A History of Private Life: Rome to Byzantium Quiz

Answer: cross

"Christ's cross, almost never depicted in early Christian art,....". This implies that the most recognizable symbol of Christianity did not achieve its level of importance until later in the course of the religion.

Answer: it was painted red

Traces of red paint dated to Roman times have been found on the bridge. The mixture of lime and iron oxides was impermeable to water, and was also commonly used in Roman baths. The Romans loved to paint their buildings. A temple in Pompeii had yellow and white columns with red, white, and blue capitals.

Answer: death of the father

Fathers had the authority to privately sentence their sons to death, and to disinherit them. Sons could not borrow money while their fathers were alive. Surviving codified laws of the Roman empire confirm these requirements.

Answer: sex during daylight hours

Monogamy remained the rule, whether in marriage or concubinage, at least in the moral position. The perceived role of the wife changed as Rome evolved from republic to empire.

Answer: True

The gymnasium was used for sport half the time in Greece and much less in Rome. Music education was also more valued in Greek education. The Romans valued the learning of the Greek language much more than the Greeks valued the learning of Latin. Many of the teachers and tutors in Roman schools were Greeks, and they documented the contrasts between their own education and that of the Romans.

Answer: all of these

The Romans had no fetish for natural kinship. The rural or lower classes in particular sometimes transferred children from families who had too many to those who had too few. "Exposure", or the abandonment of children or infants, was not an uncommon practice, even among the wealthy. Documents demonstrating techniques of abortion are common in Roman literature.

Answer: seeking a closer relationship with God

The tendency is hard to explain, due to the physical threats in an increasingly violent society. The hermit was lumped together with those abandoned by their tribe, whom anyone might strike down, like "a mad dog".

Answer: traveling about a city in a carriage or on horseback

The ruts in the city streets in Pompeii were traced by chariots for commercial enterprises such as building material transport, merchandise, or by religious processions.

Answer: putting thieves to death but fining murderers

This curiosity was particularly difficult to understand because both the Romans and the Burgundians provided the death penalty for murder, except in cases of self defense. The codified laws of both the Romans and the Burgundians survive to document their punishments.

Answer: infertility of the woman after five years of marriage

Additional grounds was adultery by the woman. Adulterous couples had their noses cut off, and the woman was sent to a convent. The husband was then allowed two years to take her back. The codified laws of Byzantium have been preserved.