The Roman Empire Trivia Quiz

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.

Answer: True

These five ruled the Roman Empire from 28 B.C. to A.D. 68. Tiberius was from the Claudian family by birth but was adopted by Caesar Augustus which put him also into the family of Julius Caesar. Two of these emperors, Tiberius and Claudius, were fairly compotent rulers. Caligula was insane and appointed his favourite horse a consul. Nero has the reputation of being one of the worst rulers of all in history.

Answer: False

Vespasian became emperor after Nero's death in 69 A.D. He was from a poor family that were equestrians and senators. Before he became emperor he was a general in the army stationed in Spain. He was a wise and practical ruler who made many good changes to the empire.

Answer: Titus

During Titus' reign three major disasters happened: the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius; a fire in Rome which burned for three days and destroyed many important buildings, and then one of the worst plagues in history swept through the Roman Empire, killing thousands of people.

Answer: Hadrian

The five good emperors were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. After the death of Marcus Aurelius the Pax Romana ended.

Answer: Trajan

Trajan had been a general before he became the emperor. His son Hadrian felt that the empire was too big, and so when he came into power he pulled the Roman armies back to more defensible boundaries.

Answer: England

Hadrian had many defensive walls built in strategic locations to protect the new borders that he had created. The English one looks like a smaller version of the Great Wall of China.

Answer: the Christians

Nero used this lie as an excuse to persecute and kill many of the Christians in the Roman empire and to prevent an uprising that might have cost him his throne.

Answer: Commodus

Commodus was told by his father, Marcus Aurelius, to defeat the Germanic tribes. But he preferred living in Rome and enjoying being emperor. So he made peace with the tribes which left a dangerous enemy on the Roman frontier that would later defeat the empire.

Answer: True

These Germanic tribe started to pose a grave threat after Marcus Aurelius' rule as emperor. His son Commodus made peace witht he tribes, but it did not last long. In the longer run, the Visigoths sacked Rome in A.D. 410, the Vandals in A.D. 455, and in 476 Ravenna (to which city the capital of the Western Empire had migrated) fell to Odoacer.

By the time the Germanic tribes had conquered the Roman empire had been split into two sections. The tribes defeated the Western Empire, but the Eastern empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire) survived till the 1400s.