Right lads, lasses and everything in between this is the first of what I hope to be many Ancient Roman quizzes! As a prize for the winning entrant, they will receive an amphora of the finest Campanian wine!

1. What is this?



2.Who is this?



3.Vespasian, Titus, _________

What completes the sequence?

4.Where, in the modern world, is Cilicia?

5.What dye was most favoured by Roman Emperors?

6.With whom were the Punic Wars fought?

7.What is the modern day name for Massilia?

8.In Roman timess, if you were given a sesterce, what would you do with it?

9.What was Incitatus' claim to fame?

10.True or false - a century is larger than a cohort.

1) Is Trajan's Column in Rome, I think. It commemorates the emperor Trajan and there is a relief spiralling around the column which shows various battles, if I remember back to my Leaving Cert Classical Studies days correctly.

It is what the great Mortimer Wheeler would term, a fine bit of ostentatious inutility.

johnfás wrote:

1) Is Trajan's Column in Rome, I think. It commemorates the emperor Trajan and there is a relief spiralling around the column which shows various battles, if I remember back to my Leaving Cert Classical Studies days correctly.

It is what the great Mortimer Wheeler would term, a fine bit of ostentatious inutility.

If you did Classical Studies for Leaving Cert the rest of the questions should be little bother. I didn't do the subject, but Saturday matineés of Spartacus, Ben Hur, Quo Vadis and the Robe amongst others lit in me an abiding passion for the classical world. It is such a fine and interesting era.

Yup, but it would be boring if one person answered them all so I just answered the first one!

After the bbq I was at last night I am in the mood to say I am never drinking wine again so there is no incentive to win .

2)Nero
3)Domitian...?
4)Armenia
10) False, A cohort consisted of 6 centuries.

johnfás wrote:

Yup, but it would be boring if one person answered them all so I just answered the first one!

Ah, I see. Maybe you could do a Kate P and give funny answers!

Quote :

After the bbq I was at last night I am in the mood to say I am never drinking wine again so there is no incentive to win .

Ah but it's from the country estate of Augustus himself! It's top-quality stuff. You could make gravy with it if you're sick of the Bacchanalian excess of recent days!

Have you watched the HBO series "Rome" AT? I have both seasons on DVD, they're great. 

cookiemonster wrote:

Have you watched the HBO series "Rome" AT? I have both seasons on DVD, they're great. 

Have I what! I saw them on the Beeb when they first came out! Sex and violence, what's not to like?

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cookiemonster wrote:

Have you watched the HBO series "Rome" AT? I have both seasons on DVD, they're great. 

Have I what! I saw them on the Beeb when they first came out! Sex and violence, what's not to like?

Sex and violence in TOGAS!That Atia of the Julii, wouldn't mind being her slave, the crazy bitch! 

cookiemonster wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cookiemonster wrote:

Have you watched the HBO series "Rome" AT? I have both seasons on DVD, they're great. 

Have I what! I saw them on the Beeb when they first came out! Sex and violence, what's not to like?

Sex and violence in TOGAS!That Atia of the Julii, wouldn't mind being her slave, the crazy bitch! 

Yeah, tis a great auld series. Atia is some temptress, I'd have to agree with you there! Ciarán Hinds is a damn good Julius Caesar as well.

Please, sir, can I answer five and six?
5. Tyrian purpura
6. Carthage(could build ships but couldn't pun for sh1t).

Sorry sir I havn't got the rest of my homework.....Canis meus id comedit.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Right lads, lasses and everything in between this is the first of what I hope to be many Ancient Roman quizzes! As a prize for the winning entrant, they will receive an amphora of the finest Campanian wine!

1. What is this?

Trajan's column.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

2.Who is this?

Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus - Nero.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

3.Vespasian, Titus, _________

What completes the sequence?

Domitian, the next in the Flavian Dynasty.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

4.Where, in the modern world, is Cilicia?

Around Izmir, in modern Turkey.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

5.What dye was most favoured by Roman Emperors?

