Roman History Trivia

1. Marcus Tullius Cicero became a legend in Rome's law courts after his successful prosecution of a corrupt former governor of Sicily. Who was this governor?

From Quiz Twilight Days of the Republic

Answer: Gaius Verres

Gaius Verres was said to have been immensely corrupt - even by Roman standards. Accused of everything from stealing statues from temples to taking bribes from pirates to executing Roman citizens without due process, he still felt confident in being acquitted due to massive bribery of jury members. Cicero, however, defied protocols and delivered several scathing speeches shaming both Verres and the senators he had bribed. In the end, he was convicted and slipped into exile. Not much is known of him after that. He likely perished during the proscriptions under the Second Triumvirate.

From Quiz The Brothers Gracchi

Answer: Cornelius Scipio Africanus

Roman aristocrats married for political connections and influence, and when the 45 year old father of Tiberius and Caius married the 18 year old Cornelia, he made an extremely important alliance with one of Rome's leading families. Cornelia herself was said to be a model for how all Roman womanhood should conduct itself in life.

From Quiz Roman History

Answer: Augustus

Augustus was also the first emperor of Rome, and was so great that the month "August" is named after him. He was also the great-nephew of Caesar and ruled from 27 BC to 14 AD.

From Quiz For Romans, It Was the Best of Times

Answer: Nerva

Augustus was the first emperor; his rule lasted from 27 BC to 14 AD. Following the death of Augustus, the Empire was often in chaos until the reign of Nerva (96-98) ushered in the period of the "Five Good Emperors." Nerva's reign was the shortest of the five; he is believed to have been in poor health when he came to power, and died of a stroke soon after.

From Quiz Roman Empire: By the Numbers

Answer: 27 BC

The Roman Empire was born in 27 BC, when Octavian was proclaimed the sole ruler of Rome ("principes" = "first [leading] man"), and entitled "Augustus".

From Quiz Roman Republic: By the Numbers

Answer: 509 BC

The last Roman king was Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. He reigned until the famous uprising, led by Junius Brutus and Collatinus, which ended with his being deposed and the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 BC.

From Quiz I Heard it in My History Class

Answer: Good question, Tommy! It means 'I came, I saw, I conquered'

Julius Caesar did say these famous words, which come from the verbs venio, video and vinco in Latin. Caesar said them, commenting on his brief campaign in Zela (Zile in modern day Turkey) against Pharnaces II, Ruler of Pontus. These words have been quoted and used in literature, films and video games, so have a significance in the 21st century.

From Quiz Roman history from Faithful and True!

Answer: The temple of Augustus

The name Monumentum Ancyranum refers to the temple of Augustus. Augustus was the emperor who sent out the call for the census that which caused Jesus' earthly parents to go to Bethlehem and Jesus to be born there, so fulfilling Micah's prophecy. The deeds of Augustus are preserved on the walls of this temple. Question by Donna39

From Quiz Ancient Rome Mix

Answer: Caligula

Caligula only ruled as emperor for four years before he was assassinated. He started out as a popular emperor, and it is speculated that an illness he suffered caused brain damage and led to the increasingly bizarre behavior that ended with his assassination. Julius Caesar was never actually an Emperor. After Caesar was murdered, his heir Octavian became the first Emperor. Nero was also known for his decadence, but he ruled after 41 AD. Tiberius was the second emperor of Rome and ruled immediately before Caligula.

From Quiz Cicero, Orator and Statesman of Rome

Answer: Arpinum

Cicero was born in Arpinum about sixty miles south of Rome in 106 BC. He came from a well-to-do equestrian family.

From Quiz Mark Antony, Power Broker of Rome

Answer: Consul

Antony was occupying the consulship with Caesar. The office always had two "colleagues" who held the office jointly. Since Caesar was considered a tyrant by some, the legality of his decrees and his will were in question with his death.

From Quiz The Founding of Rome: The True Story

Answer: Etruscans

Little is known about the ancient Etruscans. Some believe they were present in Italy in prehistoric times; there is historic evidence that they were present in modern day Tuscany by 700 B.C. Through trade they had contact with people all over the Mediterranean region, but the contacts which had the most impact on their history were the Greeks and Phoenicians.

From Quiz The Roman Era

Answer: 753 B.C.E.

