Ancient Rome: History, Mythology, and Culture Quiz

Answer: Dido

During his journey, the Trojan hero Aeneas arrives in the city of Carthage in North Africa, where he meets Queen Dido, the ruler of the Phoenician city-state. Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods, hates the Trojans and wants Aeneas to remain in Carthage so he will not fulfill his destiny of founding Rome, which would one day lead to Carthage's destruction. To achieve this, she conspires with Venus to make Aeneas and Dido fall in love.

Dido and Aeneas become lovers, and she urges him to formalize their relationship through marriage. Aeneas, deeply enamored, lingers in Carthage for months, nearly forgetting his divine mission. However, the gods appear to him in a dream and command him to leave Carthage to fulfill his fate of founding a new city for the remnants of the fallen Troy. Torn between love and duty, Aeneas secretly prepares to depart. When Dido discovers his plan, she begs him to stay, but Aeneas, bound by fate, refuses and sails away. Their tragic separation ends with Dido cursing Aeneas' descendants-a mythological justification for the future enmity between Rome and Carthage.

In despair, Dido builds a large funeral pyre on the beach and takes her own life as Aeneas' ship disappears over the horizon. "Remember me, remember me," her character laments in the famous aria from Purcell's 17th-century opera "Dido and Aeneas".

Answer: Wolf

The story of Romulus and Remus goes like this: Numitor, the rightful king of Alba Longa, was overthrown by his younger brother, Amulius. To prevent Numitor's descendants from reclaiming the throne, Amulius forced his niece, Rhea Silvia, to become a Vestal Virgin, ensuring she remained childless. However, she gave birth to twin sons, claiming that Mars, the god of war, was their father. Fearing they would one day challenge him, Amulius imprisoned Rhea Silvia and ordered the infants to be drowned in the Tiber. The servants, unwilling to kill them directly, instead left them in a shallow pool near the riverbank.

A she-wolf discovered the twins and nursed them in her den. The historian Livy later speculated that the tale may have originated from a linguistic confusion, as lupa, meaning "she-wolf," was also slang for "prostitute." Eventually, a shepherd named Faustulus found the boys, and with his wife, Acca Larentia, raised them as his own.

Answer: Palatine Hill

It's a kind of sad story. The two brothers, who grew up together, went to fight Amulius (their grandfather's brother), killed him, and restored their grandfather Numitor to the throne of Alba Longa. After some time, the twins founded a city on the site where Rome would later stand, but their quarrel over the city's location had devastating consequences. The brothers could not agree on which of the hills the first settlement should be on. Romulus chose the Palatine Hill, where emperors would later build their palaces (hence the word "palace" in English); Remus chose the Aventine Hill. To resolve the dispute, birds were consulted, but the matter remained unsettled.

Romulus surrounded the city with a wall, and Remus, in an act of defiance, jumped over the wall in a showy manner. According to Livy's version, Romulus killed his brother in retaliation and became the first king of the city that took his name. Thus, the city of Rome was named after Romulus. While killing his brother, Romulus shouted, "Thus to anyone else who ever crossed my walls!" (from the website: imperiumromanum).

Answer: A social class of wealthy non-senatorial Romans, originally cavalrymen

Toward the end of the 2nd century BC, a new economic stratum emerged among the plebeians known as the equites or "horsemen." Equites were originally military men who could afford a horse. Membership in this class was primarily determined by financial criteria-specifically, ownership of a certain amount of property-though tribal and family origins also played a role.

The equites were often culturally, socially, and even by blood ties, closely connected to the senatorial class.

Answer: Strengthening the Senate and weakening the Plebeians (commoners)

Sulla (Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix) was a Roman general who played a major role in the late Roman Republic. He became dictator and made changes to how Rome was governed. Sulla's reforms, which took place during his time as dictator from 82 to 79 BC, were mostly focused on reducing the power of the tribunes of the plebs. One of the major changes he made was increasing the number of senators from 300 to 600, which made the Senate more powerful and weakened the influence of the common people.

He also ended the distribution of subsidized grain to the poor and enacted several laws to regulate the roles of government officials, further consolidating the Senate's control over Roman politics.

Answer: Battle of Actium

The battle took place against the backdrop of a struggle for control of Rome between Gaius Octavius (later known as Augustus) and Mark Antony, who was allied with Cleopatra VII of Egypt. At the beginning of 31 BCE, it appeared that Antony had the upper hand, as he commanded greater military forces and had access to more financial resources. However, in September of that year, Antony and Cleopatra suffered a devastating naval defeat near Actium, in northwestern Greece, from which they never recovered.

