Roman Kings Trivia Quiz

Answer: Raid pirates and return stolen goods

Romulus and Remus indeed liked to raid pirates and return the stolen goods to their rightful owners. This led to them being ambushed by pirates, and Remus was taken to Alba Longa where he met his grandfather Numitor. Thereupon Romulus organized a force to rescue his brother and forced Amulius to abdicate and restored Numitor to the throne. From there they set off to found their own city. (Obviously, this is myth, not history).

Answer: Vultures flying overhead would indicate the right brother

When the two were debating they agreed that whoever saw the most vultures flying overhead would decide where to site the city. Romulus claimed to have seen more and immediatly started laying foundations which angered Remus and led to him leaping over the foundations laid by Romulus. This in turn angered Romulus and he killed his brother on the spot.

The other choices seem plausible omens but they weren't the ones that the two brothers agreed on.

Answer: Sabine

The second (mythical) king of Rome was Sabine because of a peace treaty agreed by the two peoples. The King of Rome had done much wrong to the Sabines, but the latter agreed that they would refrain from war if the next king of Rome was Sabine. The Romans agreed, on condition that they could choose the king. The man they chose was Numa Pompillius.

Answer: Killed his own sister

Horatius is known for defeating the Curatii who were chosen to fight him and his brothers, instead of the entire armies of Alba Longa and Rome going to war. When Horatius returned to Rome a hero, he found his sister weeping for her deceased fiancé (one of the Curatii).

This angered Horatius and he drew his sword and slew her on the spot. He escaped the death sentence because he was a hero for defeating the Curatii and because his father pleaded his case.

Answer: First port at Ostia

Ostia was the first colony started by Rome, and Ancus Marcius was the king who established it. Ostia as a port city about fifteen miles from the city of Rome.

The other three cities were acquired by conquest later on.

Answer: Lucumo from Tarquinii of Etruria

Lucumo was a exile from Tarquinii when his wife interpreted an omen that he would be the next king of Rome through his own efforts. Tarquinii was a prominent city in Etruria which Lucumo based his new name off of.

The Volscii were a different tribe near Rome which Rome continued to fight with and Latinium was the region that Rome was in.

The other three names are names that I just made up.

Answer: Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus

The temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus ("the best and the greatest"), also known as the temple of Jupiter Capitolinas, was a magnificent temple dedicated to the greatest Roman god. It was started by Tarquinius Priscus and finnished by his son Tarquinius Superbus.

Answer: Census

He introduced the census to Rome which divided and accounted for people by class and gave a fairly accurate number of either the number of healthy males able to take up arms, or the number of male citizens eligible to vote as the reasons for introducing censuses.

Answer: The Proud

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus chose that cognomen because he believed it described him well, and it did. He was a very arrogant man, and when he was eventually thrown out of Rome he tried multiple times to get revenge and take back what he thought was his own city.

Answer: Lucius Brutus

Lucius Iunius Brutus has a long and interesting story behind him. Starting with how he earned that cognomen. When The Tarquins were eliminating threats to the throne, Brutus 'played stupid' and was spared. Then he waited and planned his revenge and was eventually compelled to do so after he heard about the rape of Lucretia. Collatinus was indeed a co-revolutionary with Brutus and the husband of Lucretia, but was not as actively involved in the overthrowing of the Tarquins as Brutus was.

Marcus and Decius Brutus come much later on in the history of Rome - at the time of Julius Caesar and were both conspirators against him.