Ancient Rome Quiz #1

Which king of Rome was known as the religious leader?

Numa Pompilius

Who invented the alphabet, according to the lecture on Phoenicians?

The Phoenicians

What made up the Phoenician world, and were they a single unified state?

Important independent city-states; it is disputed whether there was a single Phoenician ethnic/cultural identity

Which Phoenician city was famous for the dye Tyrian purple and gave rise to the term "Tyrian" meaning rich or rare?

Tyre

What was "Magna Graecia"?

"Greater Greece" - the major Greek colonies in Ancient Italy

What often happened to Greek colonies in Magna Graecia in relation to their mother cities?

They often became more important than their mother cities and detached from them

Which mother city founded Pithecusae, which then led to Cumae and Neapolis?

Euboea

Which mother city founded Naxos, Catana, and Leontini?

Euboea

Which two (warring) cities did Helice (Achaea) and Troezen found?

Sybaris and Croton

Which Greek mother city founded Tarentum?

Sparta

Which Greek mother city founded Thurii?

Athens

Which Greek mother city founded Syracuse?

Corinth

What are the three competing theories of Etruscan origin discussed in the lecture?

Lydians from Asia Minor, Autochthonous (native to Italy), or from Central Europe

How were the Etruscans politically organised?

A league of 12 states (or independent city-states) ruled by kings and a land-owning oligarchy

Which alphabet did the Etruscan alphabet draw on, and what did it in turn influence?

It drew on the Greek alphabet, which is thought to have influenced the early Roman alphabet

Which Italic peoples were reputed metal-workers?

The Veneti

Which Italic people lived in a mountainous region?

The Ligurians

Which Italic people were considered warlike?

The Piceni

Name the peoples grouped under "Umbro-Sabellians."

Samnites, Aequi, Volsci, Marsi

Which Italic peoples founded Alba Longa, Praeneste, Antium, Lavinium, and Rome?

The Latins

What kind of language family does Etruscan belong to?

It is an isolated language with no known language family

Which language group came "from the Celtic Isle" according to the notes on linguistic diversity?

Celtic

Name the Seven Hills of Rome.

Capitoline, Palatine, Aventine, Caelian, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline

What was the "pomerium"?

A sacred boundary encircling a city; it was not fixed and could be moved

In the traditional foundation story, which city did Aeneas found after fleeing the fall of Troy?

Lavinium

In the traditional foundation story, which city did Aeneas' son Ascanius found?

Alba Longa

Who banished King Numitor of Alba Longa?

Amulius

Who was Rhea Silvia?

Numitor's daughter, a Vestal Virgin, and mother of Romulus and Remus (by the god Mars)

Who saved Romulus and Remus after they were placed in the River Tiber?

A she-wolf, who then handed them to the shepherd Faustulus to be raised

What did Romulus and Remus do as adults regarding Amulius and Numitor?

They killed Amulius and reinstated Numitor as king

In what year was Rome traditionally founded?

753 BCE

In the augury contest, how many vultures did Remus see, and how many did Romulus see?

Remus saw six vultures, Romulus saw twelve

Why did Romulus kill Remus, according to the traditional story?

Remus mocked him (after Romulus claimed the city)

What famous event involving women is part of the foundation legend?

The Rape of the Sabine Women by the Roman men

List the Seven Kings of Rome in order.

Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, Tarquinius Superbus

Between which years did the Seven Kings of Rome traditionally rule?

753-510 BCE

Who was Rome's founder among the Seven Kings, and who did he rule alongside?

Romulus, alongside Titus Tatius

=== WEEK ONE: PEOPLES OF ANCIENT ROME ===

Which king of Rome was known as the "Warrior King"?

Tullus Hostilius

Roughly how long did each of the Seven Kings rule for, on average?

Approximately 40 years each

When did Livy live?

43 BCE - 15 CE

Where was Livy born?

Patavium, in Cisalpine Gaul

What is the title of Livy's history of Rome, and how many books did it originally contain?

"From the Foundation of the City" (Ab Urbe Condita), 142 books

How many books of Livy's history survive, and what periods do books 1-10, 21-30, and 31-45 cover?

35 books survive; 1-10 covers the regal and early republican period, 21-30 covers the Hannibalic (Second Punic) War, 31-45 covers the Roman conquest of the East including Greece

Under which emperor's reign is Livy classed as writing?

Augustus (he is an "Augustan historian")

Name earlier annalistic historians that Livy drew on as sources.

Fabius Pictor, Cato the Censor, Q. Claudius Quadrigarius

What parallel does Livy's portrayal of Romulus draw, according to the lecture?

A parallel with Augustus (violence vs benevolence; son of divine Julius)

When did Plutarch live and where was he born?

45 CE - 120 CE; born in Chaironeia, Greece

What are Plutarch's two major works named in the notes, and what was his profession?

Moralia and Parallel Lives; he was a biographer and philosopher, not a historian

When did Virgil live and where was he born?

70-19 BCE; born in Mantua, Cisalpine Gaul

Name Virgil's three major works.

Eclogues (10 bucolic poems), Georgics (didactic poem), Aeneid (epic poem)

What title is given to Virgil reflecting his era?