It is somewhat surprising how modest and unimpressive this fateful battle was, despite its significance in marking the final collapse of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Principate. Octavian owed his decisive and relatively easy victory to his trusted general and close friend, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who successfully cut off Antony's supply lines. In addition, a substantial number of Antony's soldiers defected to Octavian's side, revealing critical intelligence about his strategies.

As it became clear that Octavian's forces were on the verge of triumph, Antony and Cleopatra fled the battlefield with a small number of ships, abandoning the rest of their forces, who, as expected, did not continue fighting in their absence.

The conflict reached its tragic conclusion in Alexandria, in 30 BCE. Believing Cleopatra had already taken her own life, Antony fell on his sword, only to linger long enough to discover that she was still alive. About a week later, Cleopatra died by suicide, reportedly using an asp smuggled into her chamber in a basket of fruit. According to the traditional account, her motive was to avoid being paraded as a captive in Octavian's triumphal procession through Rome.

The Battle of Actium secured Octavian's path to power. With Antony and Cleopatra defeated, he had no real rivals left. In 29 BCE, he celebrated his victory in Rome, presenting himself as the restorer of order. By 27 BCE, he took the title Augustus, marking the end of the Republic and the start of the Roman Empire.

About the other options: The Battle of Pharsalus was fought in 48 BCE when Julius Caesar defeated Pompey. It is not related to Augustus. The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BCE between Athens and Persia. It happened long before Augustus' time. Toblerone is just a Swiss chocolate brand-though some might say it's worth fighting for.

Answer: Sewerage system

The Cloaca Maxima was the most famous sewer system of ancient Rome. The construction of the sewer is traditionally attributed to the initiative of the last kings of Rome. In some places, it reached a height of 4.2 meters and a width of 3.2 meters. It is said that Agrippa, Augustus' close friend and right-hand man, once sailed through it in a boat on an underground tour.

However, the construction of the sewer also had a dark side. According to Pliny the Elder (Natural History, Book 36), the labor was so grueling that many workers sought escape through suicide. In response, King Tarquinius Priscus ordered that the bodies of those who took their own lives be crucified and left for public display, both as a warning to others and as carrion for wild animals.

Answer: Vesta

In the home, Vesta was responsible for the central hearth fire, making her of particular importance to women, as the hearth was the place where food was prepared, cooked, and eaten. Prayers were offered in her honor daily, and a symbolic offering of food was thrown into the hearth fire as a tribute to the goddess.

Vesta had special priestesses, the Vestal Virgins, chosen young (between six and ten) from aristocratic families. They lived near Vesta's temple, guarding Rome's eternal fire. Their 30-year priesthood required celibacy and prohibited marriage. If the fire went out, it signaled a lost virginity and Rome's danger, with the punishment being burial alive.

About the other options: Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts, equivalent to the Greek goddess Athena. Diana is the Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature, equivalent to the Greek goddess Artemis. Sophia Loren was born in Rome, and although many consider her a goddess, this is more figurative, used to express admiration for her beauty and talent.

Answer: Janus

Janus was an ancient and important Roman god associated with beginnings, transitions, and duality. He guarded city gates and doorways and was therefore depicted in art as having two faces, looking in opposite directions. At every entrance and exit of a city, ceremonies were held in which the Romans prayed to Janus to protect those departing and arriving. The Romans also named the first month of the year, January, after him.

Example from arts: Roman coins from the Republic, such as the "Bifrons Janus" (c. 225 BCE-217 BCE), often depicted Janus with two faces, symbolizing the past and future. Similarly, relief sculptures of Janus (1st century BCE) portrayed him as a bearded elder with two faces, commonly featured on altars and coins. These artistic representations emphasized Janus' role as the god of transitions, overseeing beginnings and endings.

Answer: Bird divination

The augurs were members of the Collegium Augurum, a prestigious Roman priestly college. The term augury originates from the Latin word augurium, which means "divination" or "the practice of interpreting omens." This practice was especially associated with interpreting the will of the gods by observing the behavior of birds.

Bird divination was augurs' primary method of interpreting the will of the gods. They analyzed the species, number, flight patterns, and calls of birds to determine divine approval or disfavor for political and military decisions.