Tyrian purple.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

6.With whom were the Punic Wars fought?

Carthage - the reason they're called 'Punic' wars is that Carthage was originally a Phoenician colony (Qart-ḥadašt = "new town").

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

7.What is the modern day name for Massilia?

Marseilles.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

8.In Roman timess, if you were given a sesterce, what would you do with it?

Spend it!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

9.What was Incitatus' claim to fame?

Caligula's favourite horse - rumour was that Caligula planned to make him a consul.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

10.True or false - a century is larger than a cohort.

False. Legion - Cohort - (Maniple) - Century - Contubernium (squad).

Well I see I'm too late for the quiz, darn, but I would like to say that I love the Phoenicians AND Carthaginians. They were both great peoples.

By the way there is a tremendous plaster cast of Trajan's Column in the Victoria and Albert. Utter madness but by far my favourite museum. Nice eccentricity about the place.

The Punic wars are probably what created the Roman Empire. They copied the Carthaginian mass production of ship building and much of Hannibal's coordination of military units.

The V & A is a fantastic museum. We have a family friend who works there and she is always most obliging in showing us around if we're there with friends.

Squire wrote:

By the way there is a tremendous plaster cast of Trajan's Column in the Victoria and Albert. Utter madness but by far my favourite museum. Nice eccentricity about the place.

The Punic wars are probably what created the Roman Empire. They copied the Carthaginian mass production of ship building and much of Hannibal's coordination of military units.

Yeh I saw a tv program about this and read about it also. The carthaginians (or was it the phoenicians under Queen Dido?) were master ship builders long before the romans, and only on capturing a ship or two did the romans figure out how to build large scale warships in bulk. Funny how war and struggle engenders technological advancements.

Good quiz AT. Hopefully I'll get a shot at the next one. I was otherwise engaged last night.

If I remember rightly, and haven't been misled, the methods the carthaginians used to assemble their boats was almost like flat packs. The would could out the parts then number them so simple labourers would know how to put them together. This is why it was so easy for the Romans to imitate their ships on capturing a few vessels and is what turned the tide in the war over Sicily Corsica and Sardinia. It was the start of the Roman navy.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Squire wrote:

By the way there is a tremendous plaster cast of Trajan's Column in the Victoria and Albert. Utter madness but by far my favourite museum. Nice eccentricity about the place.

The Punic wars are probably what created the Roman Empire. They copied the Carthaginian mass production of ship building and much of Hannibal's coordination of military units.

Yeh I saw a tv program about this and read about it also. The carthaginians (or was it the phoenicians under Queen Dido?) were master ship builders long before the romans, and only on capturing a ship or two did the romans figure out how to build large scale warships in bulk. Funny how war and struggle engenders technological advancements.

Good quiz AT. Hopefully I'll get a shot at the next one. I was otherwise engaged last night.

And little else does. It is rather strange how much of our political and state systems today orignated from a need to make or fund effective war on the enemy. Or how much technology even to this day was invented primarily with a military purpose in mind.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Good quiz AT. Hopefully I'll get a shot at the next one. I was otherwise engaged last night.

Thanks very much EVM. I crafted it at about three in the morning along with the next two. I'll get two-three more cooking so we can have a right series of Roman quizzes. ibis has given superb answers which are very welcome.

2. Augustus?
6. The Carthaginians
7. Marseilles.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

johnfás wrote:

1) Is Trajan's Column in Rome, I think. It commemorates the emperor Trajan and there is a relief spiralling around the column which shows various battles, if I remember back to my Leaving Cert Classical Studies days correctly.

It is what the great Mortimer Wheeler would term, a fine bit of ostentatious inutility.

If you did Classical Studies for Leaving Cert the rest of the questions should be little bother. I didn't do the subject, but Saturday matineés of Spartacus, Ben Hur, Quo Vadis and the Robe amongst others lit in me an abiding passion for the classical world. It is such a fine and interesting era.

