The Graeco-Roman World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Homer

The terminology used here can be confusing since it involves the word classical, which is used to describe a lot of things. In this case, the time frame of the Graeco-Roman World is also called classical antiquity, and classical antiquity begins with Homer. Why? His famous epic poems, "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey", tell us much about ancient Greek values and beliefs, and they were believed to be just that important by later scholars. This might seem a bit strange, considering that very little is actually known about Homer, but to this day his works continue to be studied, discussed, and revered.

While the ancient Greeks were eventually conquered by the Macedonians, their culture was respected, cultivated, and spread. And don't forget - "Captive Greece held captive her uncouth conqueror and brought the arts to the rustic Latin lands," according to Horace, an ancient Roman poet who lived from 65-8 BC. Boy, did he nail it with that assessment!

Answer: Black Sea

Of course, much of the Graeco-Roman world was centered around the Mediterranean Sea, which the Romans were cheeky enough to call Mare Nostrum, or Our Sea. But the ancient Greeks had already founded colonies in many areas, and the Black Sea region, with its rich farmland and natural resources, was one of their favorite spots. Called "Pontus Euxinus", or Hospitable Sea, the region is believed to have been the site of at least 80 Greek colonies.

The Romans were involved in parts of Greece and Asian Minor after the Punic Wars, but did not initially view the areas as part of an empire. They were happy to establish peace in the regions, but did not try to rule them. When the areas continued to be problematic, they were gradually brought under complete Roman control.

Answer: Greek and Latin

A lingua franca, also known as a trade language, common language, or bridge language, is used to facilitate communication between people who do not share the same language.

Greek and Latin were the common languages of the Graeco-Roman world. People in the upper levels of society in urban areas used Greek and Latin extensively in their daily lives. Greek was the language typically used for trading purposes and Latin was primarily used in scholarship and government matters. Over time, as the Roman Empire expanded, even educated people who were not Greek or Roman by birth continued to use Greek and Latin. In fact, this continued to be the case for centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire.

In the picture, the Latin inscription on the Parthenon reads, "Marcus Agrippa, the son of Lucius, three times consul, built this".

Answer: False

At some point or another, most school kids today still make a chart that shows the Greek name, Roman name, and domain(s) of the major Graeco-Roman deities. The Romans were more than willing to incorporate Greek deities into their pantheon of gods, spirits, and the like, but all of them were given a Latin name, and many times the details of myths were changed to somehow fit in with already-existing Roman traditions.

Now, when you made your chart you listed names like Zeus/Jupiter, Poseidon/Neptune, and Hera/Juno, but when when you got to Apollo, the god of prophecy, healing, music, poetry, and numerous other things, shown in the pictures with Thetis, you may have written the same name for both. Some sources say that there wasn't a Latin equivalent for the name Apollo, however, others say that in Rome he was usually called Phoebus Apollo or simply Phoebus.

Answer: False

The Seven Sages, also known as The Seven Wise Men, were prominent Greek men known for their wisdom, but there was only one philosopher among them. The members of the group changed a bit over time, and sources do not always agree, however, the names generally seen on the list include Thales of Miletus, Solon of Athens, Bias of Priene, Chilon of Sparta (who brought back the bones of Orestes), Cleobulus of Rhodes, Periander of Corinth, and Pittacus of Mytilene.

Thales of Miletus is the only philosopher in the group, and Aristotle called him the First Philosopher; he was a scientific philosopher, however, searching for the single substance of which everything was made. All of the others served in one way or another as politicians in their respective polis. And - it is important to note - that by the Golden Age of Athens (449-431 BC) - the time when philosophy flourished with the likes of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle - the list was already constructed and at least a century old.

Answer: Scandinavian Peninsula

It might have taken a while for Rome to develop from a city to an empire, but once they found success on the Italian Peninsula it didn't take long to expand to other areas as well. Sometimes the expansion resulted after the Romans felt the need to defend themselves, as in the Punic Wars and the Pyrrhic Wars. And participating in the Punic Wars brought conflicts to other areas like the Iberian Peninsula, because there was a strong Carthaginian presence there.

In other instances, as with the Greeks (Balkan Peninsula), Rome was asked to mediate conflicts that were taking place, and eventually governed the area.

They never made it as far north as Scandinavia. By the way, though, they also ruled the Anatolian Peninsula, which is Turkey today.

Answer: Tuscan

Even though the Tuscan order of column is considered to be a redesign of the Doric order, it is still its own order. It is even more simple than the Doric order, and, in fact, the Romans did not ever list it as a separate order. That was done during the Renaissance. Sebastiano Serlio, an Italian architect who lived from c. 1475-1554, wrote that it was the most solid and least ornate of the orders, but followed the proportions of the Ionic order.

The Romans, famous for their use of the arch, used the Tuscan column for military posts, warehouses, prisons, and the like. The Composite order was a mixture of two of the other orders, such as an Ionic column with Corinthian acanthus leaves.

Answer: Pompey

After the fall of Carthage there was a strong naval presence lacking in the Mediterranean Sea. Pirates from Cilicia in southern Turkey became very wealthy from the slave trade, which they interestingly carried on with Rome. But they were able to expand their influence, eventually holding bases throughout the entire Mediterranean.

While initially the pirates only interfered with Roman trade, they eventually became powerful enough to attack coastal towns, even Ostia, the port town of Rome. There was a lot of discussion in the government regarding what the Romans needed to do, but attempts to do away with the pirates altogether only had short-lived positive consequences. In 67 BC a special commission was granted to Pompey to clear out the pirates, and it was considered to be so important that he was given supreme authority for three years to do so - a power that was rarely granted to anyone in the Roman Republic. He completed the job in three months. After that, the Mediterranean was really their sea! And Pompey became Pompey the Great!

Answer: Caracalla

It was a big deal for the common people who lived within the Roman Empire to be given citizenship. For a long time the honorary title was not extended to people who lived beyond the Italian Peninsula. So what was up with Caracalla, who really doesn't have a reputation for being a nice guy?

In all probability, his motives were not altruistic. It could have been that he wanted to be able to collect more taxes or fill more military quotas. While some people say that it could have been to appease the gods for Caracalla's role in the murder of his co-ruler brother, its highly unlikely that he experienced that much guilt over it, especially when considering some of his later actions.

The baths mentioned in the question were partially completed by 216 AD, and were the largest in Rome until Diocletian completed his baths a little less than a century later. The complex Caracalla built covered 50 acres and could accommodate 1600 people; Diocletian's were about double that size.

Answer: Romulus Augustus resigned his office.

Rome had been decaying for years, facing the attacks of invaders like the Vandals and Huns who they could not hope to stop. But it was the Ostrogoth ruler, Odoacer, who forced the last western emperor, Romulus Augustus, to resign his office and leave Rome. Without an emperor, the western Roman Empire ceased to exist.

It must be said that the end of the Greco-Roman World wasn't abrupt and instantaneous. People in many areas continued to live as they had before, just without the protection that Rome gave to them. Over time, Greek and Roman learning was virtually forgotten in the west. The eastern empire, the Byzantine Empire, continued to thrive for almost a thousand more years, teaching and preserving the Greek and Roman history and culture that would become all the rage again during the Renaissance.