THE CERTAMEN QUESTIONS DATABASE http://www.speakeasy.net/~bwduncan THESE QUESTIONS COURTESY OF: BRADFORD W. DUNCAN, STANFORD UNIVERSITY EVENT: N/A LOCATION: N/A SECTION: SUBJECT AREA DIFFICULTY RATING: VARIES DATE: JULY 2001 # OF QUESTIONS: 75 NOTES: M. CARY & H.H. SCULLARD, HISTORY OF ROME DOWN TO THE REIGN OF CONSTANTINE, MACMILLAN PRESS LTS, 1975. THESE QUESTIONS COME FROM CHAPTER 12 (PAGES 113-123, endnotes). WHILE SOME MATERIAL IN THE QUESTIONS WAS INCORPORATED FROM OTHER SOURCES, THE ANSWERS ARE IN CARY & SCULLARD. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Which Greek historian was a leading politician of the Achaean League who incurred the suspicions of the Romans during their wars in Greece and suffered deportation to Italy in 167 BC? POLYBIUS (p. 113) 2. Who cataloged Roman history from 264 to 146 BC in a 40-book work, of which only 5 books survive complete? POLYBIUS (p. 113, 596) 3. According to tradition, in what year was Carthage founded? 814 BC (p. 596) 4. Describe the scope of the Carthaginian empire at the start of the First Punic War. coastlands of NORTH AFRICA, southern SPAIN, (p. 115) SARDINIA, CORSICA, and western SICILY 5. The ancient Bagradas corresponds to what river in modern Tunisia? MEDJERDA (p. 115) 6. The ancient Numidia corresponds to what modern country? ALGERIA (p. 115) 7. What was the Latin term for the 2 annually-elected chief magistrates of the Carthaginian oligarchy? SUFFETES (p. 116) 8. How many leading nobles sat on the inner council of the Carthaginian Senate? 30 (p. 116) 9. How many judges sat on the high Carthaginian court? 104 (p. 116) 10. In 279 the Romans and Carthaginians formed a military alliance against whom? PYRRHUS (p. 116) 11. The First Punic War began as a dispute over what Sicilian city? MESSANA (Messina) (p. 117) 12. What band of Campanian mercenaries served under Agathocles in Sicily and, after his death in 289 BC, seized Messana and plundered the surrounding territory? the MAMERTINI (Mamertines) (p. 117) 13. To what god does the name Mamertines refer? MARS (p. 117) see n1. 14. Which strategos of Syracuse captured Halaesa and Tyndaris, defeated the Mamertines at the Longanus River, was elected king, and put Messana under seige in 265 BC? HIEROn II (p. 117) 15. Who came to the aid of the Mamertines against King Hieron in 265 BC? the CARTHAGINIANS under Hanno the Great (p. 117) 16. At the request of the Mamertines, who expelled the garrison of Carthaginians from Messana in 264 BC? the ROMANS under Appius Claudius Caudex (p. 117) 17. Which Greek writer of the mid-third century asserted that in occupying Messana the Romans had broken a previous formal treaty of 306 by which they bound themselves to keep their hands off Sicily? PHILINUS of Acragas (p. 597) 18. How many Carthaginians died when the Romans took control of Messana in 264 BC? NONE (p. 117) see n2. 19. Which Roman consul led reinforcements against forces from Carthage and Syracuse that had put Messana under seige in 264 BC? APPIUS CLAUDIUS Caudex (p. 117) 20. In 263 BC, which consul drew lines of siege around the immensely strong fortications of Syracuse? Manius VALERIUS Maximus Messalla (p. 117) 21. Although Valerius's attack of Syracuse failed, what diplomatic success did he achieve in 263? HIEROn II ENDED HIS ALLIANCE WITH CARTHAGE (p. 117) and FORGED AN ALLIANCE on equal terms WITH ROME 22. On the strength of his diplomatic victory, what cognomen did Manius Valeius assume? MESSALLA (p. 597) 23. What was the first instance of a "triumphal" surname, or cognomen ex virtute, in a Roman family? MESSALLA (p. 597) 24. What Carthaginian city did the Romans capture in 262 BC? AGRIGENTUM (ACRAGAS) (p. 118) 25. During the First Punic War, what type of ships made up the Carthaginian navy? QUINQUEREMES (p. 118) 26. What was the term for a rotatable boarding-bridge of a Roman