Ancient Rome and the Romans are subjects which continue to fascinate us. The TV series I, Claudius based on the books by Robert Graves still has enduring appeal – nearly 40 years after it was first broadcast! The more recent BBC/HBO co-production Rome is also highly acclaimed. We love both of these. But it’s all very well being a couch potato and enjoying the drama; how much do you actually know about ancient Rome and its people? Try our quiz and find out!

1. The tomb built by the freed slave Eurysaces still stands in Rome. It was built in the shape of a giant what?
   1. Wine goblet, ornately carved with drinking scenes
   2. Oven, decorated with baking scenes
   3. Olive press, surrounded by a semi-circle of olive trees
   4. Ink pot and quill, depicting his love for the written word
2. Two ancient Roman shipwrecks were discovered near the island of Tino in the Ligurian Sea in 2012 and 2014. What typical Roman artefact found on the sea bed led to their discovery?
3. Which Emperor charged the Imperial treasury a million sesterces for each of his performances as a gladiator in the amphitheatre?
   1. Caligula
   2. Claudius
   3. Commodus
   4. Nero
4. Hadrian’s Wall stretches from coast to coast in what is now Northern England. How long is it?
5. Here is an excerpt from an article in The Independent of 16 April 2014:
   

   British researchers have discovered ruins that prove a city crucial to the Roman Empire, bringing food to the ancient capital itself, was “much bigger” than previously thought. The find has been hailed as “crucial” in understanding the area around the first century AD.

   Which Roman city are they referring to?

Check your answers here!