Antiquity quiz

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1. Utnapishtim

The ancient Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest works of literature still extant. One important episode features a man named Utnapishtim, who:

2. An ax to grind?

Around 480 B.C., a Greek philosopher advanced scientific knowledge by working out the true cause of astronomical eclipses. His name was:

3. Athens vs. whom?

The Peloponnesian war lasted for several decades in the fifth century B.C. One side was led by Athens, and their main adversary was:

4. Etruscan enigma

The Etruscans were a people of ancient Europe whose civilization was influential for much of the millennium preceding the Christian era. Their homeland of Etruria lay within the borders of which modern country?

5. Silphion

An important element of fine cuisine in ancient Greece and Rome was silphion. What was it?

6. No small achievement

One of the seven “wonders of the ancient world” was the Colossus of Rhodes, an enormous bronze statue of a male figure. Whom did the figure represent?

7. The road to Carthage

Between 264 and 146 BC, the rival empires of Carthage and Rome met in the three “Punic wars”. In which modern country was the city of Carthage located?

8. Friends? Romans? Countrymen?

Who were Casca and Cinna, and what did they have to do with Julius Caesar?

9. Shooting like a Parthian

In ancient warfare, what was “The Parthian Shot”?

10. The great Augustus

Augustus Caesar, the first of the Roman emperors, was born in September in 63 B.C., and died in August (which was named for him) in 14 A.D. How old was he?