text: [Themes: edutainment, historical]
  
  You can feel your heart beating in your throat when you see the Spanish commander on horse ordering some of his native allies to check out to see if you are there. Yes, they've seen you! And by now, the entire army of conquistadores has halted. Three natives - Aztec people or Inca people - are running up the slope towards you accompanied by some barking, mad-looking dogs...no way you'll be able to outrun them, it's their own territory!
  
  I'm sorry for the inconvenience participant, but I believe I've fixed the problem. We can continue. Seems I'm just on time because you are about to be taken prisoner by Cortes' indian allies: three Totonac scouts. Yes, you've arrived in Puebla, Mexico, in the late summer of 1519. You have approached the army of Hernan Cortés on his way towards Tenochtitlan. It was my intention to send you to the Minoan civilization in 1519 B.C. but something went wrong, as you can see...
  
  So now, answer me this question: which of the following civilizations is the oldest civilization of mesoamerica?
  
  > The Olmecs
  That is completely right. The Olmec civilization was the oldest civilization of Mesoamerica. Although the Olmec people had inhabited the lowlands of south central Mexico since 2000 B.C., their civilization emerged around the Mexican coast in Veracruz and Tabasco at around 1500 B.C. They laid the foundation for the many Mesoamerican civilizations that would follow theirs in later centuries, such as ritual bloodletting and the ballgame. They also left behind a specific cultural legacy: their striking naturalistic artwork and their colossal heads statues. Scholars are not sure what exactly caused the decline of the Olmec civilization around 400 B.C. what is certain is that there was a serious drop in population about 100 years prior to the abandonment of their cities.
  
  Well, your next destination has already been entered. I must say, as the end of the contest is approaching, your knowledge of ancient history really impresses me! Let's move on...as Cortes' mean barking dogs are almost upon you.
  
  > Off to your next destination...
  It's the middle of the night and you find yourself on the square of what seems to be a fairly large city. There is much activity around you at this early hour. Coming your direction is a group of people seemingly running for their lives. You quickly move aside to let them pass. They scream and shout in panic, an elderly woman in a silk dress even grabs you by your shirt, desperate, pleading and tears in her eyes. It seems she wants you to help her, but you don't understand what she wants. It doesn't take long for you to find out what they are running from: behind them carrying torches are scruffy men, wearing knee-length leather tunics caught in at the waist by belts. Some wear plated tunics, others just made of linen. Among these fierce warriors you can also distinguish men dressed in chainmail and helmets. Once on the square you see the people disperse to the surrounding streets. The woman grasping your shirt is soon knocked down by what seems to be a slave and after having pushed you away brutally with a curse is dragged away violently. You see the scruffy men barge into houses and others coming out again with all kinds of valuables in their arms. Those that don't find any loot set the building on fire in frustration. Vandals in the distance crawl upon the statue of a 25 foot Roman Emperor and tie a rope around its neck before pulling it down. It crashes to the ground and breaks into a number of pieces to the cheers of the intoxicated thugs.
  
  You probably have already guessed where you are dear contestant: you are in Rome in 410 A.D. As you can see it is being pillaged, ransacked and destroyed. If I were you, I would get out of here as soon as possible...it's pure chaos around you - lawlessness reigns. You can either run for your life - as most of the Roman inhabitants - or answer me the following question: Rome was sacked a few times during its long history as capital of the Roman Republic, Roman Empire and even after...but which people NEVER sacked Rome ?
  
  Before you answer though, grab that silk tunic off the ground that the Roman woman left behind at your feet when she was dragged away by her former slave. Your shirt is dirty, torn and looks like that of a beggar. This over-tunic will hide the rags you are wearing and keep you warm at the same time ;-)
  
  > The Visigoths
  In fact, Rome is currently being sacked by the Visigoths under the leadership of King Alaric I and you are right in the middle of it! So you have answered incorrectly. Alaric had besieged Rome twice before, in 408 and in 409, and in August 410 he finally managed to get inside thanks to the help of slaves who had opened the Salarian Gate from the inside allowing the Visigoths to pour in. The barbarians looted the city for three days and many of the city's great building were ransacked and destroyed. Although Rome was not the capital of the Western Roman Empire anymore - it had moved to Ravenna by this time - it still retained its important position as "the eternal city" and the spiritual center of the Empire and therefore the news of its fall chocked the friends and foes of the Empire alike. Although the accounts of the barbarian sack is seen as an act of barbarism, historians tend to forget that the Romans largely brought it on by themselves. Alaric, who for more than 10 years had been an ally of Rome, had not been given the promotion and lands he had been promised by the Romans in the past.
  
  I'm unsure what fate has in store for you, but remaining in the city would not be the best option with all those intoxicated and wild 'barbarians' running around. I would suggest you get out as soon as possible. Although Alaric has ordered his men to spare the lives of the unresisting citizens and to respect the Christian churches as holy and inviolable sanctuaries, there are thousands of warriors fighting in his ranks, especially the Huns, who are strangers the the Christian religion. And of course there are always some that just like to kill and destroy just for the sake of it...