| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The right wing of one side at this battle was commanded by a man who had been elected consul six years prior, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. After leading one side's cavalry at this battle, Titus Labienus fled to Corcyra, and the losing commander of this battle was killed on the orders of Ptolemy the Thirteenth. This battle took place in modern-day Greece between two members of the First Triumvirate. For the point, name this 48 BCE battle during Julius Caesar's civil war against Pompey. | Battle of Pharsalus |
| Livy claimed that the number of these people was selected to correspond with the number of representatives of each of the states of the Etruscans who served the king. The legatus was served by five of these people, a religious variety of which notably did not carry a symbol with an axe amidst a bundle of wooden rods. The fasces [[FAH-sees]] was a symbol of these people, twelve of whom attended to the Roman king. For the point, name these men, who served as bodyguards to Roman officials. | Lictors (accept Lictor Curiatus; prompt on “Roman Bodyguards”) |
| The replacement of Axidares with Parthamisiris by this empire was used as a pretext by Rome to invade and install Parthamaspates as this empire's ruler. Corbulo installed Tigranes the Sixth in opposition to Tiridates the First, who was supported by this empire. Trajan attempted to annex this empire's Mesopotamian provinces and sacked this empire's capital, Ctesiphon. For the point, name this empire, which was succeeded by the Sassanids and defeated Crassus at Carrhae. | Parthian Empire (or Arsacid Empire) |
| This emperor's sister, Cocceia, married the consul Lucius Salvius Otho Titianus. The Temple of Peace was linked to the Forum of Augustus by a forum named for this emperor, who first appointed Sextus Julius Frontinus to oversee Rome's aqueducts. On the very day that the Praetorian Guard assassinated Domitian, this man was declared emperor. Co-naming a dynasty that began with his reign in 96 CE, for the point, who was this first of the Five Good Emperors? | Nerva (or Marcus Cocceius Nerva) |
| As punishment for participating in the Plot of the Three Daggers, this person was forced to carry the ashes of Lepidus to Rome and was then exiled to the Pontine Islands. This person may have assassinated Claudius with death cap mushrooms in order to make her son emperor. One ruler’s desire to divorce Octavia and marry Poppaea is the traditional motive given for this woman’s murder. For the point, name this Roman empress, who was assassinated by her son. | Agrippina the Younger (or Julia Agrippina; prompt on “Agrippina”; do not accept or prompt on "Agrippina the Elder") |
| This specific location was home to a building dedicated to the seven planetary deities known as the Septizodium. The first Roman temple of the mother goddess Cybele was constructed on the western side of this location. Royal residences at this place include Domitian’s Palace and the Domus Severiana. The Lupercal cave was in this location and is where Romulus and Remus were legendarily nursed by a she-wolf. For the point, name this centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome. | Palatine Hill |
| Following this battle, two Greeks and two Gauls were buried at the Forum Boarium in an act of human sacrifice. During this battle, one side was led by Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro. Mago was among the leaders of the winning side at this battle, which occurred the year after an engagement at Lake Trasimene. Fought in southeast Italy in 216 BCE, for the point, what was this major defeat for Rome at the hands of Hannibal? | Battle of Cannae (accept pronunciations like [[kan-NAY]] or [[kan-NEE]] or [[kan-NYE]]) |
| This emperor's father-in-law was thought to have been a dux named Ulpius Crinitus, who led regions in Thrace and Illyria, and prior to the assassination of Gallienus, this man led his cavalry. Quintillus preceded this man as emperor, a role in which this man reigned from 270 to 275 CE. The Servian Walls were superseded by a set of city walls named for this man, who won a war against the Palmyrene Empire. For the point, name this Roman emperor, who was given the title Restitutor Orbis, or "Restorer of the World." | Aurelian (or Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; or Caesar Lucius Domitius Aurelianus Augustus) |
| Snorri Sturluson identified this figure with the Norse deity, Vidar. A Pompeii fresco depicts an episode in which Iapyx removed an arrow from this man's leg. Silvius was a son of this man, who succeeded another of his children born to Creusa. This father of Ascanius hosts a set of funeral games for his father, Anchises. This son of a first cousin of Priam leads a group escaping from the Trojan War in a work named for him. For the point, name this hero of a noted Roman epic. | Aeneas |
