Who's Who At The National Archaeological Museum Quiz

Answer: Alexander the Great

In an exhibit of mosaics from Pompeii, I was astounded to see a mosaic that covered an entire wall; it depicted the famous battle between Alexander the Great and the Persian king, Darius III, at the Battle of Issus. It was at this battle that Alexander captured what was perhaps Darius' greatest treasure - his family; losing his family, however, probably was not the only concern that Darius III felt at the time.

His defeat marked the first time that a Persian army had been defeated with the king in its midst. Alexander, it was written, treated Darius' family with the upmost respect, eventually marrying Stateira II, one of the king's daughters.

Answer: Blood is the substance that carries oxygen to the body.

Democritus was mostly a theoretical philosopher with an interest in the cause of observable phenomena. As such, his work covered all natural sciences as well as the theoretical ones, including mathematics. While Democritus did some biological work, the discovery of oxygen would only happen more than 2000 years after his death.

Answer: Socrates

I have studied ancient philosophers for quite some time, so the picture of the bust of Socrates in the National Archaeological Museum is one that I have seen quite often. Very little is known about Meletus other than the fact that he was one of Socrates' accusers at his trial.

It is unknown exactly what testimony he provided against Socrates. By all accounts, Socrates humiliated Meletus at the trial, although it was not enough to spare his life. It was said that Socrates calmly took the hemlock and talked to his friends while awaiting death.

After Socrates was executed, Meletus was also executed (according to Diogenes Laertius) because the people had begun to regret their original decision against Socrates.

Answer: Pax Romana

The Pax Romana (also called Pax Augusta) was a period of time in ancient Rome that was marked by peace and a lack of belligerency. It began with Caesar Augustus in 27 BC and ended with the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD. Marcus Aurelius is called the last of the good emperors because after his death, his son Commodus became sole emperor and the empire became unstable.

Although wars did not break out, Commodus ruled like a dictator until he was assassinated in 192 AD and his reign paved the way for the corruption of future emperors.

Answer: Vespasian levied a tax on public toilets.

Having come to power in December 69 CE, the Year of the Four Emperors, in the aftermath of a civil war over the succession of Nero, Vespasian's rule was mostly characterized by a reform of public financing and the tax system. The introduction of a urine tax on public toilets was just one of his many ideas that consolidated the finances of the Roman Empire and provided the funds for the ambitious construction projects during and in the decades that followed his reign.

By the way, this quote came to mind when I was trying to figure out how to use the pay restroom at the train station in Naples!

Answer: Caligula

Tiberius, who was the stepson of the first Roman emperor, Octavian, was a very successful general. He secured the northern boundaries of the empire and conquered new lands including Germania and Dalmatia. Tiberius ruled Rome for over 22 years and although his reign is considered a success by most historians, Tiberius himself never enjoyed his power.

He was often distant from the everyday governing requirements and ceded his decision making to others, especially after the murder of his son, Drusus.

After that he ran the empire from his secluded villa on Capri, and many loathed the absent emperor. He was succeeded by Caligula, his grandson, who would be infamously known for his corruption, tyranny and power grabbing.

Answer: Julius Caesar

When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, a civil war against the army of Pompey began. Caesar had been leading his army fighting in Gaul for ten years; during this time he added an area nearly twice the size of the empire to Rome. He believed that his men were entitled to a victory parade. Bringing his army to Rome, however, not only defied Senate law, but also made Pompey, whose army was stationed in Rome, a bit uneasy.

After defeating Pompey's army, Caesar set about reforming Roman government.

He gave free land to army veterans, enabling them to leave crowded Rome and begin a new life. He lowered debts, taxes, and interest rates, and began building projects to provide Rome's poor with jobs. He proposed new laws that would standardize tax collection throughout the empire and even consulted with scientists in Egypt to reform the Roman calendar. Need I say more? He was a great guy!

Answer: She was assassinated at the command of her son Nero.

Agrippina had extensive influence over Rome from a young age. She was ruthless and involved in several murderous plots, such as the failed one to kill her brother, Emperor Caligula, in 39, and then later a likely successful one to poison her later husband, Emperor Claudius, in 54. For these actions I have always regarded her as a major villain in Roman history.

The latter coup was staged to accelerate the ascension of her son Nero as emperor, however he paid her back for the favor by first attempting to sink a boat she was on, and, when she survived that attempt, having her stabbed to death. Why did I feel sympathetic? Perhaps I was overcome with the emotion of visiting The National Archaeological Museum and seeing the wonderful works of art in person!

Answer: Baths

The Baths of Caracalla were the second largest baths in Rome and were fully functional for nearly 700 hundreds years until the 6th century AD. The baths themselves were actually the idea of Caracalla's father, Septimius Severus, but were completed by Caracalla and became associated with him. It is estimated that over 8,000 people visited the baths each day. The ruins of the baths still stand and were the inspiration behind many other ancient bathhouses of the day and even railway stations like Chicago Union Station.

Answer: A literary dialect not reflecting any actual everyday usage.

Homeric Greek was a special dialect having forms and features of both the Aeolic and Ionic dialects with several other influences present as well. It was nearly exclusively used in the epic poems of Ancient Greece. Koine Greek was the form of the Greek language that displaced Homeric Greek as the main written dialect from about 250 CE onwards.