The Kings of Rome Trivia Quiz

Answer: Numa Pompilius

Numa Pompeius (753 to 672 BCE) was the be the second of Rome's kings. He was traditionally said to have been born the year that Romulus and Remus founded the city of Rome. Numa was described as a person of great discipline who avoided luxury.

The Vestal Virgins were a group of priestesses dedicated to the service of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth. They tended Rome's sacred hearth. It was considered extremely unlucky for the hearth to go out. The Vestal who did so would be scourged for her neglect. The Vestal Virgins were chosen as children and served a term of 30 years. They took a vow of chastity during their service and would be executed if found to have violated their vow. The Vestals were highly respected by the people at large.

During his reign, Numa had a Temple of Vesta built and appointed the first pair of Vestal Virgins. Eventually the group of Vestals would grow to six. The order existed in Rome until the late fourth century CE.

Answer: Lucius Tarquinius Priscus

Lucius Tarquinius Priscus was said to have ruled Rome from 610 to 578 BCE. He was thought to have been the first of the kings of Rome who were of the nearby Etruscan people.

The size of Senate membership changed over the years. The Senate as originally established by Romulus in the eight century BCE numbered 100. By the time Rome reached its fifth king another 100 had joined its membership rolls. Lucius Tarquinius Priscus added 100 more to its number. The Senate of the kingdom could only be called into session by the king.

Answer: Tullus Hostilius

Tullus Hostilius was said to have been King of Rome from 672 to 640 BCE. He was said to have been a very warlike king.

Alba Longa was an settlement that had been founded by the son Aeneas (a legendary founder of the Roman people). The leader of Alba Longa had betrayed the Romans in the seventh century BCE by deserting their supposed ally in time of battle. Interestingly, a set of triplets from each city fought the battle to the death rather than having the full armies engage. A single Roman survived the battle to claim victory for Rome.

This battle helps to point out that in its early days Rome was small in terms of size and population. Alba Longa was located only about a dozen miles from Rome. During this time Rome was more of a city-state than an empire or even nation.

Answer: Servius Tullius

The traditional dates for the reign of Servius Tullius were 578 to 535 BCE.

By calling for the first census, Servius Tullius has been described as Rome's first censor. (The Roman censor dealt with population and certain financial issues for the government as well as influencing public morality.) The census registered information about the Roman citizens including social rank and property. This helped to determine a citizen's tax obligations and requirement to serve in the military.

Answer: Ancus Marcius

Ancus Marcius was traditionally described as reigning over Rome from 650 to 610 BCE.

The traditional date for the building of the Pons Sublicius was 642 BCE. The bridge was constructed of wood and supplemented a ferry that already existed at that location, near the Roman cattle forum. The story of Horatius at the bridge takes place at this location. This bridge would last for several centuries.

Answer: Ancus Marcius

Ancus Marcius was described as both a king for war (like Romulus) and a king for peace (like Numa Pompilius).

The city of Roman actually was and is an inland city--it does not have a coastline. The establishment of Ostia is actually an important fact. Rome now had an outlet to the outside world. Goods and people that came to Rome from overseas actually went to Ostia and then traveled up the Tiber River to Rome. Salt works were also built near Ostia.

Answer: Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was said to have ruled from 534 to 509 BCE, when he was overthrown. He attempted to retake the throne multiple times before his death in 495 BCE.

As the story goes, the Cumaean Sibyl came to Tarquin with nine books of prophecy and offered to sell them to the king for a high price. When he refused, the Sibyl burned three of the books and offered the remaining six for the same price. When the king refused a second time, the Sibyl burned three more of the books. Tarquin's advisors were able to convince him to finally buy the remaining books for the original price. The books were later kept under tight control by the Senate and periodically consulted in times of great need. Only small excerpts of the original text are still known today.

Answer: Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

The sixth king, Servius Tullius, had married his two daughters to Lucius Tarquinius Superbus and his mild-mannered brother, Arruns. Tarquin came to feel contempt for his wife and Arruns' wife came to feel contempt for him. The two dissatisfied spouses ended up having their spouses killed and married each other.

Tarquin, as part of his efforts to steal Rome's throne, physically threw or pushed Servius Tullius from the steps of the Curia Hostilia (Senate House) to the street where hired assassins soon dispatched him. What a start to the reign!

Answer: Numa Pompilius

Numa Pompilius was described as an effective king for times of peace as compared to Romulus who was described as an effective king for times of war.

The original Roman calendar began in March and had ten months of 30 or 31 days each. Winter was an unorganized group of days at the end. This calendar could quickly become inaccurate compared to the flow of the season. Numa was said to have added two additional months: January and February as well as other changes to bring the calendar year closer in line with the solar year.

It is unclear if Numa should actually be credited with this accomplishment since very few Roman written records survived the sack of Rome in 390 BCE by the Gauls.

Answer: Lucius Tarquinius Priscus

The reign--and life--of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus came to an end when he assassinated by men following the plans of the sons of Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome. The sons felt that one of them should have been the fifth king.

The Circus Maximus was specifically designed for chariot racing although other athletic competitions could and did occur there. The track was laid out over an area of over 2,000 feet long and nearly 400 feet wide. Seating capacity at the location eventually exceeded 150,000 people and many patricians and important people erected their own seating at the location.

Answer: Servius Tullius

Servius Tullius is thought to have been the child of a former noblewoman who was a slave owned by the wife of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus.

During the reign of Servius Tullius, the boundaries of the city of Rome were expanded and enclosed by a wall. The territory of the city itself was divided into four administrative zones: Suburana, Esquilana, Collina and Palatina. This reform lasted until the reign of Augustus who redivided the city into 14 zones.

Answer: Tullus Hostilius

Some modern historians feel that the traditional reigns assigned to the seven kings (almost all ruling over 30 years) are too long and Tullus Hostilius may have have actually a bit later than traditionally thought (as did the other kings).

I suppose telling you that the Senate met in a building known as the Curia Hostilia would have been a bit of a clue. The Senate actually dated from the reign of Romulus and was made up of members of the patrician (noble) class. The remains of the Senate House date from the late seventh century BCE. Compared to the period of the Republic, the Senate served more as an advisory board to the kings of Rome.

Answer: Servius Tullius

Ancient sources sometimes described Servius Tullius as a second founder of Rome (after Romulus).

Ancient historians believed that Rome issued its first coins (in bronze and silver) during the reign of Servius Tullius. Before that, precious metals would have been used in raw bullion form on the rare occasions they would have circulated in the ancient kingdom. (Rome's economy would have been mostly barter-based at this time.) It is thought now that true coinage appeared in Rome at a later date, though the royal government may have placed an official stamp in the precious metal.

Answer: Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

The leadership position of consul can be seen as a reaction to the rule of Tarquin. The Senate was afraid to again give a ruler as much power as the kings had had. Under the Republic, two consuls alternated as the leader in control. In addition, the consuls were only elected for one year terms.

The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Jupiter, the greatest and best) was the most important temple in ancient Rome. It was traditionally thought to have been complete near the time of the overthrow of Tarquin. The building would stand for over four centuries before being destroyed by fire. It was eventually replaced by another temple. The building may have covered an area of as much as 200 by 200 feet.

Answer: Lucius Tarquinius Priscus

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the descendant of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus.

The Cloaca Maxima was the heart of Rome's sewer system. Its building helped to eliminate some of the swampy lowlands around the city. The arch of the Cloaca Maxima was erected in 578 BCE. A sewer system that took away human and other waste was one of the innovations that allowed the city of Rome to reach a population of around one million during the Principate.