Trivial Pursuit of Antiquity

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

Salvete!

While talking, SVR members Lupus, Ariadne Sergia and I came up with the idea of creating, if it doesn't exist yet (but we don't think so) a Trivial Pursuit of Antiquity. It's actually fairly easy to make. You can use the same board and pieces, you only have to change the questions.

A normal Trivial Pursuit has 4800 questions, a number we will most likely never attain, but I'd like to launch it as a long-term project.

So if anyone has a good question for a category, please post it here!

The categories we thought of were these (colour of the board that corresponds to it is included between brackets):

Geography (blue)
History (yellow)
Science and philosophy (green)
Religion and mythology (pink)
Arts and literature (brown)
Daily life (orange)

If you make up a question, please provide the answer. For those unfamiliar with Trivial Pursuit: avoid essay questions!

Curate ut valeatis,
Draco

[Anonymous]

No grammar category?

[Aldus Marius]

Hmm...needs a Military category. Maybe one for Daily Life too. Quid censetis, Sodales?

In fide,

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

Salvete,

Language can be considered part of either literature or science. Daily life could be included in games, and history covers military exploits as well. We debated about these categories long enough to come to the best conclusions :p.

Valete,
Draco

[Aldus Marius]

Salve iterum, mi Draco...

A History category is all very well for something like "Who kicked whose hindquarters at the Battle of Pydna?".

It won't do a flaming thing for a question like "How many Centurions were there in a Cohortal (vs. a Manipular) Legion?"

Or "What two or three offices did a Tribunus Angusticlavus have to hold before he could return as a Legionary Legate?"

Or "What is the earliest known find of the lorica segmentata?"

...Stuff like that.

And daily life: If you'd had a spot called "Culture", I could see it...but "Games"? For garum, triclinia, the hortator on a slave galley, a lady's palla, a young man's first beard, and pets? Better to include Games as part of Daily Life than to make Daily Life a part of Games.

Your categories may be sound (I do see the sense of putting the Latin Language in with Literature), but...the names need work.

In fide,

[ariadne sergia fausta]

I checked my version of Trivial Persiut on questions on antiquity, and I luckily, they have quit a lot:

Geography (blue)
Who had “megaron” houses
The Greek
What does “acropolis” mean?
City on the mountain top
Which palace was discovered by Evans in 1900?
Knossos
Which Roman building is in Pont du Gard?
An aquaduct
On which hill is the Erechtheion
The Acropolis
Over which two mountain ranges did Hannibal marche with his elephants?
The Alps and Pyrenees
Which city is named after the Parisii, a Celtic tribe?
Paris
Which island is the cradle of homosexuality of women?
Lesbos
Which nation in antiquity had the most secret searoutes, maps and atlasses?
Fenicia
Which city was the capital of the ancient world in 500 BC?
Persepolis
Which ancient Greek city was know for is military capacity and severe way of life?
Sparta

History (yellow)
Which city was conquered by a wooden horse?
Troy
The history of which nation is described in Xenophon’s Hellenica
Of Greece
Which emperor wrote a book on the war in Gaul?
Caesar
How did Darius II of Persia take power?
He murdered all the members of his family
What is the Greek name for Greece?
Hellas
Which orator practiced with pebbles in his mounth?
Demosthenes
What were the last words of Julius Caesar?
Kai su, teknon (and not “tu quoque fili mi, because he spoke Greek)
Why did the Roman senator Incitatus prefere hay, who was a member of the collegia pontificum under the reign of Caligula?
Because he was a horse
What did the 1000 inhabitants of Massilia in 73 AD during Roman occupation?
They commited suicide
Who conquered Gaul in 57 BC
Iulius Caesar