Have you ever played Rome:Total War?

riadach wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

johnfás wrote:

1) Is Trajan's Column in Rome, I think. It commemorates the emperor Trajan and there is a relief spiralling around the column which shows various battles, if I remember back to my Leaving Cert Classical Studies days correctly.

It is what the great Mortimer Wheeler would term, a fine bit of ostentatious inutility.

If you did Classical Studies for Leaving Cert the rest of the questions should be little bother. I didn't do the subject, but Saturday matineés of Spartacus, Ben Hur, Quo Vadis and the Robe amongst others lit in me an abiding passion for the classical world. It is such a fine and interesting era.

Have you ever played Rome:Total War?

Have I ever! My family, the House of the Julii are the prevailing superpower in the Roman world! No-one comes close to us in terms of territory, military strength and economic power!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

riadach wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

johnfás wrote:

1) Is Trajan's Column in Rome, I think. It commemorates the emperor Trajan and there is a relief spiralling around the column which shows various battles, if I remember back to my Leaving Cert Classical Studies days correctly.

It is what the great Mortimer Wheeler would term, a fine bit of ostentatious inutility.

If you did Classical Studies for Leaving Cert the rest of the questions should be little bother. I didn't do the subject, but Saturday matineés of Spartacus, Ben Hur, Quo Vadis and the Robe amongst others lit in me an abiding passion for the classical world. It is such a fine and interesting era.

Have you ever played Rome:Total War?

Have I ever! My family, the House of the Julii are the prevailing superpower in the Roman world! No-one comes close to us in terms of territory, military strength and economic power!

Some of the modifications are much better. You should download Europa Barbarorum, if you want to really feel the pressure of the roman world in the third century BC. All the units speak their own languages, the seleucids are accurately represented as the massive power they once were, and history isn't as predictable. One also gets the real feeling of uniting all italy, facing the samnite cities (and they're formidable warriors) driving out the Greeks and the diadochi, and then facing the barbarian hordes to the north. There are also many celtic units that eh, don't leave much to the imagination for the sake of historical accuracy.

riadach wrote:

Some of the modifications are much better. You should download Europa Barbarorum, if you want to really feel the pressure of the roman world in the third century BC. All the units speak their own languages, the seleucids are accurately represented as the massive power they once were, and history isn't as predictable. One also gets the real feeling of uniting all italy, facing the samnite cities (and they're formidable warriors) driving out the Greeks and the diadochi, and then facing the barbarian hordes to the north. There are also many celtic units that eh, don't leave much to the imagination for the sake of historical accuracy.

Thanks for the recommendation riadach, I'll have a look for it on the web and see if I have enough hard drive space to fit it in. Is it a MMORPG riadach?

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

riadach wrote:

Some of the modifications are much better. You should download Europa Barbarorum, if you want to really feel the pressure of the roman world in the third century BC. All the units speak their own languages, the seleucids are accurately represented as the massive power they once were, and history isn't as predictable. One also gets the real feeling of uniting all italy, facing the samnite cities (and they're formidable warriors) driving out the Greeks and the diadochi, and then facing the barbarian hordes to the north. There are also many celtic units that eh, don't leave much to the imagination for the sake of historical accuracy.

Thanks for the recommendation riadach, I'll have a look for it on the web and see if I have enough hard drive space to fit it in. Is it a MMORPG riadach?

No it's a free modification for Rome Total War. You should be able to get it at www.twcenter.net. It's the same game engine, obviously since it's a mod, but they've created different factions, different units, better battlefield mechanics (for example, the enemy doesn't chain-rout/mass-rout so easily) and more realistic cities, a bigger map, riverports, and city structures. They also go into government types, and one can have caesar reforms. You don't, for instance, play as julii, scipii or brutii anymore, but rather as the Romanii. There are no parthians, though you do play as the Pahlava who would eventually become the Sassanids. The Seleucids take the role of the great Roman enemy, but they are in decline. There is no spain, but rather Lusitania. The Gauls have two factions, the britons become the Casse and are not located in belgium anymore. The Germans become the Schwebox, and the Scythians become the Sarmatii. It takes up about 800 mbs.