Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. According to legend, Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of what Roman god of war?
2. Octavian, first emperor of Rome, is better known by what specific name?
3. Once capital of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, this city was once Byzantium and then renamed Constantinople. What is it called now?
4. Which Roman emperor issued the Edict of Milan, making it legal to be Christian?
5. The Romans built many structures out of a synthetic, lime-based material still in common use today -- but no longer expected to last thousands of years! Which of these materials was used to build, among other things, the dome of the Pantheon?
6. What Roman emperor built a famous wall in the north of England as a line of defense against the Picts?
7. Which emperor was captured by Persians and forced to undergo continuous public humiliation?
8. The fall of the Roman Empire is sometimes blamed on the presence of what poisonous element in their pipes and cooking utensils?
9. What Julian emperor reputedly made his horse consul and, not surprisingly, is commonly considered rather insane?
10. What was the name of the horse who, legend says, served as consul?
11. The emperor Nero tried several times to kill his mother -- for example, he sent her to sea on a sabotaged boat with assassin sailors -- but only succeeded several years later, when she told the assassins sent for her to stab first at her womb, whence her ungrateful son had been born. Name the mother.
12. On the subject of crazy emperors: one of the Julian emperors was said to have taken up an unusual hobby near the end of his reign. He threw unfortunate people (some say women, some say children, some say slaves) off a cliff near his palace in Capri. One legend has it that the angry ghosts of his victims pulled his statue down from that very same cliff. What was his name?
13. Gladiators held contests in a massive arena in Rome, the Colosseum, where they were watched by tens of thousands of people. Name the center of entertainment in Constantine's capital, Constantinople.
14. Who was the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) emperor who codified Roman law, was married to Theodora, and reconquered much of the old Roman empire (only to have it collapse after his death)?
15. The First Triumvirate was a ruling trio composed of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and what rich man who had sponsored Caesar previously?
16. The SECOND Triumvirate was composed of Marc Antony, Octavian, and what third avenger of Julius Caesar's death?
17. Back in the days of the Roman Republic, two brothers -- Tiberius and Gaius -- tried to enact land reforms. In the process, they each in turn resorted to various illegal methods to stay in power, and they each became involved in bloody power struggles and died violently. What was their surname?
18. What emperor was a Stoic philosopher and wrote 'Meditations'?
19. Emperors in Rome had a personal, 9000-man guard which would occasionally murder them and appoint new emperors in their place. Name them: the _______ Guard.
20. During the days of the Republic, the Romans conquered what ancient people from whom they took the idea for aqueducts?
Source: Author
CellarDoor
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
gtho4 before going online.
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