| A pair of previously unknown biographies, focusing on this man and Atticus, were discovered in Cicero's letters by Peter Cornerus. An early work of history written in Latin was this man's now-lost Origines. Lucius Valerius Flaccus served as both censor and consul alongside this man, whose writings on farming can be found in his De agri cultura. Julius Caesar was opposed by a great-grandson with the same name as, for the point, what Roman statesman? | Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder (accept Cato the Censor; accept Cato the Wise; prompt on partial answers; prompt on "Marcus Porcius Cato"; do not accept or prompt on "Cato the Younger") |
| Spurius Postumius Albinus and Quintus Marcius Philippus investigated this event and helped put forth an inscription calling for its prohibition. A lover of Publius Aebutius, named Hispala Faecenia, was a courtesan whose testimony helped bring an end to this event. Considered an example of "fickle minds" by Livy, this event came to be seen by historians of the time as an example of moral decay. Mixing of social classes and heavy drinking came to be associated with, for the point, what Roman festival, dedicated to a god of wine? | Bacchanalia (accept Bachanals; prompt on "Festivals of Bacchus" or similar answers) |
| In either 1558 or 1559, Wilhelm Xylander printed the first version of this work, which makes note of "the rapid change in the parts of each thing." Written as a series of twelve books in the Koine dialect of Greek, this work is sometimes known as "things to oneself." This work claims, "You have the power to strip away many superfluous troubles located wholly in your judgment." A prominent example of Stoic philosophy, for the point, what is this work, written by Marcus Aurelius? | Meditations (accept Things to oneself before mentioned) |
| This structure was restored using travertine marble in 1821 on the orders of Pope Pius the Seventh. The spandrels of this structure depict winged female personifications of victory, and this structure's south inner panel depicts a group of men carrying off war spoils, including a menorah. Located on the Via Sacra and commissioned by Domitian to commemorate his father Vespasian and his brother, for the point, what is this monument commemorating the suppression of the Jewish Revolt? | Arch of Titus |
| Steve Mason claimed that one work by this man is "perhaps the most influential non-biblical text of Western history." Menander of Ephesus was a major source for this man in a work structured as a defense against Apion's criticism of one belief system. This man was captured after leading one side at the Siege of Jotapata. Once serving in Galilee, this man recounted the Siege of Masada and wrote such works as Antiquities of the Jews. For the point, name this historian who wrote The Jewish War. | Josephus (or Flavius Josephus) |
| An early victory in this conflict was secured by forces under Lucius Postumius Megellus at the Battle of Agrigentum. In terms of the number of combatants, the largest naval battle in history may have occurred during this conflict at Cape Ecnomus. The withdrawal of a garrison from Messana by Hanno was a cause of this war, which was fought from 264 to 241 BCE. Sicily was annexed as a province of Rome during this conflict, the earliest in a set of three with the same name. For the point, name this initial conflict between Rome and Carthage. | First Punic War (prompt on "Punic War (s)") |
| The fifteenth and final book of a work by this native of Sulma discusses the founding of Crotone and the death of Numa. This man claimed that an action taken against him was a result of carmen et error and resulted in this man being exiled to Tomis. Corinna was the addressee of a 16 BCE work by this man titled Amores, which was written in the form of elegaic couplets. For the point, name this Roman poet and author of the Metamorphoses. | Ovid (or Publius Ovidius Naso) |
| Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva were members of this class who owned a domus in Pompeii. The civil service was expanded to include this group during the reign of Claudius, and a caricature of this class, created by the author Petronius, is exemplified by the character Trimalchio. The status of liberti was often held by this group who underwent the process of manumission. For the point, name this Roman class of people who were formerly enslaved. | Freedmen (accept Libertini before mentioned; accept clear-knowledge equivalents related to being Freed from Slavery before “formerly enslaved” is mentioned) |
