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Roman Trivia Questions

1. Why was the Roman consular year moved from the Ides of March to the Kalends of January (January 1)? ANSWER

2. What classical quotation inspired this drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci? ANSWER

3. What is the architectural term that describes the colonnade of this temple? ANSWER

4. Which consul was so vigilant that he literally did not eat or sleep the entire time he was in office? ANSWER

5. Cassius Dio (LX.21) relates that, when Claudius arrived in Britain, he brought with him reinforcements, including elephants. That was in AD 43. When was an elephant to be seen again in Britain? ANSWER

6. The detail from this picture depicts a particular event in Roman history. It also illustrates the etymology of a specific word. What is being depicted and what is the word? ANSWER

7. Queens have become slaves but what Roman slave became a queen? ANSWER

8. Given a choice of personal weapons, which would be the most lethal for the ancient warrior? ANSWER

9. The following four questions all relate to the following quotation. ANSWER

"There on the left as one entered...was a huge dog with a chain round its neck. It was painted on the wall and over it, in big capitals, was written: Beware of the Dog."

Petronius, Satyricon

What is the breed of dog?
What is the proper name for the capital letters?
What is the warning in Latin?
Of whom could the remark as easily be made?

10. Famed for their discourses, both Dio, a second-century AD orator, John, a fourth-century AD church father, were surnamed Chrysostom, which means "golden-mouthed" in Greek. But for whom was the term more literal? ANSWER

11. Which three kings of orient old were like no man's adversary? ANSWER

12. What general, who always needed to floss, beat another general who never needed to floss? ANSWER

13. Which Parthian king and Roman emperor both ruled for longer than they actually lived? ANSWER

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