Latin Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: Life of Cnaeus Julius Agricola

It is in 'De Vita et Moribus Iulii Agricolae' ('Life of Cnaeus Julius Agricola'), written in about 98 AD, that Tacitus (55-120 AD) gives a description of Britain, where his father-in-law was governor for seven years, from 77 or 78 AD.

Answer: True

In his work entitled 'Germania' Tacitus compares the decadence of Rome with the strength of the Germans. In fact, he wants to point out that the Germans have the same physical and moral strength the Romans once had and no longer have, hence their decadence.

Answer: Histories

It is in 'Histories' (Latin 'Historiae') that Tacitus describes the period from Nero's death (in 68 AD) to 96 AD, when Domitian, the last Emperor of the Flavian dynasty, was assassinated. In 'Annales', on the contrary, he describes the previous period, i.e. the reigns of the Julio-Claudian emperors, from 14 AD (Augustus' death) to 68 AD (Nero's death).

Answer: Hercules Furens

Seneca describes the madness of Hercules in one of his nine tragedies entitled 'Hercules Furens' ('The Mad Hercules'), in which Hera, who hates him, makes Hercules mad, so that he is reduced to killing his children and his wife.

Answer: Catullus

Gaius Valerius Catullus (c.84 BC -c.54 BC) fell deeply in love with Clodia, whom he calls Lesbia. To this untrustworthy woman Catullus wrote a series of poems in which he expresses at first his passion and then his disenchantment.

Answer: No

Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro, 70 BC-19 BC), the great Roman poet who wrote the 'Aeneid', the 'Eclogues' (also known as Bucolics) and the 'Georgics', was born in Andes, near Mantua in northern Italy.

Answer: No

It was Cato the Elder or Cato the Censor (234-149 BC), Roman statesman and moralist, who wrote "De agri cultura", also known as 'De re rustica', in which he offers information on farming and country life in his day.
As for Cato the Younger or Cato of Utica (95 BC-46 BC), he was not a writer, but a political opponent of Julius Caesar. After his faction suffered a defeat at Thapsus (Africa) in 46 BC, he committed suicide.

Answer: Livy

Livy was born in 59 BC, and died in 17 AD. He wrote a history of Rome from its foundation in 753 BC to 9 BC. Of the original 142 books of the work, 35 are extant. There are fragments of some others as well as epitomes, i.e. summaries.

Answer: Plautus-Terence

Plautus(c.254 BC-c.184 BC) wrote several plays in which describes contemporary life. As for Terence (Latin Terentius), he was born c.185 or c.195 BC and died c.159 BC. Six comedies by him survive. While his writing is polished and urbane, Plautus uses a coarse language that was a great success.

Answer: True

Aulus Persius Flaccus was a Roman satirical poet who flourished in the first century AD. Certainly less famous than Lucilius and Horace, he was a follower of Stoic moral doctrine and censured the corruption of contemporary Roman life.