Science and philosophy (green)
Which philosopher was the teacher of Alexander the Great?
Aristoteles
Who was the teacher of Plato?
Socrates
Which number cannot be formed in the Roman numeric system?
Zero
What is the purpose of the eudemonic philosophy
Happiness
Which mathematician was murdered in his bath tub?
Pythagoras
How does one call an apperently correct argumentation, but leading to a false conclusion
A sophism
According to Greek philosophers, what were the four elements?
Earth, water, fire and aether
Who was the founder of the Athenian Academy in 387 BC?
Aristotle
According to which philosophy is pain the basic of existence?
Stoicism

Religion and mythology (pink)
What was Achilles’ only weak spot?
His heel
In Rome, which day was the “day of Mercury”?
Wednesday
What was the name of the winged horse?
Pegasus
Of which art is Terpsichore the muse?
Singing and dancing
What did Oidipus do when he discovered that he killed his father and married his mother?
He cut out his eyes
Which animal was the symbol for fertilitly in Greece?
The hare
How many heads did Cerberus have?
Four
How is the vast, yawning abyss called in Greek mythology, in which everything was created?
Chaos
Hygiea was the godess of…
Health
Which animal had a lion’s body, a woman’s head and breasts, and wings?
A sphinx
Who said to the one-eyed giant: “I am nobody”?
Odysseus
Who was the Greek godess of love?
Aphrodite
Who was the godess of gossip, who had as many eyes, ears and tongues as she had feathers?
Fama
What is the name of the creature with six heads that devoured seamen in the street of Messina Scylla
Who led the Argonouts to the golden Fleece?
Iason
To which godess is the Parthenon dedicated?
Athena
Which gift gave Prometheus to mankind?
The fire
What was the name of the hundred-eyed Giant?
Argos
Who changed all objects into gold when he touched them?
King Midas
What are Phobos and Deimos
The two moons of the planet Mars
Who is the muse of history?
Klio

Ars and literature (brown)
What does the name Carmen mean?
Song
How was the “s” called in ancient Greek?
Sigma
Opera is the plural of…
Opus
In which language did Nero write his books?
Greek
Which month is, litteraly translated, the ninth month?
November
Which object is mostly in the hads of Eros when depicted?
Bow and arrow
Who invented our alphabet?
The Fenicians
Are the Kariatids boys or girls?
Girls
What was the origin of the word “jovial”
Jupiter (gen: Iovis)
Who wrote the Illiad?
Homer
How did the Egyptians depicted men?
En profil
Who made the movie Spartacus?
Stanley Kubric
What is the origin of the word panic?
The god Pan
Who wrote Antigone and Electra?
Sophocles
On which emperor did Camus write a novel?
Caligula
What is missing on the statue of the Venus of Milo
Her arms
What is triskaidekafobia?
Fear for the number 13
What does AD mean?
Anno domini
Which women are raped in the painting of Pietro da Cortona of 1629?
The Sabinian virgins

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

And daily life: If you'd had a spot called "Culture", I could see it...but "Games"? For garum, triclinia, the hortator on a slave galley, a lady's palla, a young man's first beard, and pets? Better to include Games as part of Daily Life than to make Daily Life a part of Games.[/color]

Yes, I think here you are right. Category is changed .

Vale,
Draco

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

Salvete,

I copied Ariadne's questions and added a few of my own. I had to correct one question though. There was one "Which wrote a book on the Gaul wars" to which the answer was "Iulius Caesar". The answer, technically, is "none" because Caesar was not an emperor .

Now, anyway, here are a few of my own...

GEOGRAPHY

12. Which island is, freely translated, "the island of love"? Cyprus
13. What does the name of the Italian area of Tuscany refer to? The Etruscans
14. Where is Hadrian's wall located? The border between Scotland and England
15. What is the present-day name of Hibernia? Ireland
16. What is the present-day name of Dacia? Romania (and, in part, Moldova)
17. Which city in present-day Ukraine refers to a Greek hero? Odessa.
18. While Caesar wanted to make the Rhine the Roman Republic's border, Augustus wanted to extend the border of the Empire to another river. Which one? The Elbe.
19. Which of these present-day nations was never part of the Roman Empire? Switzerland or Poland? Poland.
20. What was the Roman name for Africa? Africa.
21. What was the Roman name for the northernmost point of the world? Thule.
22. The empire of Alexander the Great began in Macedonia and stretched itself to which river? The Indus.

