Claudius Flashcards
Which disability did Claudius reportedly have?
A) Blindness
B) Lisp, limp, and stutter
C) Deafness
D) Paralysis
B) Lisp, limp, and stutter
What family relation was Claudius to Caligula?
A) Nephew
B) Brother
C) Uncle
D) Son
C) Uncle
Claudius’ obscurity prior to becoming emperor was due to:
A) Political exile
B) Family embarrassment
C) His military failures
D) Academic failures
B) Family embarrassment
Who was Claudius’ brother?
A) Caligula
B) Augustus
C) Drusus
D) Tiberius
C) Drusus
What was Claudius mocked for by his family?
A) His oratory skills
B) His disabilities
C) His military failures
D) His wealth
B) His disabilities
What academic pursuit did Claudius focus on?
A) Engineering
B) Law
C) History
D) Mathematics
C) History
Who was Claudius’ famous tutor?
A) Livy
B) Tacitus
C) Tiberius
D) Nero
A) Livy
What position did Augustus give Claudius due to his oratory skill?
A) Consul
B) Augur
C) General
D) Senator
B) Augur
Where did Claudius spend most of his time during the reign of Tiberius?
A) Rome
B) Campania
C) Gaul
D) Egypt
B) Campania
Claudius’ interest in which activity earned him a reputation during his time in Campania?
A) Politics
B) Gambling and drinking
C) Hunting
D) Philosophy
B) Gambling and drinking
Which of Claudius’ statues portrayed him as a comic buffoon?
A) The center statue
B) The right statue
C) The left statue
D) All statues
C) The left statue
According to Suetonius, Claudius was described as:
A) Handsome but clumsy
B) Short and thin
C) Athletic and agile
D) Weak and ill throughout his reign
A) Handsome but clumsy
How did Claudius rise to power?
A) He was elected by the Senate
B) He was chosen by the Praetorian Guard
C) He inherited the throne
D) He seized power through force
B) He was chosen by the Praetorian Guard
What payment did Claudius promise the Praetorian Guard?
A) 10,000 sesterces
B) 15,000 sesterces
C) 20,000 sesterces
D) 25,000 sesterces
B) 15,000 sesterces
What territory did Claudius annex during his reign?
A) Gaul
B) Britannia
C) Egypt
D) Parthia
B) Britannia
Which famous public work was completed during Claudius’ reign?
A) Colosseum
B) Aqua Claudia
C) Pantheon
D) Trajan’s Forum
B) Aqua Claudia
What major Roman port did Claudius expand?
A) Port of Rome
B) Ostia
C) Alexandria
D) Brundisium
B) Ostia
Which freedman gained significant power under Claudius?
A) Narcissus
B) Sejanus
C) Agrippa
D) Pliny
A) Narcissus
Claudius’ third wife was:
A) Agrippina the Younger
B) Messalina
C) Julia
D) Livia
B) Messalina
Messalina was involved in an affair with:
A) Caligula
B) Silius
C) Nero
D) Tiberius
B) Silius
How did Claudius respond to Messalina’s affair?
A) Ordered her execution
B) Forgave her
C) Ignored it
D) Exiled her
A) Ordered her execution
Which of Claudius’ wives was involved in incestuous relations with him?
A) Agrippina the Elder
B) Agrippina the Younger
C) Messalina
D) Octavia
B) Agrippina the Younger
Claudius’ stepson who succeeded him as emperor was:
A) Nero
B) Augustus
C) Tiberius
D) Caligula
A) Nero
The Lyon Tablet contains a speech by Claudius about:
A) Expanding the empire
B) Admitting Gauls to the Roman Senate
C) Building public works
D) His military successes
B) Admitting Gauls to the Roman Senate
Tacitus’ version of Claudius’ speech differs by:
A) Being longer and more detailed
B) Exaggerating his disabilities
C) Removing personal anecdotes
D) Praising Claudius
C) Removing personal anecdotes
Claudius introduced which new letters into the Roman alphabet?
A) Three letters including Ⅎ (digamma)
B) Two letters including theta
C) A new form of Latin punctuation
D) Three new vowels
A) Three letters including Ⅎ (digamma)
Who wrote the “Apocolocyntosis” about Claudius?
