Marius and Sulla Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Julii Caesares

He married Gaius Julius Caesar's daughter Julia (who would become aunt to the famous Gaius Julius Caesar).

Answer: Metrobius

Sources say Metrobius was a young Greek actor whom Sulla had fallen in love with when he was just a boy. Unfortunately, he had to leave Metrobius as his political career blossomed, though by the time Sulla retired as dictator, he resumed his relationship with a by now middle aged Metrobius until Sulla's death.

Answer: Quintus Caecilius Metellus

He even took on the name "Numidicus" for his "victory". This became a joke later on as Jugurtha proved too much for him and Gaius Marius was sent to deal with Jugurtha instead.

Answer: Numidia and the Germanic tribes

He defeated Jugurtha in Numidia and then raced back to Rome to defeat the three Germanic tribes from overrunning Rome.

Answer: 107 BC

The reforms, which made Marius famous, changed the face of Roman armies by removing the land-ownership requirement for enlistment, and thus creating an essentially professional army, largely recuruited from the plebeians.

Answer: Personal armies

Warriors had nothing to retire to and they relied entirely on their jobs as soldiers to sustain themselves. This meant that extremely rich commanders (like Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, and Marcus Licinius Crassus) could pay for their own armies and use them for their own personal benefit. Caesar and Pompeius marched on Rome more than once with personal armies, while Marius and Sulla fought a civil war with their own personal army, and left Rome suffering constant internal warfare for centuries.

Answer: His aunt Clitumna and mistress Nicopolis

Upon their deaths, he inherited their great fortunes and was able to marry into a great patrician family.

Answer: King Jugurtha

Jugurtha was finally caught by Sulla when a spy revealed his location to Marius.

Answer: King Mithridates was solidifying his rule and building a great army

Mithridates got rid of his family members who threatened his rule of Pontus, and began recruiting soldiers for a vast army consisting primarily of mercenaries from across the Euxine, in Sarmatia and Scythia.

Answer: Marius and Sulla were drifting apart

Sulla began to ally himself with Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, and befriended his son Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius. Marius and Sulla began to lose contact.

Answer: He was an Italian upstart and not fully Roman

In Rome, blood was everything. The most famous of the old families consisted of the likes of the Julii, Cornelii, Valerii, Claudii, etc. He was considered a rural upstart from Arpinum who dared to defy the Mos Maiorum (the way things should be).

Answer: Lucius Cornelius Sulla

Sulla took an army with him but it was not needed. His bold wit and cunning scared Mithridates out of Cappadocia. Mithridates lay low for years afterwards before striking Asia province violently.

Answer: Failed citizenship for the Italian tribes was causing great unrest

Marcus Livius Drusus had been trying to push for full Italian citizenship until he was murdered on his front porch by the opposition. This was the final spark which provoked the Social Wars between Rome and Italy.

Answer: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus

Strabo (father of Pompeius Magnus), Marius, and Sulla all led armies against the Italians with great success. Sulla outshone all of them and earned the Grass Crown for saving the army in combat.

Answer: The slaughter of thousands of Romans in Asia Province

Mithridates launched a lightning strike on Asia Province and executed almost all the Roman citizens in the province. This was the final straw and Rome would no longer tolerate Mithridates.

Answer: The Senate's decision to send Sulla against Mithridates

Marius at this time was an old man and suffered two strokes as a result. This led many to doubt his abilities despite his personal opinion that he would do better than Sulla.

Answer: Marius's Tribune of the Plebs proposed legislation to send Marius against Pontus rather than Sulla, and unleashed violence in the Forum

Gaius Marius wanted command in Pontus badly enough to kill for it. And kill he did, hiring ex-gladiators to instigate violence in the Forum to create a climate of fear so the noble senators could not stop him. At this point in time, people began to think Marius was going mad due to his second stroke.

Answer: Sulla marched on Rome and drove Marius out

Gaius Marius's ex-gladiators were no match for Sulla's legion, and thus Marius fled the city while Sulla took off for Greece finally.

Answer: Gaius Marius returned, and unleashed a reign of terror and bloodshed on the city

Marius and his friend Cinna were elected Consuls (by a forced vote) and the both of them instigated total control over Rome and had hundreds of Sulla's supporters brutally murdered and their heads were put on display in the Forum.

Answer: Lucius Cornelius Cinna

Marius died only days into his seventh Consulship.

Answer: He found Rome in the grip of Cinna and marched on the city yet again

With help from Gnaeus Pompeius (later to be called Magnus) and Marcus Licinius Crassus, Sulla soundly defeated Cinna and his ally Gnaeus Papirius Carbo.

Answer: He had political opponents executed and instigated a reign of terror and bloodshed

Mostly Equites (knights) were the victims of Sulla's proscriptions, as punishment for their support of Marius. As dictator, he had many changes done, for the good or bad of Rome.

Answer: Making young Caesar Flamen Dialis a priest of Jupiter

As Flamen Dialis, Caesar was stuck in this post for life, forbidden to touch metal, much less lead armies and become involved in politics as he did. Being an honest man even in his youth, Caesar would have stuck to this post all his life, thus never seeing himself rise to greatness and cause the Empire to rise from the Republic. Sulla claimed to have said "In this Caesar there is many a Marius".

Answer: Disband the Centuriate Assembly

He did limit the powers of the Assemblies, but never disbanded them. Some of his acts, such as the limiting the powers of the Tribunes of the Plebs, were later be reversed.

Answer: Liver failure

Sulla spent the last days of his life writing his memoirs and having troupes of actors and dancers party in his house. His legacy is not just that of re-organizing the courts and many new laws, but inspiring the likes of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Gaius Julius Caesar to greatness.