Henry's Roman Holiday 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

The seven hills are Aventine Hill, Caelian Hill, Capitoline Hill, Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Quirinal Hill, and Viminal Hill. The many hills around the ancient site of Rome gave the first settlers a major advantage - they could more easily defend their settlements.

But did you know that there are really more than seven hills? Vatican Hill is not considered to be one of the traditional seven, but it is, nevertheless, in Rome. It is believed that the name for Vatican Hill originally came from one of the Etruscan settlements on the hill. For those of you who do not know, the Etruscans are the people who built Rome. Sir William says that Vatican Hill has quite a long history; during the Republic it was an area inhabited by the poor and homeless.

When Nero became emperor his circus was built there. It was also the location of a second temple in Rome that was built to honor the goddess Cybele. In the fourth century a basilica called St. Peter's was built there by Christians because the Vatican Hill was believed to have been the site where St. Peter was buried. Pope Leo IV included Vatican Hill within the Leonine Wall that was built to protect Rome from Arab invaders in the 800s.

Answer: Teverone River

The Aniene River, also called the Teverone, is a tributary of the Tiber River that runs for a little over sixty miles. At the town of Tivoli it forms a beautiful waterfall. As it nears Rome it forms a valley to the east. The ancient people used the river as an important water source, building three aqueducts that carried water into Rome.

Originally the area was settled by the Sabines - the tribe who, according to legend, provided wives for Romulus and his men. Hersilia, the wife of the legendary king, is said to have convinced Romulus to end the Sabine Wars and give the people Roman citizenship. Did you know that most of the rivers in Italy are shallow and easy to cross? That is why the Romans didn't bother too much with making boats or having a navy - at least not until they met up with the Carthaginians!

Answer: Ostia

Ostia, located about fifteen miles southwest of Rome, served as the ancient seaport of the city. According to one of the the legends about the founding of Rome, Ancus Martius, the fourth legendary king, was credited with not only dredging the harbor at Ostia, but also building fortifications between Rome and Ostia to protect trade.

The town was improved by Julius Caesar, as it was necessary to insure that the grain from conquered provinces would be able to be transported to Rome. Later emperors built public buildings in the city and upgraded the harbor, which continually had to be dredged because silt carried by the Tiber River would build up. Ostia eventually had a lighthouse, theater, bathhouse, numerous temples, and public latrines. It fell into decay, however, after Saracen attacks, and the city we saw was essentially in ruins.

Answer: Lazio

The name Lazio is believed to have been derived from the ancient people who lived in the region - the Latins - who were ruled by King Latinus! Before the Latins were overthrown by the Etruscans the area was called Latium, which comes from the Latin word "latus", meaning "wide".

The area is a wide expanse of land that, bordered by the Tiber River to the north, separated Latium from Etruria in ancient times. When Emperor Augustus unified Italia it consisted of eleven regions; Lazio was part of Region I and Region VII. Today (c. 1200) it is part of the area known as the Papal States, land controlled by the Roman Catholic Church, which is why the Earl is here in Rome visiting the pope.

Answer: Tyrrhenian Sea

The Tiber River begins in the Apennine Mountains and travels about 252 miles through Italy before entering the Tyrrhenian Sea. The name of the sea originated with the Tyrrhenian people, a name used by ancient Greek settlers to the area to describe those who lived in western Italy who were not Greek.

Some people believe that these ancient Tyrrhenians were actually the Etruscans who settled in the lands around Rome. According to Greek writers, the Etruscans, led by Tyrrhenus, originally came to the area from the kingdom of Lydia.

The Tyrrhenian Sea is the part of the Mediterranean Sea that touches the western coast of Italy.

Answer: Alps and Apennines

Even though the Alps cover the northern part of Italy, there have been times when invading people - like the Gauls and Carthaginians - were able to find passes and break through. Especially during winter, however, the Romans could be sure that there would be no attack from the north. The Apennines run north and south through the middle of the country and divide it into eastern and western parts. With few navigable rivers or natural harbors, the mountains added extra protection to Rome, and made it very difficult for any ancient people to launch an attack on the city.

