Hardest Let the Punishment fit the Games! Trivia Quiz | History

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The "see-saw" has been a very popular children's toy in recent centuries that consists of a board children jump on to take turns lifting each other up. However, what did the Roman's use this for in their arena games?

Answer: They tied prisoners to each end and made them jump while wild beasts attacked them below.

Prisoners would be tied to the see saw ends and once they got in the rhythm, wild animals such as lions and leopards would be set upon them. The prisoners would have to jump harder because the longer the stayed on the ground the faster they would be eaten by the beasts. Eventually though, animals such as lions would rip them off the board and consume them, to the crowd's delight.

2. Although men usually were the victims of the more violent war games and executions, women were punished in arena games as well. Which animal was often trained as an entertainment act to mock and abuse women prisoners?

Answer: chimpanzee

Chimpanzees were often trained to mock and abuse women in the arena. Some of these primates could be very violent. However in most cases they were used to give the Roman audience a laugh. When the chimpanzee was finished entertaining the crowd, women were usually executed either by the sword or by other animals.

3. In the arena games, women were sometimes tied to animals until they were dragged to death. Which one of these animals was typically the most violent at battering its victims to pieces?

Answer: a wild bull

Wild bulls would often charge with the victims tied to their backs, similar to rodeos in recent times. The victim would be trampled or beaten to death by the bull charging into walls or bucking. Victims were occasionally tied to donkeys, horses, and elephants, but usually these animals were to hold the victim in place while greater tortures were performed such as the public rapes and executions.

4. Romans enjoyed a touch of the exotic and tried to use foreign animals in their games. Which large African bird was used to attack prisoners in the arena?

Answer: ostriches

Ostriches may not seem like a threat, but their weight and size could cause powerful damage when they attacked. They were used in chariot races and in fights because of their strength. In some games, the arena would be set up with trees and obstacles.

The prisoner had to hunt the bird and in the end ostriches would attack them. In other scenarios, Romans used this a spectator game in which spectators would volunteer to hunt in the arena obstacle course. If they won they would get to keep the ostrich as a prize for killing it.

5. One of the Roman techniques for executing criminals was to wrap them in animal skins or hide and throw them to beasts. Before this became an arena attraction, which animals were used to kill these victims in other public places?

Answer: dogs

Before this was an arena practice, Romans wrapped criminals in raw skins or hides of animals and fed them to the dogs. When Romans began to use this method of execution in their arena games they used 'big cats' such as lions, panthers, and leopards.

6. Crucifixion wase one of the worst methods executions in Roman history and was sometimes used as entertainment in the games. How did Romans try to make the crucifixions more exciting for the crowds?

Answer: They set the crosses on fire.

Crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminals, traitors, rebels and Christians. Nero, the Roman Emperor well known for his persecution of Christians, would crucify a line of Christians around the arena ring and set them on fire. The fires from the crosses would intensify the games by shedding light on the arena battles and bloodshed.

7. Romans commonly crucified their own countrymen.

Answer: False

Crucifixion was reserved for foreigners, slaves, or other subjects of the Roman empire. The most common use of crucifixion was for rebels to discourage rebellions. Romans believed their citizens should die an honorable death. Since crucifixion was considered to be the most dishonorable death, most Romans (depending on the crime) would be beheaded as the death sentence.

8. Gladiators competed in a fight to the death. They would fight until their opponent was on the ground and then turn to the crowd to give a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down". What was the result of a "thumbs up"?

Answer: The prisoner was executed.

The gladiator fights seemed like the most honorable death because the prisoner was given the hope of being set free if he was a victor. However, this was not always the case. In some instances even though the prisoner was spared his life by a crowd's approval, he was subject to more fights and obstacles until he finally died.

9. Women and children were sometimes forced to fight against gladiators for their life.

Answer: True

Nero had women and children fight against gladiators to impress visiting rulers. Romans found the concept of women gladiators entertaining. Women were not always given proper clothes and were forced to hunt or battle with wild animals as well as the gladiators themselves.

In one match two women gladiators, Amazon and Achilla, ended their fight with a draw. However, this was rare. Most women did not survive the battle of the arenas.

10. The end of gladiatorial games and combats began with Constantine I, who was not attracted to the violence or bloodshed. Which Roman emperor eventually outlawed the practice of Roman arena games and executions several decades later?

Answer: Honorius

Honorius outlawed the gladiatorial games in 339 A.D, only six years after his father, Theodosius, had made Christianity the official Roman religion. After Constantine had started the downward spiral of the games and decreed that criminals should be forced to work in mines rather than give their blood, mass conversions to Christianity also contributed to the games losing their popularity.

The games gradually disappeared as they became less and less of a revenue source and became costly to manage.

Source: Author exceller

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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Let the Punishment fit the Games! Quiz

Roman arena games were popular entertainment but also the fate of criminals, Christians, gladiators, traitors, animals and many prisoners of war! How much do you know about the bizarre history and violence of this Roman punishment?

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