Ancient Rome Quiz
Caesar, Hannibal, the Colosseum and the fall of the West: 15 questions on the empire that shaped Europe.
According to tradition, Rome was built on how many hills?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Seven
Tradition holds that Rome grew up on seven hills east of the Tiber: the Palatine, Capitoline, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal and Viminal. The Palatine is where legend places the founding of the city by Romulus in 753 BC.
Several other cities, including Lisbon, Istanbul and Edinburgh, also claim to be built on seven hills in imitation of Rome.
Which river flows through the city of Rome?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Tiber
The Tiber rises in the Apennines and flows about 400 km (250 miles) to the Tyrrhenian Sea, passing through Rome on the way. The city's port of Ostia stood at the river mouth, and grain for the capital came upriver by barge.
In legend the infant twins Romulus and Remus were set adrift on the Tiber in a basket before a she-wolf found and suckled them.
Which Roman leader was stabbed to death by senators on the Ides of March in 44 BC?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar had been named dictator for life a month earlier, and a group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius killed him at a Senate meeting on 15 March 44 BC. The assassination plunged Rome into another round of civil wars.
Shakespeare gave Caesar the dying words 'Et tu, Brute?', but ancient sources report him saying nothing, or possibly a Greek phrase to Brutus.
Which volcano erupted in AD 79 and buried the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Vesuvius
Vesuvius, overlooking the Bay of Naples, buried Pompeii under pumice and ash and Herculaneum under pyroclastic flows. Pliny the Younger, watching from across the bay, wrote the only surviving eyewitness account in two letters to the historian Tacitus.
The traditional eruption date of 24 August comes from a printed copy of Pliny's letter, but recent finds suggest it actually happened in autumn.
The three Punic Wars were fought between Rome and which rival power?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Carthage
Carthage, a wealthy Phoenician city in modern Tunisia, fought Rome three times between 264 and 146 BC for control of the western Mediterranean. The third war ended with Carthage destroyed and its territory made a Roman province.
The word Punic comes from the Latin Punicus, meaning Phoenician, since Carthage was founded by settlers from the Phoenician city of Tyre.
Who became the first Roman emperor after winning the civil wars that followed Caesar's death?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Augustus
Octavian, Caesar's adopted heir, received the title Augustus from the Senate in 27 BC and ruled until AD 14. He kept the outward forms of the Republic while holding all real power, setting the pattern for every emperor who followed.
The month of August is named after him, just as July had been renamed in honour of Julius Caesar.
Which emperor was ruling when the Great Fire swept through Rome in AD 64?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Nero
The fire of AD 64 burned for days and destroyed large parts of the city. Nero blamed Christians for the disaster and persecuted them, while rumours spread that he had started the blaze himself to clear land for his Golden House palace.
Nero could not have fiddled while Rome burned, since the violin did not yet exist, though Suetonius claimed he sang about the fall of Troy.
Which Carthaginian general led an army with war elephants over the Alps to invade Italy in 218 BC?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Hannibal
Hannibal marched from Spain, crossed the Alps in late autumn and won a string of victories in Italy, including the crushing defeat of a Roman army at Cannae in 216 BC. He campaigned in Italy for 15 years without ever taking Rome.
Hannibal was finally defeated at Zama in 202 BC by Scipio, who took the name Africanus in honour of the victory.
Which river did Caesar cross with his army in 49 BC, an act that started a civil war?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Rubicon
The Rubicon marked the boundary between Cisalpine Gaul and Italy, and a general who crossed it with troops was committing treason. Caesar reportedly said 'the die is cast' as he crossed, launching his war against Pompey and the Senate.
Crossing the Rubicon still means passing a point of no return, and the small river's exact ancient course was disputed by historians for centuries.
Which emperor inaugurated the Colosseum with a spectacular series of games in AD 80?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Titus
Vespasian began the amphitheatre around AD 72 on the site of Nero's artificial lake, and his son Titus completed and opened it in AD 80. The historian Cassius Dio reported that more than 9,000 wild animals were killed in the inaugural games.
Modern estimates put the Colosseum's capacity at roughly 50,000 spectators, who entered through numbered arches that matched their tickets.
Which emperor ordered a stone wall built across northern Britain from the Tyne to the Solway Firth, beginning in AD 122?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Hadrian
Hadrian visited Britain in AD 122 and ordered a fortified wall roughly 73 miles (117 km) long to mark and defend the empire's northern frontier. It took around six years to build and was manned by auxiliary troops rather than legionaries.
