When in Ancient Rome... Multiple Choice Quiz | Mixed Nations

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When in ancient Rome, do what literary private informer Marcus Didius Falco does. Or perhaps not, as Falco is often involved in some pretty shady mess in seedy places. Falco is the creation of which British-born author?

Answer: Lindsey Davis

Falco lives in a slum-like apartment and never pays his rent to his overbearing landlord Smaractus. He usually finds himself investigating some rather unpleasant tasks around the Roman Empire. In his first appearance in "The Silver Pigs," Falco tricked his way into slavery as part of his investigation. Lindsey Davis spun of Falco's adopted daughter, Flavia Alba, into her own series in 2013 with "The Ides of April."

2. When in ancient Rome, do as the followers of the gods and goddesses do. If you want to pray in the temple of Capitolium to the three members of the Capitoline Triad, which deity would you NOT worship?

Answer: Ceres

Ceres is a member of the Aventine Triad, along with Liber and Libera, were worshipped on Aventine Hill. There were two different Capitoline Triads who were worshipped at different times. The first, now known as the Archaic Triad, which included Juno, Mars and Quirinus. At some point, Mars and Quirinus were replaced with Juno and Minerva.

3. When in ancient Rome, do what Emperor Vespasian does. Like Vespasian, if you want to become Emperor of Rome, which previous ruler would you have to do away with?

Answer: Vitellius

Vespasian rose to power militarily after successful campaigns in Britain and by quashing a Jewish rebellion in Judea. After Vespasian attacked Judea, the reigning emperor, Nero, committed suicide and Rome found itself in a civil war. When Vitellius became emperor, some regions of Rome objected and declared Vespasian the true emperor. Vespasian defeated Vitellius by gaining the support of Roman generals from around the empire.

This all happened in the year 69 AD, which is known as the Year of Four Emperors.

4. When in ancient Rome, do what the Praetorian guards do. If you were a Praetorian guard assigned to protect the emperor who created the group, who would you be protecting from assassination?

Answer: Augustus (Gaius Octavius)

Most of the Praetorian guards were elite members of the Roman military who were selected based on performance during war. Duties of the guards included not only protecting the emperor, but also patrolling the palace and the streets while keeping an ear out for any treasonous actions or plots.

The Praetorian guards differed in number depending on the emperor and how much danger he believed he was in. Constantine abolished the guards in the 4th century when they endorsed Maxentius as successor to Maximian and fought against Constantine.

5. When in ancient Rome, do what the Roman physicians do. If you were a physician and picked up your spatula, what would you most likely be doing?

Answer: Mixing ointment

A spatula in Roman times was a tool used to mix medicines and lotions, not a cooking utensil. Spatulas generally ranged in size with larger ones being used to apply the medication or make it in large vats. Roman physicians were not as well respected as their Greek counterparts and many doctors were actually Greek or Greek taught. Roman physicians, however, did develop some medical advancements such as a catheter and forceps.

6. When in ancient Rome, do what the cast of the HBO show "Rome" does. If you were playing an unnamed background character talking to Lucius Vorenus, which actor would you have to work with?

Answer: Kevin McKidd

Kevin McKidd played the lead role of Lucius Vorenus, a common Roman officer who nonetheless has great influence of the daily events in Rome. While the show depicts a lot of factually correct information, it also takes dramatic liberties. For instance, Lucius Vorenus was a real person but very little is known about him so the character's story is mostly fictional.

7. When in ancient Rome, do what Russell Crowe does and play Maximus Decimus Meridius in the movie "Gladiator." This best picture winner is directed by which acclaimed director?

Answer: Ridley Scott

"Gladiator" won five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor. The film focuses on Maximus Decimus Meridius, a general who is sold into slavery and becomes a gladiator. Joaquin Phoenix, Djimon Hounsou, Oliver Reed and Connie Nielson also star in the film.

8. When in ancient Rome, do what athletes at Circus Maximus do. Which of the following items would you need in order to partake in the spectacle in Rome's oldest stadium?

Answer: A horse

Circus Maximus was home to the chariot races of ancient Rome. Although the goal of chariot racing was to complete seven laps the fastest, the sport became popular because of the spectacular crashes that would often occur, sometimes injuring or killing both the horses and the charioteer. Notably, Gaius Appuleius Diocles, the most famous Roman charioteer, is the most successful athlete in history in terms of money earned and when counting for inflation, having earned over $15 billion for winning almost 1,500 races.

9. When in ancient Rome, do what the chefs do and cook up some garum. What exactly is the popular food garum?

Answer: Fish sauce

Garum was originally a Greek invention but it was not popular there, as it was in Rome. It was made from salted fish intestines and organs. Historians consider it the ancient equivalent to soy sauce. While garum was made in Rome, imported garum from other regions and part of the empire were more popular, particularly those made in North Africa.

10. When in ancient Rome, do what Caligula planned, and appoint your horse consul. Incitatus, the lucky horse, has a name that means what in Latin?

Answer: Swift

Incitatus is sometimes stated to mean "at full gallop." It is written in "Lives of Twelve Caesars" by Suetonius that Caligula treated Incitatus better than people including feeding him gold flakes and building him a marble stable. Many people saw Caligula's actions a sign of mental instability; however, some historians now see it as a strategic move designed to anger some senators.

Source: Author Joepetz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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