Ten questions on Greece and Rome, each noting what survived into the present.
The classical world is unusually present in daily life, from the months of the calendar to the shape of public buildings. This quiz covers the Greek city-states and the Roman transition from republic to empire, alongside the literature, engineering and language that carried forward. It treats the two civilisations as a single connected story, because Rome inherited a great deal from Greece. The explanations flag the surviving traces wherever they exist.
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
Play it insteadAnswer: A. Sparta
Why: Spartan society organised itself around military training from childhood. Athens, its principal rival, is better known for democracy and philosophy.
Answer: C. Athena
Why: It was built in the fifth century BC on the Acropolis for Athena, the city's patron. The city took its name from her.
Answer: D. Augustus
Why: Octavian took the name Augustus and effectively ended the Republic in 27 BC. Julius Caesar, his adoptive father, was never emperor.
Answer: C. Greece
Why: They took place at Olympia from roughly 776 BC as a religious festival for Zeus. The modern revival began in 1896.
Answer: B. The Iliad
Why: Homer is credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Aeneid is a later Roman epic by Virgil, deliberately modelled on them.
Answer: C. Latin
Why: Latin was the language of administration and law, and became the ancestor of French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Greek remained dominant in the eastern empire.
Answer: A. 44 BC
Why: He was killed by a group of senators in March 44 BC. The civil wars that followed ended the Republic entirely.
Answer: D. 50
Why: The system runs I, V, X, L, C, D, M for 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000. Numerals remain in use for clock faces and formal dates.
Answer: C. A volcanic eruption
Why: Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, burying both under ash and volcanic material. That covering preserved buildings and objects in extraordinary detail.
Answer: A. Their durability and directness
Why: They were layered for drainage and run remarkably straight where terrain allowed. Some stretches still carry traffic today.
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