| The day after this event, Lucius Balbus, Oppius, and Hirtius were among those who allegedly dined with its leader. Plutarch claims that a line from Menander inspired a certain set of words associated with this event, and Legio the Thirteenth engaged in this action, which violated imperium. The phrase alea iacta est, or "the die is cast," was allegedly stated before this 49 BCE event. For the point, name this act of defiance in which a Roman general traversed a certain river. | Julius Caesar Crossing the Rubicon River (accept clear-knowledge equivalents regarding the Rubicon) |
| This project inspired the last movement of a 1924 tone poem by Ottorino Respighi titled Pines of Rome. Strabo claims that this project "first touches the sea" at a river "in front of Tarracina." This project was named after a censor who completed its initial section, and the Cemetery of Callixtus can be found between the first and fourth miles of this project. Brindisi marked one terminus of this project, which Statius referred to as "regina viarum." For the point, name this major Roman road. | Appian Way (accept Via Appia) |
| Seneca the Younger is thought to have been the first to use the common name for this period, during which the Gates of Janus were closed by one man on three occasions. The expansion of the silk trade occurred during this period, which is often contrasted with the Crisis of the Third Century and the Year of the Five Emperors. This period, which began in 27 BCE, is characterized by roughly two hundred years of societal stability. For the point, name this period, which translates as "Roman peace." | Pax Romana (accept Pax Augusta; prompt on "Roman Peace" before mentioned) |
| The crimes of a woman with this given name prompted her father to remark, “If only I had never married, or had died childless.” That woman with this given name was exiled to Pandateria for adultery. One empress with this given name was the mother of Geta and Caracalla and was known as Domna. For the point, what is this feminine given name, which comes from the dynasty founded by a man with the cognomen Caesar? | Julia (accept Iulia; accept Julia the Elder; accept Julia Domna; anti-prompt on "Julian Dynasty"; do not accept or prompt on "Julius") |
| David Moore wrote a piece on the "Riddle" of this material, the use of which was exemplified underwater on a large scale in the harbor of Caesarea. Volcanic material from a region of Naples, which was widely used as a binding agent for this material, came to be known as pozzolana. After the Great Fire of Rome, the brick-faced variety of this material was listed in Nero's building code. Hydraulic-setting cement provided the basis for, for the point, what material, widely used in Roman construction? | Roman Concrete (accept "The Riddle of Ancient Roman Concrete") |
| In conceiving this film, David Franzoni was inspired by a 1958 book by Daniel P. Mannix. Beginning after an engagement at Vindobona, Hagen and Juba are among the friends of the central character of this film, who earns the title "the Merciful" after refusing to kill Tigris. A hidden knife is used to target the central character in this Academy Award-winning film in which Joaquin Phoenix plays the emperor, Commodus. For the point, Russell Crowe fights in the Colosseum in what 2000 film? | Gladiator |
| The characteristic shoes of this group are depicted in the sculpture Aule Meteli. This group held an initial meeting at the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus each year, and the Ovinian Plebiscite resulted in a shift away from the consul's tradition of picking members of this group. Namesake consulta were decrees passed by this group, any of whose members could exclaim numera to force a quorum call of its members. Directing foreign policy and overseeing the budget of the Roman Republic, for the point, what is this governing assembly? | Senate |
| This monarch was opposed by a class of abandoned Roman mercenaries called the Gabiniani, headed by Achillas, shortly before this ruler took a foreign visitor on a sightseeing cruise aboard the Thalamegos. This monarch assigned Near Eastern territories to her children in the Donations of Alexandria, an act which helped spark the Battle of Actium. For the point, name this last effective pharaoh of Egypt, who killed herself after her alliance with Marc Antony was defeated by Augustus. | Cleopatra the Seventh Thea Philopator |
| This practice often involved a selection by the pater familias, and one form of this practice was required of the parents of candidates for Flamen Dialis. Conubium was a Roman name for this practice, in which husbands often maintained the dowry in instances of this practice involving the nobility. Often preceded by a betrothal, for the point, what is this Roman practice of forming a union between a man and woman? | Marriage (accept clear-knowledge equivalents) |