A) Tacitus
B) Suetonius
C) Seneca the Younger
D) Plutarch
C) Seneca the Younger
The “Apocolocyntosis” mocks Claudius by suggesting he should be:
A) Deified
B) Exiled
C) Turned into a pumpkin
D) Celebrated
C) Turned into a pumpkin
What genre is the “Apocolocyntosis”?
A) Epic
B) Satire
C) Biography
D) Tragedy
B) Satire
How does Seneca depict Claudius’ disabilities in the “Apocolocyntosis”?
A) As insignificant
B) As tragic
C) As comically exaggerated
D) As non-existent
C) As comically exaggerated
What event caused Claudius to ascend to the throne?
A) A coup
B) Caligula’s assassination
C) Augustus’ death
D) An election by the Senate
B) Caligula’s assassination
Claudius was known for deferring to the Senate in:
A) Military decisions
B) Administrative matters
C) Foreign policy
D) Religious affairs
B) Administrative matters
Claudius was criticized for being too easily influenced by:
A) His generals
B) The Senate
C) Freedmen and women in his life
D) Foreign rulers
C) Freedmen and women in his life
Which military success helped legitimize Claudius as emperor?
A) The conquest of Britannia
B) The defeat of Parthia
C) The conquest of Gaul
D) The invasion of Greece
A) The conquest of Britannia
Claudius’ reign was marked by an emphasis on:
A) Military expansion
B) Economic reforms
C) Public works
D) Religious reforms
C) Public works
Who was Claudius’ fourth wife?
A) Messalina
B) Agrippina the Younger
C) Julia Livilla
D) Livia
B) Agrippina the Younger
How did Claudius die?
A) Assassinated by the Senate
B) Poisoned, likely by Agrippina
C) Killed in battle
D) Natural causes
B) Poisoned, likely by Agrippina
What did Claudius reportedly say when he discovered his wife’s affair?
A) “I will banish her.”
B) “Bring her back, I still love her.”
C) “She must be executed.”
D) “I will forgive her.”
B) “Bring her back, I still love her.”
What project was Narcissus criticized for mishandling under Claudius?
A) The Aqua Claudia
B) Draining the Fucine Lake
C) Building the Port of Ostia
D) The invasion of Britain
B) Draining the Fucine Lake
Claudius’ reliance on freedmen led to criticism from:
A) The plebeians
B) The army
C) The Roman aristocracy
D) His family
C) The Roman aristocracy
The main theme of Claudius’ coinage after Caligula’s reign was:
A) Claudius’ military victories
B) The liberation of the Roman people
C) The deification of Caligula
D) Roman expansion
B) The liberation of the Roman people
Which public work was completed during Claudius’ reign and involved large water projects?
A) Colosseum
B) Aqua Claudia
C) Trajan’s Market
D) Pantheon
B) Aqua Claudia
The “Lyon Tablet” speech primarily deals with:
A) Claudius’ views on women
B) Admitting Gauls to the Roman Senate
C) His military conquests
D) The economy of Rome
B) Admitting Gauls to the Roman Senate
In the “Lyon Tablet,” Claudius draws historical parallels to justify his arguments by referring to:
A) Romulus and Remus
B) Foreign kings like Numa and Tarquinius Priscus
C) Julius Caesar’s reforms
D) Augustus’ policies
B) Foreign kings like Numa and Tarquinius Priscus
Who was Claudius’ literary rival, often mocking him?
A) Livy
B) Tacitus
C) Seneca
D) Ovid
C) Seneca
What does “Apocolocyntosis” translate to?
A) The Deification of Claudius
B) The Exile of Claudius
C) The Pumpkinification of Claudius
D) The Death of Claudius
C) The Pumpkinification of Claudius
Who persuaded Claudius to adopt Nero as his heir?
A) Messalina
B) Narcissus
C) Agrippina the Younger
D) The Senate
C) Agrippina the Younger
Which Roman historian gives a critical view of Claudius’ rule, often focusing on his weaknesses?
A) Livy
B) Tacitus
C) Suetonius
D) Pliny
B) Tacitus
What legacy did Claudius’ reign leave for Nero?
A) A powerful and stable empire
B) An unstable political environment
C) A diminished military
D) A peaceful transition of power
B) An unstable political environment
