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Ancient Rome

An empire of surprises, from public office to bath time. Twelve questions, with a few convincing wrong turns along the way.

Free to use with your own team, courtesy of WorkplaceHero - workplacehero.co.uk

Question sheet

1. How many ordinary consuls normally served together in the Roman Republic?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Four
- D. Ten
2. What was the normal term of a Republican Roman consul?
- A. Six months
- B. Five years
- C. One year
- D. Life
3. In its traditional Republican form, a Roman dictator was principally what?
- A. Hereditary monarch
- B. Provincial tax collector
- C. Elected religious leader
- D. Temporary emergency magistrate
4. The Twelve Tables of the fifth century BCE were principally what?
- A. Written laws
- B. Military formations
- C. Religious festivals
- D. Provincial boundaries
5. What were Roman comitia?
- A. Military supply depots
- B. Provincial governors
- C. Assemblies of the people
- D. Priestly colleges
6. Who is conventionally regarded as Rome's first emperor?
- A. Julius Caesar
- B. Mark Antony
- C. Pompey
- D. Augustus
7. At Actium in 31 BCE, Octavian defeated whose forces?
- A. Mark Antony's
- B. Hannibal's
- C. Spartacus's
- D. Mithridates VI's
8. Which emperor greatly extended Roman citizenship in 212 CE?
- A. Claudius
- B. Caracalla
- C. Hadrian
- D. Trajan
9. The traditional beginning of the Republic in 509 BCE marks which change?
- A. Conquest of Carthage
- B. Founding of Constantinople
- C. Division of the empire
- D. Replacement of kings by elected magistrates
10. What did a hypocaust chiefly provide?
- A. Underfloor heating
- B. Fresh drinking water
- C. Night-time lighting
- D. Waste-water filtration
11. What was a strigil used for during bathing?
- A. Heating bathwater
- B. Scraping oil and dirt from skin
- C. Testing water depth
- D. Perfuming clothes
12. Which troops occupied Chesters fort for almost all its Roman existence?
- A. Praetorian guards
- B. Naval marines
- C. Auxiliary cavalry
- D. Legionary artillery crews

Answer sheet (for the quizmaster)

1. B - Two
Two consuls shared the office, and each could veto the other's decisions.
2. C - One year
The ordinary consulship was annual rather than a lifetime appointment.
3. D - Temporary emergency magistrate
The ancient office was an exceptional magistracy, not inherently the permanent regime implied by the modern word.
4. A - Written laws
They were a written collection of laws produced following plebeian demands.
5. C - Assemblies of the people
Comitia were formal popular assemblies, distinct from the Senate.
6. D - Augustus
Augustus's reign is conventionally dated from 27 BCE. Julius Caesar was not the first emperor.
7. A - Mark Antony's
Actium was the decisive naval confrontation between Octavian and Antony, whose forces were allied with Cleopatra.
8. B - Caracalla
Caracalla extended citizenship to virtually all free inhabitants of the empire, not enslaved people.
9. D - Replacement of kings by elected magistrates
509 BCE is the traditional date of the monarchy's overthrow, not the foundation of the city.
10. A - Underfloor heating
Hot gases circulated beneath raised floors to heat rooms, especially bath-houses.
11. B - Scraping oil and dirt from skin
The curved scraper removed oil and dirt rather than supplying a modern soap-and-shower routine.
12. C - Auxiliary cavalry
Inscriptions identify Chesters as predominantly a cavalry fort, not a legionary fortress.