← All articles HISTORY · 21 October 2026

40 questions about ancient Greece and Rome

Quick answer: 40 quiz questions on ancient Greece and Rome: philosophers, gods, emperors, battles and buildings, with answers.

Round 1: Ancient Greece

Philosophers from this round are in the historical figures picture quiz.

#	Question	Answer
1	In which city did democracy begin?	Athens
2	Who taught Plato?	Socrates
3	Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey?	Homer
4	Where were the ancient Olympic Games held?	Olympia
5	What was the temple on the Athenian Acropolis called?	The Parthenon
6	Which city-state was famous for its warriors?	Sparta
7	Which king of Macedon conquered the Persian Empire?	Alexander the Great
8	Who is called the father of history?	Herodotus
9	Which mathematician wrote the Elements?	Euclid
10	Who shouted “Eureka!” according to legend?	Archimedes
11	Which battle in 490 BC gave its name to a running race?	Marathon
12	Which goddess was Athens named after?	Athena
13	What was a Greek city-state called?	A polis
14	Who was the king of the Greek gods?	Zeus
15	Which oracle did Greeks consult at Delphi?	The Oracle of Apollo (the Pythia)
16	Which philosopher founded the Lyceum?	Aristotle
17	Which Greek doctor is remembered in the physicians’ oath?	Hippocrates
18	What were the three main orders of Greek columns?	Doric, Ionic and Corinthian
19	Which playwright wrote Oedipus Rex?	Sophocles
20	Which wonder of the world stood on the island of Rhodes?	The Colossus of Rhodes

#	Question	Answer
21	Who, according to legend, founded Rome with his twin brother?	Romulus
22	In which year was Rome traditionally founded?	753 BC
23	Which arena hosted gladiator fights in Rome?	The Colosseum
24	Who was assassinated on the Ides of March in 44 BC?	Julius Caesar
25	Which language did the Romans speak?	Latin
26	Who was the first Roman emperor?	Augustus
27	Which Roman emperor built a wall across northern Britain?	Hadrian
28	Which city was Rome’s great rival in the Punic Wars?	Carthage
29	Which Roman structures carried water to cities?	Aqueducts
30	Which emperor made Christianity legal in 313 AD?	Constantine
31	Which Roman city was buried by Vesuvius?	Pompeii
32	What was the Roman marketplace and civic centre called?	The Forum
33	Which temple in Rome has a famous concrete dome with an opening at the top?	The Pantheon
34	Which emperor was famous for “fiddling while Rome burned”?	Nero
35	In which year did the Western Roman Empire fall?	476 AD
36	Which Roman general was the lover of Cleopatra after Caesar?	Mark Antony
37	What was the name of the Roman gods’ king?	Jupiter
38	Which road network phrase means every route leads to the capital?	“All roads lead to Rome”
39	Which Roman province covered modern Tunisia?	Africa
40	Which amphitheatre in Tunisia is one of the best preserved outside Italy?	El Jem

Legend says Romulus, in 753 BC.

Aristotle.