Roman Empire: By the Numbers Trivia Quiz

Answer: 27 BC

The Roman Empire was born in 27 BC, when Octavian was proclaimed the sole ruler of Rome ("principes" = "first [leading] man"), and entitled "Augustus".

Answer: 14 AD

After a reign of over 41 years, a period of prosperity and peace for the Roman Empire, Augustus died of natural causes at about the age of 75 years.

Answer: 9 AD

The military general Varus, appointed by Emperor Augustus, was granted three legions to restore order in the Germanic Provinces. He was betrayed by his trusted barbarian friend, Arminius, and ambushed in the forest of Teutoburg where the legions were crushed.

After this drastic defeat, Augustus was enraged and he is recorded to have shouted repeatedly the words: "Varus, give me back my legions!".

Answer: 64 AD

In 64 AD Rome was on fire, when Nero didn't act to save Rome and instead blamed the Christians for the tragedy.

Answer: 69 AD

After Nero commited suicide in 68 AD, a struggle for the position of Emperor began. The ambitious politicians were Galba, followed by Otho, Vitelius and finally Vespasian that took control for a stabile period of time, 10 years. He was succeded by his son Titus in 79 AD.

Answer: 101 AD

Trajan is known to have been one of the greatest Roman Emperors and his main achievment was the conquest of Dacia, which had previously been attempted unsuccessfully by Domitian. Trajan's Dacian Wars lasted until 106 AD when Dacia finally became a Roman Province.

Answer: 180 AD

The "Pax Romana" ended in 180 AD, the period when Emperor Marcus Aurelius was succeded by his son Commodus, who didn't make such a good emperor. He is known to have fought in the arena as a gladiator, which was considered by many disgraceful for an emperor. Also the fights were usually unevenly matched and would always end with his victory, the outcome of the fight being arranged before.

Answer: 313 AD

The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by Emperor Constantine I and Licinius that offered tolerance to the other religions, especially the Christian faith.

Answer: 410 AD

After having been betrayed several times by the Romans, the Visigoths, led by Alaric, did not own land and didn't have sufficient resources for a decent life, so they laid siege to Rome itself in 410 AD, took the city and sacked it. The fall of the Roman Empire was well under way.

Answer: 476 AD

The year when Flavius Orestes was defeated by the barbarian general Odoacer, actually marked the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West. After defeating Orestes, the young Emperor, Romulus Augustus, was easily disposed of, and the barbarians took complete control over Rome.

The Eastern Empire, however, continued for nearly a further thousand years.