We crossed both mountain ranges, following the steps taken by Archbishop Sigeric when he traveled from Canterbury to Rome in the late 900s to be ordained as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Believe me, it was not an easy path.

Answer: Mount Vesuvius

Although the city was founded on seven hills, the area at the base of each provided great farmland. The rich farmland and mild climate attracted many people to ancient Italy over time. Farming was the main occupation when Rome was founded, and continued to be one that was well respected throughout Roman history. Even the wealthy, with vast estates that were worked by slaves, believed that agriculture was the best occupation. They were not, however, just concerned with how large their estate was, but also with the quality of products grown on it. A variety of grains, such as millet and durum wheat, were grown, along with grapes and olives.

Sir William says that there is evidence that Mount Vesuvius erupted more than twenty times during its long history. (This is through the time of Henry's visit). Volcanic ash contains many minerals that enhance the fertility of the soil when the two are mixed together. While we cannot view Mount Vesuvius from Rome - it is about 90 miles away - we took a short trip to Naples and saw the smoking volcano. Some eruptions from the volcano were so large that ash fell on much of southern Europe.

Answer: Travertine

While Augustus' architects had to travel a ways from Rome to find marble for their buildings, travertine was found just a stone's throw away from Rome! It is a type of limestone that is formed by hot water that contains a lot of calcium. When you think about it, all of the geothermal activity and mineral springs around Rome have been forming travertine for years. It became popular with the ancient Romans because it was easy to cut and shape, but it has certainly stood the test of time as far as the Colosseum is concerned, although it is not used today for its original purpose. The arena area is being used as a cemetery; a Christian chapel was built within the structure and has been there for several centuries. It has also been used for housing and workshops. Most recently, the Frangipani family has taken over the site and they are using it as a fortified castle.

Writer's note: Henry obviously saw the Colosseum before the devastating earthquake of 1349!

Answer: Servian Wall

In 400 BC the Gauls crossed the Alps and settled in the northern part of Italy. The Romans had just formed the Latin League (403 BC) in order to create a confederation of cities whose focus was to protect the members of the group, especially Rome. It was extremely difficult for the League to subjugate the Etruscans, and they had just concluded a conflict when the Gauls crossed the mountains and settled in northern Italy.

After the attempts made by Roman diplomats were not effective, the Gauls marched on Rome; the exhausted Roman army was not able to stop their invasion. Ultimately, much of the city of Rome was sacked and burned. According to legends, the Gauls either were eventually defeated by the Roman hero Camillus, or they were paid to leave.

The Servian Wall was then constructed to protect the city, and its beginning is credited to Servius Tullius, who is the sixth legendary king of Rome. The wall, built with huge pieces of volcanic rock, is 33 feet tall in some places, and about 12 feet wide at its base.

It is almost 7 miles long. Even though later Romans built other walls around the city, the Servian Wall did serve its intended purpose in 211 BC when Hannibal brought his army to Rome.

Answer: Via Francigena

With a name that literally means "the road that comes from France", the Via Francigena, which some call the Via Romea due to its destination, is used by pilgrims and Crusaders alike to travel to Rome. No one knows exactly how old it is, but some believe that it was first built by the Lombards who dominated Italy from 568-774. They used the road to tie the various parts of their empire together, but it eventually accommodated Christian pilgrims who wanted to travel to Rome to visit holy sites, such as the tomb of St. Peter. Our group began in Canterbury, crossing the Channel at Dover and landing in Calais. After a very long trip through France and Switzerland, we crossed the mountains into Italy, stopping at shrines, churches, and abbeys along the way. Many people have also used this route for trade.

Why didn't we travel by sea? The Strait of Gibraltar is absolutely invested with pirates! The Earl felt this route was the safest, even though it took us about three months to get to Rome!