warship in the First Punic War? CORVUS (p. 118) 27. What did the Romans build in the spring of 260 BC? NAVY 28. When and where did the Roman naval fleet first engage the Carthaginians? Battle of MYLAE, 260 BC (p. 118) 28. What victorious admiral at the Battle of Mylae celebrated Rome's first naval triumph in 259 BC? Gaius DUILIUS (p. 118, 561) 29. What structure in the Roman Forum commemorated Rome's first naval triumph and was decorated with beaks of ships captured during the battle of Mylae? COLUMNA ROSTRATA (p. 118, 597) 30. Which tyrant of Syracuse attacked Carthage about 50 years before the First Punic War? AGATHOCLES (p. 118) 31. Who were the consuls of 256 who set out with a fleet to attack Carthage itself? Lucius Manlius VULSO Longus, Marcus Atilius REGULUS (p. 118) 32. When and where did Regulus defeat the Carthaginian navy? Battle of Cape ECNOMUS, 256 BC (p. 119) 33. Regulus defeated the Carthaginians at Adys and captured Tunis but offered unacceptable peace terms. When and where was he defeated and captured? Battle of the BAGRADES Valley, 255 BC (p. 119) see n3. 34. Who was the Spartan who helped the Carthaginians defeat Regulus? XANTHIPPUS (p. 119) 35. What happened soon after the Romans naval victory near Hermaeum in 255? the FLEET was caught in a storm and WRECKED off Pachynus (p. 119, 561) 36. After rebuilding their fleet, the Romans captured what Carthaginian stronghold in 254? PANORMUS (Palermo) (p. 119) 37. What happened to the Roman fleet in 255, 253, and again in 249? IT WRECKED (p. 119) 38. In June 250 BC, which consul successfully prevented a Carthaginian attempt to retake Panormus when he drove the Carthaginian elephants back on their battle lines? Lucius Cecilius METELLUS (p. 597) 39. Lucius Caecilius Metellus rounded up and displayed what animals in Rome, which became a kind of family badge? ELEPHANTS (Lucanian oxen) (p. 597) 40. The Romans unsuccessfully besieged what Punic stronghold beginning in 250 BC? LILYBAEUM (Marsala) (p. 119) 41. Which consul suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Drepana, losing 93 of 123 ships? Publius CLAUDIUS PULCHER (p. 119) 42. In what year was the battle of Drepana? 249 BC (p. 119) 43. Who was the Punic commander who destroyed the Roman fleet at Drepana? ADHERBAL (p. 119) 44. According to legend, what did Claudius Pulcher do, causing the Roman navy to be defeated at Drepana? when the sacred chickens would not (p. 597) eat (an unfavorable omen for battle), he THREW the SACRED CHICKENS OVERBOARD 45. Which consul supposedly said, "Then, let them drink," referring to sacred chickens that would not eat? Publius CLAUDIUS PULCHER (p. 597) 46. Which Carthaginian admiral herded the Roman fleet towards the coast in the Bay of Gela and left them to be destroyed by a rising south-westerly gale only a few days after the Roman defeat at Drepana? CARTHALO (p. 119) 47. Which consul had his fleet destroyed in 249 by Carthalo? IUNIUS PULLUS (p. 119) 48. In 247 BC to which young office did the Carthaginians confer the chief command in Sicily? HAMILCAR Barca (p. 120) 49. During the First Punic War, Hamilcar Barca launched guerilla attacks against the Romans from what 2 mountainous strongholds? MOUNT HEiRCTE and MOUNT ERYX (p. 120) see n4. 50. When and where was the final battle of the First Punic War? Battle of AEGATES ISLANDS, March 241 BC (p. 120) 51. Who was the victorious Roman admiral at the Battle of Aegates Islands? Gaius Lutatius CATULUS (p. 120) 52. At the end of the First Punic War, the Carthaginians surrended the island of Sicily. What indemnity were they to pay within 10 years? 3200 Euboic TALENTS OF SILVER (p. 120) see n5. 53. What name has been given to the revolt of mercenaries whom the Carthaginians had not paid? TRUCELESS (or LIBYAN) WAR (p. 598) 54. What island did the Romans occupy which the Carthaginians were busy supressing a mutiny of mercenaries shortly after the First Punic War ended? SARDINIA (p. 121) 54. In what year did the Romans occupy Sardinia? 