Twilight Days of the Republic Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gaius Verres

Gaius Verres was said to have been immensely corrupt - even by Roman standards. Accused of everything from stealing statues from temples to taking bribes from pirates to executing Roman citizens without due process, he still felt confident in being acquitted due to massive bribery of jury members. Cicero, however, defied protocols and delivered several scathing speeches shaming both Verres and the senators he had bribed.

In the end, he was convicted and slipped into exile. Not much is known of him after that.

He likely perished during the proscriptions under the Second Triumvirate.

Answer: Surena

Not much is known of Surena. He was already an accomplished commander at the time of his stunning victory, the worst inflicted upon the Roman legions since Hannibal crushed sixteen legions at Cannae. Surena was not able to enjoy his successes for long. The Parthian king, perhaps worried Surena was becoming too popular, had him assassinated in 53 BC, shortly after his victory at Carrhae.

Answer: Caesar had a romantic affair with King Nicomedes IV.

Caesar and Nicomedes became fast friends at the Bithynian court, so much so that it was thought the two were romantically involved. The rumour was a subject of a bawdy song, sung by Caesar's own troops at his Gallic triumph: "Gallias Caesar subegit, Caesarem Nicomedes".

It is possible this was nothing but a rumour started by Caesar's rivals to smear his name, and Caesar himself always denied it.

Answer: Munda

Titus Labienus died at the Battle of Munda, during the last phase of the battle. He moved his forces to intercept a detachment of Caesarians sent to loot the Pompeian camp, but the rest of the Pompeians mistook this as a retreat. Panic and confusion spread and the Pompeians fled the field, and many were killed in the ensuing rout. Labienus was one of the fallen.

Despite his betrayal, Labienus was granted a proper military funeral by Caesar.

Answer: Casca

After Cimber had seized Caesar by the toga and ripped it down, Caesar cried out "Why, this is violence!" Casca then lunged at him with a dagger, striking a glancing blow on Caesar's neck, to which Caesar grabbed Casca by the arm saying "Casca, you villain, what are you doing?" Casca shouted for his fellow conspirators to help him, and they all set upon Caesar.

Some sixty men are said to have been part of the assassination, though Caesar received just twenty-three wounds, only two of which were severe enough to be considered fatal.

Answer: Sulla

Lucius Cornelius Sulla made himself dictator of Rome after entering the city at the head of an army, an almost sacrilegious act at the time. He brushed aside his rival Marius' ruffians, and properly condemned him and dozens of others to be killed. Hundreds of senators and knights are said to have perished, Marius himself barely escaping the carnage.

He once said "There is neither a friend nor an enemy which I have not repaid in full."

Answer: Ptolemy XIII of Egypt

As Pompey was instrumental in restoring the boy king Ptolemy's father to the throne some years before, he left for Alexandria to seek refuge and assistance. Instead, the king's advisers convinced him to have Pompey killed to gain favor with Caesar, who was by then all but assured victory in the Civil War.

When presented with the severed head of his rival, Caesar is said to have recoiled in horror. Shortly after, he aligned himself with Cleopatra against Ptolemy, and the boy king was soon defeated.

He drowned in the Nile when his ship capsized during the Battle of Alexandria.

Answer: Vercingetorix

The Gauls united under Vercingetorix in an attempt to defeat Caesar. Their hopes ended at Alesia, when Caesar won arguably his most stunning victory by first enclosing the defenders inside their city by building a wall around it, then a second line of walls to protect him from Vercingetorix' reinforcements. Fierce fighting ensued and it took Caesar's personal involvement to lead the Romans to victory. Vercingetorix surrendered to Caesar personally, and he was imprisoned. Later he was paraded on a float during Caesar's triumph, and afterwards publicly strangled to death.

Answer: Rubicon

It was illegal for anyone but certain Roman magistrates to lead armies inside Italy. As he was expressly forbidden from doing so himself, Caesar had only two options: surrender his position and become liable for prosecution, or gamble everything on a single throw of the dice.

He chose the latter, and crossed the Rubicon at the head of Legio XIII, declaring his intent. The Senate declared him a traitor and an enemy of Rome, and the Civil War began.

Answer: Parthia

The defeat of Crassus at Carrhae had left deep wounds in the Roman psyche. Caesar meant to restore Rome's honor by punishing the Parthians and turning their lands into a Roman province. He was killed mere days before he was set to leave, which would have taken him out of the conspirators' reach for years to come.

Some years after avenging Caesar, Mark Antony took a Roman army into Parthia with some success.