HISTORY

11. Who was allegedly the last emperor of the western half of the Roman Empire? Romulus Augustulus.
12. Who introduced the concept of the tetrarchy? Diocletianus.
13. Which dynasty succeeded the Julio-Claudians? The Flavian dynasty.
14. In which year was Carthago finally defeated and destroyed? 164 BC.
15. What was the fate of the slaves who joined Spartacus in his revolt in 73 BC? Crucifixion.
16. Whose last words allegedly were "Applaud; the comedy is over."? Augustus.
17. What was the "damnatio memoriae"? The deletion of an individual from the collective memory, considered worse than execution and worse than banishment.
18. What island was, according to some, home to the decadent lifestyle of emperor Tiberius? Capri.
19. Some die-hards claim the Roman Empire existed until 1806. Why? Because the Holy Roman Empire of Germany had ceased to exist.
20. Who was considered the wisest political leader of Athens ever to exist? Solon.

SCIENCE & PHILOSOPHY

9. What is the 'kalakogathia'? The supreme ideal ("both good and beautiful") of Platonic thought.
10. What philosopher allegedly jumped into a volcano? Empedokles.
11. Which philosopher claimed movement and time did not exist? Parmenides.
12. Which philosopher held that the basic element of everything is water? Thales.
13. Which writer and scientist died while examining the volcano at Pompeii in 79 AD? Plinius the Elder.
14. What is the name of the mathematics that are taught at most schools? Euclidian mathematics.
15. Are there more stars with Greek names, or more with Arab names? Arab names.
16. Why is Aries the first star sign of the zodiac? Because the Roman year began in March.
17. Which Alexandrian mathematician and astronomer thought the Earth to be the centre of the universe? Ptolemaeus.
18. Which mathematician claimed that the Earth was round? Eratosthenes.
19. Which sanitary invention is usually attributed to the Etruscans? The sewage system.
20. What language does the modern day science word "satellite" derive from? Etruscan.

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Draco

[ariadne sergia fausta]

Here are a few questions made by Joris, who is still refusing to be a member of SVR, but was so kind of writing some questions

History

Which lex forms the base of the Roman law? Lex duodecim tabulorum
Which Greek king attacked South-Italy in 280 BC? Pyrrhus
When was Carthago finally defeated? 202 Zama
Which two mediterreanean Islands were occupied by Rome in 238 BC? Corsica and Sardinia
Who transformed the Roman army between 107-100 BC? Marius
Which emperor conquered Dacia, Mesopotamia and Armenia? Trajan
Which Christian leader had the civitas of Rome and Tarsus? Paulus
Which city became the capital of the Western Roman empire in 408? Ravenna
Which roman general defeated the Huns in 451 AD? Aetius
Who conquered Italy in 476 and made an end to the Western Roman empire? Odoacer

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

Multas gratias!

Draco

[ariadne sergia fausta]

10 questions on history, about Cicero!

31. What was the name of the brother of Cicero? Quintus Tullius Cicero
32. In which year was Cicero consul? 63 BC
33. Was the oration about Milo in his defence or attacking him? Defence
34. Was Cicero a supporter of Caesar or of Pompeius? Pompeius
35. What was Cicero's first famous oration, which gave him a solid reputation as a lawyer? The one in defence of Sextus Roscius Amerinus
36. What was the name of his most beloved slave? Tiro
37. What major event in Cicero's life happened in 58 BC? He was exiled and went to northern Greece
38. In which oration accuses Cicero a patrician of having conspired against the state? In Catilinam
39. In which town was Cicero born? Arpinum
40. Of which roman province was Cicero proconsul? Cilicia

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

Thank you very much, Ariadne. Here are a few more:

GEOGRAPHY

23. What was the lake of the underworld? The Acheron.
24. Where did emperor Traianus come from? Hispania.

HISTORY

41. Did Troy really exist? Yes.
42. Who discovered Troy? Heinrich Schliemann.
43. How many Gordiani have been proclaimed emperor in Roman history? Three.
44. Which tribe drove the Gallo-Romans away from Belgica? The Franks.
45. What was the most renowned part of the Hunnic army? Their cavalry.