The "Augustan Poet"

What was "stranger kingship"?

A model where someone does a good deed for the community and becomes king

What was the fasces, and where did the symbol originate?

An axe bound together by reeds/rods, an Etruscan symbol of power and rulership

Which three of the Seven Kings were most likely Etruscan?

Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, Tarquinius Superbus

What historiographical debate surrounds Roman-Etruscan culture in this period?

Whether it was an Etruscan takeover of Roman culture, or a shared common regional culture

=== WEEK TWO: EARLY KINGSHIP AND THE EARLY REPUBLIC ===

What is the "Cup from the Regia" and why is it significant?

A bucchero sherd, c. 600 BCE, inscribed REX (king); it is the earliest physical evidence for kingship

What is the Lapis Niger and what script is it written in?

A black stone inscription mentioning "regei" (king), written in boustrophedon (alternating direction lines, like an ox ploughing)

What does "boustrophedon" mean/describe?

A style of writing where lines alternate direction, like an ox ploughing a field

What was the "rex sacrorum"?

"King of sacred rites," a priestly office left over from the monarchy after kings were abolished; his wife was called the regina

What was an "interregnum"?

The gap between kings/consuls when power reverted temporarily to the Senate

What 6th century BCE structure shows that early kings could undertake major building projects?

The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus

According to Cicero, what mattered more than bloodline for early Roman kings?

Virtue (kings may have been elected, not purely hereditary)

What is the Lapis Satricanus, and what does it suggest?

A dedication by the "companions" (sodales) of Publius Valerius to Mars; it suggests powerful men had private followings independent of royal power

What was the Senate's role under the early kings?

An advisory council of elders

What was the comitia curiata?

An assembly organised by 3 tribes x 10 curiae = 30 curiae

What was the comitia centuriata organised around?

Military "centuries" (wealth-based blocs)

According to Cicero, what was the design purpose of the comitia centuriata's voting structure?

So that "the greatest number should not have the greatest influence" (the rich voted first and mattered more)

What event triggered the end of the kingship?

The Rape of Lucretia, after which Brutus swore to expel the Tarquins and never allow kingship again (Livy 1.59)

What is the traditional date for the end of the Roman monarchy?

509 BCE

Which books of Livy cover the Early Republic?

Books 2-10

Name the Greek historian who wrote "Roman Antiquities" (books 4-20) covering the early Republic.

Dionysius of Halicarnassus

Which historian wrote "Roman History" books 4-10 (fragmentary) on the early Republic?

Cassius Dio

Which book of Polybius covers the early Republic material referenced in the notes?

Book 6

What were the "Fasti," and who kept them?

Roman calendars/records, kept by the pontifex maximus

What is the difference between "dies fasti" and "dies nefasti"?

Dies fasti = days legal business could happen; dies nefasti = days it could not

What are the "Fasti Capitolini"?

A list of magistrates set up by Augustus

What is Ovid's "Fasti"?

A poetic calendar (covered in Week 7 of the course)

From which two royal offices did the two Republican consuls evolve?

Magister populi and magister equitum

What powers and symbols did consuls hold?

Imperium (power to command) and fasces (bundle of rods, symbol of authority)

What privileges did consuls have?

The purple toga and the sella curulis (special chair)

Which assembly elected the consuls?

The comitia centuriata

Name the first consuls of the Republic.

Brutus, Tarquinius Collatinus, and Publius Valerius Poplicola

Who was Lars Porsena and what did he do?

King of Clusium (Etruscan) who attacked and captured Rome, possibly to reinstall the Tarquins

What is meant by calling the Lars Porsena war stories a "factory of heroes"?

They are propaganda-style stories produced from this war

What did Horatius Cocles do?

Held a bridge alone against Lars Porsena's army

What did Mucius Scaevola do?

Burned his own hand to demonstrate Roman resolve

What did Cloelia do?

Swam the Tiber to escape captivity

Describe the structure of the Servian army reform: how many tribes, and what did each provide?

3 tribes, each providing 1000 infantry plus horsemen

Who commanded the infantry and cavalry of each tribe under the Servian system?

Tribunus militum (infantry) and tribunus equitum (cavalry)

What was the top command position called under the Servian system?

Magister populi

How many centuries did the Roman army eventually total, after a 4th tribe was added?

193 centuries

In what year was the Battle of Lake Regillus fought?

496 BCE

What was the Foedus Cassianum (493 BCE)?

A treaty between Rome and the Latin League, authored by Spurius Cassius

What does "divide et impera" mean and how was it applied with the Hernicans (485 BCE)?

"Divide and rule" - Rome allied separately with the Hernicans to keep neighbours from uniting against Rome

Who could appoint a dictator, and under what circumstance?

A consul (someone already holding imperium), in an emergency

How long could a Roman dictator hold sole power, and how many lictors followed him?

6 months only, followed by 24 lictors (double a consul's 12)

Who was Cincinnatus and why is he famous?

A farmer called up to serve as dictator and save Rome, who then returned to his plough afterward

What was a "senatus consultum"?

A formal advice/decree of the Senate