His successor Antoninus Pius pushed the frontier north and built the turf Antonine Wall in Scotland, but it was abandoned within a generation.
Which emperor wrote the Stoic reflections known as the Meditations?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius, who ruled from AD 161 to 180, wrote the Meditations in Greek as private notes to himself while campaigning on the Danube frontier. They were never meant for publication but became one of the most read works of Stoic philosophy.
His son Commodus, who succeeded him, was so unpopular that he was strangled in his bath in AD 192 as part of a palace plot.
Under which emperor did the Roman Empire reach its greatest territorial extent, around AD 117?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Trajan
Trajan conquered Dacia, annexed Nabataea and campaigned against Parthia, briefly adding Armenia and Mesopotamia as provinces. By his death in AD 117 the empire stretched from Britain to the Persian Gulf, its largest ever size.
Trajan was born at Italica near modern Seville in Spain, and the Senate later honoured him with the title optimus princeps, the best ruler.
At which naval battle in 31 BC did Octavian's fleet defeat the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Actium
Agrippa commanded Octavian's fleet off the west coast of Greece and won a decisive victory at Actium. Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, where both took their own lives the following year, leaving Octavian as sole master of Rome.
Octavian founded the city of Nicopolis, meaning city of victory, near the battle site to commemorate his triumph.
Which Germanic commander deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, in AD 476?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Odoacer
Odoacer, leader of Germanic troops in the Roman army, took Ravenna in September 476, forced the boy emperor to abdicate and ruled Italy as king while sending the imperial regalia to Constantinople. The date traditionally marks the fall of the Western Empire.
Odoacer was killed in 493 by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric, reportedly struck down with a sword at a banquet meant to celebrate their peace.
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All History quizzes →About the Ancient Rome Quiz
Rome began as a cluster of villages on seven hills and grew into an empire that stretched from Hadrian's Wall to the Euphrates. Along the way it produced Julius Caesar, the Colosseum, roads that still carry traffic and a legal tradition that shapes courts today. At its height under Trajan it ruled lands on three continents, and its fall in AD 476 still marks the end of the ancient world for many historians.
These 15 questions run from the founding legend and the Punic Wars through the great emperors to the deposing of the last one, with an instant explanation after every answer. It suits anyone who enjoyed a classics lesson, has watched Gladiator twice, or simply wants to know their Augustus from their Nero.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
How hard is the Ancient Rome Quiz?
It is rated Medium. The first questions cover famous names like Caesar and Vesuvius, while the final few ask about Actium, Trajan and the fall of the West in AD 476.
Does the quiz cover the Republic or the Empire?
Both. It starts with the founding legend and the Punic Wars of the Republic, then moves through Augustus, Nero, Titus, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius.
Do I get explanations for the answers?
Yes. Every question shows a short explanation and an extra fact as soon as you answer, so you learn something even when you guess wrong.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- According to tradition, Rome was built on how many hills?
Seven Tradition holds that Rome grew up on seven hills east of the Tiber: the Palatine, Capitoline, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal and Viminal. The Palatine is where legend places the founding of the city by Romulus in 753 BC. Several other cities, including Lisbon, Istanbul and Edinburgh, also claim to be built on seven hills in imitation of Rome. - Which river flows through the city of Rome?
Tiber The Tiber rises in the Apennines and flows about 400 km (250 miles) to the Tyrrhenian Sea, passing through Rome on the way. The city's port of Ostia stood at the river mouth, and grain for the capital came upriver by barge. In legend the infant twins Romulus and Remus were set adrift on the Tiber in a basket before a she-wolf found and suckled them. - Which Roman leader was stabbed to death by senators on the Ides of March in 44 BC?
Julius Caesar Julius Caesar had been named dictator for life a month earlier, and a group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius killed him at a Senate meeting on 15 March 44 BC. The assassination plunged Rome into another round of civil wars. Shakespeare gave Caesar the dying words 'Et tu, Brute?', but ancient sources report him saying nothing, or possibly a Greek phrase to Brutus. - Which volcano erupted in AD 79 and buried the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum?
Vesuvius Vesuvius, overlooking the Bay of Naples, buried Pompeii under pumice and ash and Herculaneum under pyroclastic flows. Pliny the Younger, watching from across the bay, wrote the only surviving eyewitness account in two letters to the historian Tacitus. The traditional eruption date of 24 August comes from a printed copy of Pliny's letter, but recent finds suggest it actually happened in autumn. - The three Punic Wars were fought between Rome and which rival power?