SCIENCE & PHILOSOPHY

21. Who is the muse of astronomy? Urania.
22. What are Phobos and Deimos other than the horses of Ares? The two moons of the planet Mars

RELIGION & MYTHOLOGY

22. Which writer discusses Atlantis? Plato
23. Who was the father of Romulus and Remus? Mars
24. Why is emperor Flavius Claudius Iulianus called 'the Apostate'? He reverted to Roman paganism from christianity.

ARTS & LITERATURE

19. The Greek letter "alpha" is probably derived from a Phoenician letter. Which one? Aleph
20. Why is God sometimes depicted with, to his left and right side, the Greek letters alpha and omega? Because he represents the beginning and end of everything, just like alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet
21. Which emperor wrote a book on baldness? Domitianus.
22. Which emperor wrote a work on the Etruscans that was later burnt by christians? Claudius
23. Is Latin more akin to ancient Greek than to ancient Celtic languages? No.
24. Was Agamenon killed in the Trojan War? No.
25. Who killed Achilleus? Paris
26. What does SPQR stand for? Senatus Popolusque Romanorum

DAILY LIFE

1. What was the colour of factio Albata? White
2. What was the colour of factio Russata? Red
3. What was the colour of factio Aurata? Gold
4. What was the colour of factio Praesina? Green
5. What was the colour of factio Veneta? Blue
6. What was the colour of factio Purpurea? Purple
7. What was a cena? A Roman dinner.
8. Which emperor instituted the short-lived Purple and Golden racing factions in the circus? Domitianus.

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Draco

[ariadne sergia fausta]

Gratias Draco, it seems that the TP of antiquity is going to be a project of the two of us....

Daily life

9. What is the Latin name for a bedroom? Cubiculum
10. Which author wrote the most famous roman cookbook? Apicius
11. What happened to the bulla, a kind of amulet on the 16th birthday of a child? It was sacrified to the housegods
12. On which day school started in ancient Rome? 24th of March
13. Were kids allowed in the baths? No
14. What is the ius vitae necisque? The right of a father to decide on life and death of his children
15. Who were more free, Greek or Roman women? Roman
16. A married woman wears a specific piece of clothing, which? A stola
17. Did Roman women wore high heels? No
18. What is a toga pulla? A toga of dark wool worn during periods of mourning

Ariadne

[Marcus Pomponius Lupus]

Salvete,

Sorry for not coming up with any questions yet, I couldn't acces the computer for a while and I was rather busy since I got it back. Anyway, here are a few remarks about previous questions:

How many heads did Cerberus have? - Four

There are always different traditions, but I thought the communis opinio was that he had three heads, that's how Ovidius describes him anyway : "Quo simul intravit sacroque a corpore pressum ingemuit limen, tria Cerberus extulit ora et tres latratus semel edidit."

What is the 'kalakogathia'? The supreme ideal ("both good and beautiful") of Platonic thought

The correct term is "Kalokagathia", which comes from "kalos kai agathos", beautiful and good

In which year was Carthago finally defeated and destroyed? - 164 BC.

When was Carthago finally defeated? - 202 Zama

Which one is it ?

Also, what are the categories, because I lost track of them, I like the idea of Marius of having a Military category, do we have one ?

