Good Emperor Claudius Trivia Quiz

Answer: Claudius was the brother of Germanicus

The Guard immediately recognized Claudius as the brother of Germanicus. To Romans, family connections carried a great deal of weight. Claudius was concealed in the imperial palace; he had proceeded there alone from the theater where the assassination of Caligula had taken place. There is no record of either a bribe from Herod Agrippa or a letter from Caligula.

Answer: Judea, Samaria, Perea, and Galilee

Claudius granted Herod Agrippa Judea, Samaria, Perea, and Galilee. Caligula had already given Chalcis and Trachonitis to Herod. Syria remained under imperial control, ruled by a governor appointed by the emperor.

Answer: The defection of the City Cohorts

A major deciding factor was the defection of the City Cohorts, a band of a few thousand men, to the Praetorian Camp. Technically, the Cohorts were under the control of the Senate, but their defection left the Senate with no bargaining chips. There is no record of Claudius bribing the Senate, nor did Caligula leave a will naming his successor. Claudius always respected the Jewish way of life and beliefs, but no known delegation appealed to the Senate in this case.

Answer: Narcissus

Narcissus was the most active in exposing Messalina's activities. He assumed a protective posture with Claudius during his entire reign. In fact, Claudius granted him Praetorian powers for one day to deal with Messalina. He acted with a terrible vengeance and all those involved with the plot and farcical wedding either executed or exiled. Callitus befriended Claudius late in Caligula's reign, but took no direct part in dealing with Messalina, nor did Pallas. Philo was a Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria and had no direct connection with Claudius.

Answer: Yes

They were both descended from Octavia, sister of Augustus Caesar. On Messalina's side, she was the daughter of Domitia Lepida, the daughter of Antonia Major, a daughter of Octavia and Mark Antony. Claudius' mother was Antonia Minor, also a daughter of Octavia and Mark Antony.

Answer: He left the theater early, minutes before the assassination

Conjecture has been made along these lines. Was it a coincidence that Claudius departed from the area of the assassination, or had he been warned to leave the area in safety? This will always be a matter of conjecture and theory, and, truthfully, we will never know unless something more comes to light.

There is no evidence of any letter from Callistus to Claudius, nor does Herod Agrippa seem to have known about the plot. Unfortunately, none of Claudius' writings have survived, so we do not know what he wrote in his autobiography.

Answer: Claudius withdrew Roman legions from the region

For the first time in almost one hundred years, Roman legions were withdrawn from Judea. Herod Agrippa was left with his own military force to protect his lands. Claudius made no donation to the Holy Temple, and the appointment of the Jewish high priest was usually the prerogative of the governor of Syria or the prefect of Judea.

After the death of Herod, the Roman legions swiftly returned.

Answer: It revised the roster of Senate membership

What displeased many Senate members was a revision of the Senate roster. Claudius felt that the time had come to take a look at the Senate as it had become somewhat ineffective. The duties of Censor included taking, as the name implies, a census of the population.

Another important duty was the monitoring of Senate membership. Claudius needed no further taxing authority, and a revision of Senate membership would have had no connection with the number of Tribunes. Claudius was liberal about admitting foreigners to Roman citizenship, but no such sweeping proposal was made until the reign of Caracalla.

Answer: The Gardens of Lucullus

Messalina took flight when she realized that her plans were discovered by Claudius. The first place she went to was the Gardens of Lucullus. From there, she attempted to gain asylum in the House of the Vestal Virgins, but they would not admit her. She never left the city and traveled to Capua, nor did she hide in the temple of Jupiter. Narcissus barred her approach to the imperial palace, and he would not permit her to speak with Claudius.

Answer: Seneca

Despite the widespread popularity which Claudius enjoyed, there was always an element that saw him as an object of ridicule because of his stammer, limp, and facial tic. Seneca wrote a piece entitled "The Pumpkinification of the Divine Claudius" was anything but flattering.