near East, this empire was founded by a young ruler's aspirations to conquer the largest empire of the day. This empire fractured into four main parts in the Wars of the Diadochi.

Macedonian Empire

One of the successor states to the above empire, this state was centered around Mesopotamia and Syria, being driven out of Iran by the Parthians and out of Judea by the Maccabean Revolt.

Seleucid Empire

Under Tigranes the Great, this country expanded as far south as Judea before being defeated by the Roman Empire. This kingdom later became the first state to accept Christianity as its state religion.

Kingdom of Armenia

This North Arabian kingdom focused in the Sinai, Negev, and modern-day Jordan is known for building the city of Petra, with massive monuments carved into the cliffsides. The Kingdom was absorbed by the Romans in the second century C.E.

Nabataean Kingdom

This short-lived empire broke away from Rome during the Crisis of the Third Century under Queen Zenobia, who conquered Egypt and the Levant before being defeated by Rome.

Palmyrene Empire

This empire succeeded the Parthian Arsacid Dynasty as the rulers of Iran, and was the last great Iranian state before the Islamic Conquest. Under Khosrow II, this nation reached its greatest territorial extent before being defeated by the empire below, after which it was left vulnerable to the Islamic Conquest.

Sasanian Empire

This nation centered on Constantinople, a continuation of the Roman Empire, was famous for the Hagia Sophia, its monopoly on the European silk trade, and its survivability. This empire lasted until 1453 C.E.

Byzantine Empire

Save Your Stats

Your Next Quiz