This is the accepted year for the founding of Rome. The source for this year Marcus Terentius Varro, who proposed this year as the year of foundation, and it was accepted by the Romans themselves. However, it cannot be proved.

From Quiz Men Who Defied Rome (I of IV)

Answer: Cannae

This bloodbath has earned Hannibal the respect of many later historical figures, such as Napoleon and Frederick the Great. In WWII, a German general informed his superior he would inflict 'a Cannae' on the Russians. I could go on like this for hours ... Another trivia point: Cannae was the bloodiest battle fought on Western European soil until 1916.

From Quiz The Founding of Rome

Answer: Discordia

Discordia, as her name implies, was the Roman Goddess of Discord and Strife, especially where military conquests were concerned. Some scholars believe that her Greek counterpart was the Goddess Eris.

From Quiz The Rotten Romans

Answer: The legions, the auxilia, and the navy

Auxilia were soldiers hired from other nations to fight for the Roman Empire while legions consisted of Roman citizens.

From Quiz Those Darn Etruscans ...

Answer: Tuscany

The Etruscans were the first major civilization in this area, preceded by the Alpennini (1350-1150 BC) and Villanovan (1170-700 BC) cultures.

From Quiz Remnants of the Roman Empire

Answer: Vespasian

Vespasian reigned between 69 and 79 AD. He helped rebuild Rome after the civil war, adding many sights such as the Temple of Peace and the theatre of Marcellus as well as beginning the construction of the Colosseum.

From Quiz The Second Triumvirate!

Answer: Octavian, Lepidus and Marc Antony

Octavian, Lepidus and Marc Antony formed The Second Triumvirate after Caesar's death. One of their many achievements was defeating most of Caesar's assassins.

From Quiz The Roman Empire

Answer: 30 B.C. to A. D. 180

The Roman peace lasted from when Caesar Augustus (the name taken by Octavian after he became the emperor) began the title of emperor in 27 B.C. to when Marcus Aurelius died in A.D. 180. This peace that ruled the Roman Empire had been brought about by tyranny, bloodshed, and slavery.

From Quiz Ancient Roman History I

Answer: 300

300 was the number of the Senate before being changed by Sulla (to 600) and by Caesar (to 900).

From Quiz The Romans

Answer: 753 BC

Rome, according to legend, was founded by Romulus. When they had been reared by a wolf Romulus slew Remus after he jumped over the walls he was building around his new city.

From Quiz Roman Republic

Answer: Two consuls

After Tarquinius Superbus was expelled the Romans decided to have two consuls in charge.

From Quiz The Roman Kingdom (in Legend)

Answer: Romulus

Romulus and Remus, twins, had a fight over which brother had the support of the local gods to rule the city and give it its name. In the end Remus was slain and Romulus became be the first king of the Roman Kingdom.

From Quiz Cicero- The Life of the Best Roman Orator

Answer: Tullius

His family name was Tullii, hence the name Tullius. As for the other choices: Almost all Roman men had three names, the praenomen, the nomen gentile, and the cognomen. Tiro was Cicero's slave who developed a system of shorthand and was eventually manumitted, and Milo was a man that Cicero defended with the Pro Milone.

From Quiz Marius and Sulla

Answer: The Julii Caesares

He married Gaius Julius Caesar's daughter Julia (who would become aunt to the famous Gaius Julius Caesar).

From Quiz Ancient Rome II

Answer: He was playing his lyre and singing as Rome burned

In A.D. 64, during his reign, the city of Rome was destroyed by a massive fire. The saying above refers to the popular legend that the infamous, mad emperor played his lyre and sang while he watched Rome burn.

From Quiz Ancient Rome I

Answer: 753 BC

This is only the traditional, mythological date of the founding of Rome. Romulus, too, is a mythical person. The story went that he and his brother Remus (who were sons of the war god Mars) had been raised by a wolf, and Romulus eventually killed his own brother, and then settled into Rome. In truth, at this time, Rome was a swamp, and the people began to drain it about a century later.

From Quiz Pliny the Younger

Answer: Como, Italy

Pliny was born in 63 AD, in Como, which is in the northern part of Italy.

From Quiz Roman History - General

Answer: The legend of Remus and Romulus

Remus and Romulus were the two twins who founded Rome in 753 BC according to a legend. They were sons of a Latin princess.

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