238 BC (p. 121) 55. The advances of which Gallic tribe in 236 BC were arrested by the mere appearance of a Roman Army at Arminium? BOII (p. 122) 56. In 225 BC where did the Romans stop an invasion of Italy by a coalition of Gallic tribes? TELAMON (p. 122) 57. Who was the consul in 223 BC who led the first Roman army to cross the Po River and defeated the Insubres? Gaius FLAMINIUS (p. 122) 58. Who won the spoila opima in 222 BC by killing a the Insubrian chief Viridomarus at Clastidium in single combat? Marcus Claudius MARCELLUS (p. 122) 59. What is the better-known name of Rome's Great North Road that led to Arminium? VIA FLAMINIA (p. 122) 60. In what year was the Via Flaminia constructed? 220 BC (p. 561) 61. What road extended up the western coast of Italy, from Rome to Pisae? VIA AURELIA (p. 122) 62. In 241 BC the last 2 rural tribes were created to incorporate the Picentes and Sabines. What was the total number of tribes from this point onward? THIRTY-FIVE (p. 122) 63. In what year did Gaius Flaminius, a plebeian and a novus homo, first gain the consulship? 223 BC (p. 122) 64. Who was the tribune of the plebs in 232 BC who proposed that the Ager Gallicus taken from the Senones be divided into small allotments for poor citizens? Gaius FLAMINIUS (p. 122) 65. Who was the only senator to support Quintus Claudius' law of 218 to prohibit senators from possessing ships of sea-going capacity in an effort to limit their involvement in private commerical enterprise? Gaius FLAMINIUS (p. 122) 66. In what year were Sardinia and Corsica constituted as Rome's second province? 227 BC (p. 122) 67. Why was the number of praetors increased from 2 to 4 in 227 BC? each of the two PROVINCES WERE NOW GOVERNED BY A PRAETOR (p. 122) see n6. 68. Prior to 227 BC, which official governed Sicily? QUAESTOR (p. 122) 69. What organized activity of the Illyrians led the Senate to remonstrate with the reigning queen in 230 BC? PIRACY (p. 123) 70. Who was the queen of the Illyria during the First and Second Illyrian Wars? TEUTA (p. 123) 71. After the Senate's remonstrance with Queen Teuta, the matter would have ended had it not been for what event? the MURDER OF A ROMAN ENVOYS (p. 123) see n7. 72. When was the First Illyrian War? 229-228 BC (p. 123) 73. Although confirmed as an amicus of Rome following the First Illyrian War, whose buccaneering resulted in the brief Second Illyrian War? DEMETRIUS of Pharos (p. 123) 74. When was the Second Illyrian War? 219 BC (p. 123) 75. To whom did Demetrius flee after the Second Illyrian War? PHILIP OF MACEDON (p. 123) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- n1. Mamertini means "sons of Mamers," the Oscan form of Mars. (OCD, p. 915) n2. There was no shedding of blood; the Carthaginians tamely withdrew from the city. n3. According to later legend, Regulus returned to Rome to negotiate an exchange of prisoners (or terms of peace), argued in the Senate against any concessions to the Carthaginians, and returned to Carthage (as he had agreed) where he was tortured to death. See C&S pp. 597-8. n4. Mount Hercte has been identified as either Mount Pellegrino or Mount Castellaccio. n5. Rome allowed King Hiero, whose treaty had been renewed in 248, to maintain his kingdom. The remainder of Sicily became Rome's first overseas province. If a Attic-Euboic talent weighed 25.86 kg (OCD p. 1621), 3200 talents is 182,048 pounds of silver! n6. As praetor in 227 BC, Gaius Flaminius was the first annual governor of Sicily (OCD, p. 600). n7. The brothers Gaius and Lucius Coruncanius had been dispatched by the Senate as envoys. According to Polybius, one of the envoys responded angrily to the queen, who had him killed on his return voyage.