I'll come up with some questions of my own later

Valete bene
Lupus

[Marcus Pomponius Lupus]

Some questions, I'll post ten at a time

-----------------------

Who was the mother of Romulus and Remus – Rhea Silvia

Who wrote the Georgica – Vergilius

What did Ovidius and Juvenalis have in common – They were both banished

What does “Do ut Des” mean – “I give so that you would give”

Where is Magna Graecia situated – South-Italy

Who murdered Remus – Romulus

Who was killed by Aeneas at the end of the Aeneis – Turnus

Which people did Turnus command – The Rutuli

Who was the father of Aeneas – Anchises

What does Caligula mean – Little (army) boots

----------------------------

Valete
Lupus

[Marcus Pomponius Lupus]

just one more thing:

Whose last words allegedly were "Applaud; the comedy is over."? Augustus.

In Latin this is "Plaudite; Acta est fabula", but why do you translate as "comedy" ? I would rather say "play" instead

L.

[Quintus Pomponius Atticus]

Salvete Lupe et alii,

I have repeatedly met two different versions of Augustus' last words : both begin with "plaudite amici", but the one ends as you mention (acta est fabula) while the other one ends in "comoedia finita est". Perhaps this has caused the confusion of fabula being translated as comedy, as you observed. Do you (or does any one else) know the source(s) in which these famous words were transmitted ? I thought it was Suetonius but could not find it there.

Perhaps we could open another topic with famous "last words" from antiquity. Worth mentioning imo is surely Nero's "qualis artifex pereo" or Hadrian's beautiful epitaph written for himself :

Animula vagula, blandula
hospes comesque corporis,
quae nunc abibis in loca
pallidula, rigida, nudula,
nec, ut soles, dabis iocos.

Speaking of epitaphs, does any one know the origin of the famous line "non fui, fui, non sum, non curo" often used on the graves of atheists and other kinds of freethinkers ? On a sidenote, it will not surprise my Belgian colleagues that prof. Etienne Vermeersch has chosen the phrase as his future epitaph, as little as it will surprise them that I like its humorous realism as well .

That's enough off-topic sidenotes for today .
Valete,

Atticus

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

How many heads did Cerberus have? - Four

There are always different traditions, but I thought the communis opinio was that he had three heads, that's how Ovidius describes him anyway : "Quo simul intravit sacroque a corpore pressum ingemuit limen, tria Cerberus extulit ora et tres latratus semel edidit."

Actually, I thought this as well but I let it pass since I'm not the mythology or religion expert here.

What is the 'kalakogathia'? The supreme ideal ("both good and beautiful") of Platonic thought

The correct term is "Kalokagathia", which comes from "kalos kai agathos", beautiful and good

Oops, switched an "a" and an "o" then. I'll correct it.

In which year was Carthago finally defeated and destroyed? - 164 BC.

When was Carthago finally defeated? - 202 Zama

Which one is it ?

I actually think it is 146 BC. I mistyped my question. I guess the second question refers to the breaking of Carthago's military strength (the third Punic war was like Nazi Germany invading Belgium in 1940).

Also, what are the categories, because I lost track of them, I like the idea of Marius of having a Military category, do we have one ?

Military is covered under history, unless the question refers to geopolitics, then geography may also apply.

Optime vale,
Draco

[Aldus Marius]

Salvete iterum...

You've seen the sample questions I gave above. I agree that the names-and-dates type of stuff (generals-and-battles) fits right in with History. However, I still think that we really need a "Military" category for items pertaining to organization and daily life of the Roman armed forces. Perhaps we could call it "Military Science", defined as the sorts of things a Roman soldier needed to know -and- the sorts of things modern scholars need to know about him? If my length of study tells me anything, it's that the field is rather vast even without the names-and-dates...

Worth another listen is...

[Gnaeus Dionysius Draco]

Salve Mari,

The problem is that we have to work within the number of categories traditionally made in Trivial Pursuit, because it should be played with the regular board. Creating an additional category means removing another one. And while I'm sure military science or history could very well be a category on its own, so could language, for instance.

Optime vale,
Draco