Carthage Carthage, a wealthy Phoenician city in modern Tunisia, fought Rome three times between 264 and 146 BC for control of the western Mediterranean. The third war ended with Carthage destroyed and its territory made a Roman province. The word Punic comes from the Latin Punicus, meaning Phoenician, since Carthage was founded by settlers from the Phoenician city of Tyre. - Who became the first Roman emperor after winning the civil wars that followed Caesar's death?
Augustus Octavian, Caesar's adopted heir, received the title Augustus from the Senate in 27 BC and ruled until AD 14. He kept the outward forms of the Republic while holding all real power, setting the pattern for every emperor who followed. The month of August is named after him, just as July had been renamed in honour of Julius Caesar. - Which emperor was ruling when the Great Fire swept through Rome in AD 64?
Nero The fire of AD 64 burned for days and destroyed large parts of the city. Nero blamed Christians for the disaster and persecuted them, while rumours spread that he had started the blaze himself to clear land for his Golden House palace. Nero could not have fiddled while Rome burned, since the violin did not yet exist, though Suetonius claimed he sang about the fall of Troy. - Which Carthaginian general led an army with war elephants over the Alps to invade Italy in 218 BC?
Hannibal Hannibal marched from Spain, crossed the Alps in late autumn and won a string of victories in Italy, including the crushing defeat of a Roman army at Cannae in 216 BC. He campaigned in Italy for 15 years without ever taking Rome. Hannibal was finally defeated at Zama in 202 BC by Scipio, who took the name Africanus in honour of the victory. - Which river did Caesar cross with his army in 49 BC, an act that started a civil war?
Rubicon The Rubicon marked the boundary between Cisalpine Gaul and Italy, and a general who crossed it with troops was committing treason. Caesar reportedly said 'the die is cast' as he crossed, launching his war against Pompey and the Senate. Crossing the Rubicon still means passing a point of no return, and the small river's exact ancient course was disputed by historians for centuries. - Which emperor inaugurated the Colosseum with a spectacular series of games in AD 80?
Titus Vespasian began the amphitheatre around AD 72 on the site of Nero's artificial lake, and his son Titus completed and opened it in AD 80. The historian Cassius Dio reported that more than 9,000 wild animals were killed in the inaugural games. Modern estimates put the Colosseum's capacity at roughly 50,000 spectators, who entered through numbered arches that matched their tickets. - Which emperor ordered a stone wall built across northern Britain from the Tyne to the Solway Firth, beginning in AD 122?
Hadrian Hadrian visited Britain in AD 122 and ordered a fortified wall roughly 73 miles (117 km) long to mark and defend the empire's northern frontier. It took around six years to build and was manned by auxiliary troops rather than legionaries. His successor Antoninus Pius pushed the frontier north and built the turf Antonine Wall in Scotland, but it was abandoned within a generation. - Which emperor wrote the Stoic reflections known as the Meditations?
Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius, who ruled from AD 161 to 180, wrote the Meditations in Greek as private notes to himself while campaigning on the Danube frontier. They were never meant for publication but became one of the most read works of Stoic philosophy. His son Commodus, who succeeded him, was so unpopular that he was strangled in his bath in AD 192 as part of a palace plot. - Under which emperor did the Roman Empire reach its greatest territorial extent, around AD 117?
Trajan Trajan conquered Dacia, annexed Nabataea and campaigned against Parthia, briefly adding Armenia and Mesopotamia as provinces. By his death in AD 117 the empire stretched from Britain to the Persian Gulf, its largest ever size. Trajan was born at Italica near modern Seville in Spain, and the Senate later honoured him with the title optimus princeps, the best ruler. - At which naval battle in 31 BC did Octavian's fleet defeat the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra?
Actium Agrippa commanded Octavian's fleet off the west coast of Greece and won a decisive victory at Actium. Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, where both took their own lives the following year, leaving Octavian as sole master of Rome. Octavian founded the city of Nicopolis, meaning city of victory, near the battle site to commemorate his triumph. - Which Germanic commander deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, in AD 476?
Odoacer Odoacer, leader of Germanic troops in the Roman army, took Ravenna in September 476, forced the boy emperor to abdicate and ruled Italy as king while sending the imperial regalia to Constantinople. The date traditionally marks the fall of the Western Empire. Odoacer was killed in 493 by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric, reportedly struck down with a sword at a banquet meant to celebrate their peace.
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