During the Second Punic War, the Carthaginian general Hannibal, his soldiers, and his African battle elephants marched from southern Spain to the plains of northern Italy. To the surprise of the Roman Empire army, Hannibal crossed the Alps (218 BC).
2. "go down in flames"
Answer: Nero
The Great Fire of Rome occurred in 64 AD. Nero was the Roman emperor during that time. The fire began in the merchant shops around Circus Maximus on the night of July 19. After the fire was brought under control, it reignited and burned for another three days.
Nero is associated with the popular saying "to fiddle while Rome burns," which implies not taking a matter seriously. Nero was accused of ignoring the suffering of Romans during the time of the fire. The Great Fire of Rome was described by the famous Roman historian Tacitus.
3. "hit the wall"
Answer: Hadrian
(122 AD) Under the orders of Roman emperor Hadrian, the Roman governors of Britain built a wall that would later be named Hadrian's Wall. The purpose of the wall was to defend that part of Roman Britain from those in the north. The wall marked the boundary between Roman Britannia and unconquered Caledonia. Hadrian's Wall became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Today, you can visit the wall in Brampton, UK.
4. "head over heels"
Answer: Achilles
According to Greek mythology, Achilles, a famous figure of the Trojan War, was killed by being shot in the back of the heel with a poisoned arrow. Today, the phrase "Achilles heel" is used to refer to a weakness or vulnerable point.
5. "crack the code"
Answer: Hammurabi
Hammurabi's Code (c. 1792-1750 BC) was a Babylonian code of laws carved onto a massive pillar. This ancient legal text set standards for criminal justice and the rule of law, while containing timeless themes such as "an eye for an eye." The legal code of 282 rules was produced during the rule of Hammurabi, the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire. Today, Hammurabi's Code stands on display at the Louvre Museum.
6. "straight from the horse's mouth"
Answer: Caligula
According to ancient historians, Roman emperor Caligula (12 AD-41 AD) absolutely loved one of his horses, Incitatus, so much so that he gave the horse a marble stall, ivory manger, jeweled collar and even a house. Living decades after Caligula, a writer alleged that Caligula made his favorite horse a consul.
In Ancient Rome, a consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic. However, historians still deem it unlikely that Caligula made his horse a consul. Regardless, this wacky allegation in history still adds to Caligula's legacy. People today still associate Caligula with this story along with his legacy of madness and brutality as an emperor.
7. "the show must go on"
Answer: Thespis
Living in the 6th century BC, Thespis was an Ancient Greek poet. Aristotle and Ancient Greek sources describe Thespis as being the first person to ever appear on stage as an actor playing a character in a play. Thespis captivated audiences by leaping onto a wooden cart and reciting poetry as the characters whose lines he read. According to this tradition, he became the world's first actor. From him, we get the world "thespian."
8. "wrap your head around it"
Answer: King Tutankhamen
King Tutankhamen (King Tut) ruled Egypt as pharaoh until his death around 1324 B.C. He wasn't well-known to the modern world until 1922 when archaeologist Howard Carter chiseled into King Tut's tomb. King Tut largely comes to mind in the public imagination of "mummies" and Egyptian mummification.
The Egyptian mummification process of preserving the dead in their tomb involved wrapping the body in linen after the body was embalmed.
9. "a woman of her word"
Answer: Sappho
(Born circ. 620 BCE) Sappho, referred to as "the Poetess," was a prolific lyric poet of Ancient Greece. Plato referred to Sappho as "the tenth Muse." Although not all of her life and work are known, her poetry is still read and appreciated today. Sappho's poetry contains many themes of love, emotion, and sensuality between women.
The term "sapphic" is attributed to this Ancient Grecian poetess.
10. "drop-dead gorgeous"
Answer: Helen of Troy
According to Greek legend, the extraordinarily beautiful Helen of Troy was the indirect cause of the Trojan War. Helen of Troy encountered many suitors from which she chose Menelaus, king of Sparta. During his absence, Helen eloped with (or was abducted by) Trojan prince Paris. This led to the Trojan War.
11. "come rain or shine"
Answer: Noah
Noah is associated with surviving the Great Flood in the Hebrew Bible. This important biblical figure is associated with the Ark and the symbol of a rainbow appearing as a sign of God's covenant. Noah appears in the Book of Genesis as ninth in descent from Adam.
In the biblical story of the Deluge (Genesis 6:11-9:19), Noah is the patriarch who, because of his enduring piety, was chosen by God to continue the human race after his wicked contemporaries perished in the Flood.
12. "set in stone"
Answer: Moses
Moses is considered the most important prophet in Judaism. As stated in Hebrew Scripture, Moses freed the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. According to the Book of Exodus, the Ten Commandments were inscribed on two stone tablets. Foundational to religious teachings, the Ten Commandments are God's law given to the Israelites through Moses.
13. "stab in the back"
Answer: Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (assassinated in 44 BCE) was a Roman general and politician who named himself dictator of the Roman Empire, initiating the end of the Roman Republic. Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Roman senators on "the Ides of March" (March 15). Fearing Caesar's power as dictator, the group of senators stabbed Caesar a reported 23 times.
The killing of Julius Caesar is remembered as one of history's most dramatic assassinations and is also immortalized in Shakespeare's famous play.
14. "man of the world"
Answer: Alexander the Great
Macedonian king, Alexander the Great (born 356 BCE), conquered the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, the Middle East, and parts of Asia in a remarkably short period of time. His empire brought significant cultural changes in the lands he conquered. During his 13-year reign, Alexander created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, spanning from Greece to northwestern India.
15. "moment in the sun"
Answer: Icarus
Known as a tragic figure in Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of the master craftsman, Daedalus. Wearing wings fastened by wax, Icarus fell from the sky after flying too close to the sun. The heat from the sun melted the wax.
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