The Founding of Rome: The True Story Quiz

Answer: Etruscans

Little is known about the ancient Etruscans. Some believe they were present in Italy in prehistoric times; there is historic evidence that they were present in modern day Tuscany by 700 B.C. Through trade they had contact with people all over the Mediterranean region, but the contacts which had the most impact on their history were the Greeks and Phoenicians.

Answer: Tiber

Rome's fantastic location on the Tiber River made it easy for the Etruscans to market their newly discovered metal - iron - and it insured the success of the city.

Answer: Seven

The natural site of Rome also guaranteed the success of the city. A fertile plain, with hills on one side and the sea on the other, made it easily defended. Protected by the other hills, the Palatine Hill was the central hill and the location of the first settlement. The easiest ford across the Tiber and the best access to the sea were also located close by.

Answer: Greeks

Horace one said that "captive Greece held Rome captive," and considering all the cultural elements the Romans borrowed from the Greeks, it has to be true. The growing power of Rome eventually led to the incorporation of Magna Graceia into the Roman empire, but the Romans continued to be mad about anything Greek - they had Greek secretaries, Greek tutors for their children, Greek art in their houses, and in many cases spoke Greek as well.

Answer: Latins

The Latins became Romans in 509 B.C. when they overthrew the Etruscans and took over the city of Rome. That is also the date for the end of the Roman monarchy, and the beginning of the Republic Period in Roman history.

Answer: Cloaca Maxima

Translated from Latin as "Greatest [or Great] Sewer" the Cloaca Maxima is one of the earliest sewage systems in the world. It was necessary for health reasons to drain the marshes, and of course, to dispose of the waste of what would become a huge urban area. Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome, is credited with this achievement.

Answer: Republic

The Republic Period in Roman began began with the Latins overthrowing the Etruscans in 509 B.C., and ended in 27 B.C. with Octavian's appointment as Caesar Augustus. Even though Octavian was emperor, he retained many of the Republican assemblies and offices, resulting in a government that was even more bureaucratic.

Answer: Dictator

A patrician who through circumstances was reduced to a common farmer, Cincinnatus is well known in history as resigning his office as soon as the job was completed. (Caesar should have learned from him!) He served as dictator on two occasions. George Washington is often compared to Cincinnatus because he politely refused the offer to be king at the close of the American Revolution.

Answer: Family lineage

During the early days of the Roman Republic, a person was a patrician or plebeian (the two social classes) based on their lineage. The first one hundred men Romulus appointed to the Senate were called fathers or "patres." If a person could trace their lineage back to one of these one hundred men, they were a patrician. Both Julius Caesar and Brutus could. Toward the end of the Republic, as plebeians gained more rights, social classification changed, and wealth became more significant.

Answer: Gauls

The loss of early Roman records caused by the attack of the Gauls has raised some uncertainty about exactly when events happened. For example, the Romans had the opportunity to fudge on dates a bit. It is conceivable that the Latins took credit for some of the building completed by the Etruscans by establishing 509 B.C. as the date of the overthrow of the monarchy.