Humanities Exam #2

What ancient city-state on the North African coastline did the Romans conquer?

Carthage

What Egyptian artifact did the Romans steal to garner spiritual and political power?

Obelisks

What artifacts are archaeological evidence of literacy during the Roman Empire?

Seal boxes, inkwells, wax tables, scrolls

The Roman Empire was multicultural, multilingual, and polytheistic.

True

What are Roman Mystery Cults characterized by?

Oaths of secrecy, initiation rites, and central deity

The Egyptian Goddess Isis is best characterized by

Wearing a scepter and headpiece, resurrection of the dead, and healing ability

The “Golden Ass” is semi-autobiographical because:

Lucius is from Maudara, author and protagonist are similar, Apuleius’ first name

Who said “my natural curiosity possessed me” 

Lucius 

What activities does Lucius perform?

Bestiality, voyeurism/gossip, and theft

What traits describe Christianity?

Monotheistic, message of hope, and began as unorganized sect

Christianity was predominantly spread orally

true

What are the appeals of Christianity?

Promise of resurrection, preached equality, and addressed human needs

Up until the Great Persecution, Christians were generally left alone.

True

Was Apuleius found guilty of practicing witchcraft?

No, he was accused of practicing witchcraft to win the affection of the older widow Aemilia, when he returned to Africa.

What two figures were born in Numidia?

Augustine and Apuleius

Which writer is known for growing up wealthy and blowing up his inheritance? 

Apuleius 

How is the Milesian Fable characterized?

Episodic structure, subordinate tales, and shocking, erotic stories

Which text is one of the earliest complete novels, semi-autobiographical, and written in Latin?

Apuleius “The Golden Ass”

What are 3 traits to describe a typical picaresque protagonist?

Lower status, clever, and rogue-like

Early Christianity was perceived as a threat to the Roman state because?

Christians refused to worship emperor, did not participate in pagan festivities, and christians were monotheistic 

The Edict of Milan granted religious freedom to all Romans

True

The Roman Empire adopts Christianity as a state religion in 380 CE

True

Literacy was most prevalent in urban communities, not rural communities.

True

What qualities are typical of spiritual autobiographies?

Depicts struggles, overdue conversion, and framed by divine intervention

Augustine is a significant figure in Christianity, not Apuleius.

True

Augustine was born after Apuleius

true

Augustine’s childhood was characterized by:

Religiously divided household, modest education, and unfaithful father

Why did Augustine regret enjoying tragedies in his pre-Christian youth?

He considered the characters’ acting to be “imaginary miseries”, they distracted him from more worthwhile studies, and he thought they “fabricated suffering”

Apuleius and Augustine both went to school in Romanized Carthage and studied rhetoric.

True

Which answer is a reason Augustine gives for delaying conversion to Christianity?

He didn’t want his lust cured

What are the factors that led Augustine to convert to Christianity?

His mother, St.Paul writings, and his friends

Where does Augustine have a religious breakdown?

Under a fig tree

What are the traditional characteristics of the autobiography?

Reflexive side characters, told retrospectively, chronological, linear order, and direct narration

Apuleius’s text is directed TO the reader, not Augustine’s.

True

“The Golden Ass” reads more comedic and curiously than the “Confessions” which reads like a personal text/diary.

True

What do the “Golden Ass” and “Confessions” have in common?

Written in Latin and Salvation through divine entity 

What do the “Golden Ass” and “Confessions” NOT have in common?

number of chapters