Culture Introduction Toss-Ups Flashcards
What was the woolen mantle worn to protect against dust or sudden showers?
lacerna, Week 3
Give the Latin term for the person whose duties included placing a titulus and pilleus upon slaves to prepare them for auction?
mango, Week 2
What building in Rome had eighty entrances?
Colosseum / Flavian Amphitheater, Week 4
In what year was the Flavian Amphitheater dedicated?
80 AD/CE, Week 4
What was the occupation of a libitinarius?
undertaker, Week 5
What tasty snack would the Romans refer to as malum persicum?
peach, Week 3
What ceremony, during which the deities Tellus, Picumnus, and Pilumnus were honored, was culminated with an offering of spelt cake to Zeus?
Confarreatio, Week 1
What is the Latin term for dramatic performances?
ludi scenici, Week 4
What does a sutor make?
shoes (cobbler), Week 5
In ancient times the Romans would flood the colosseum and imitate naval battles. What is the term for this type of spectacle?
Naumachiae, Week 4
Which republican magistrate was accompanied by six lictors and was responsible for the administration of justice?
praetor, Week 5
What was the weapon of choice of a laquaeator?
lasso, Week 4
Sea urchins, asparagus, sliced eggs, lettuce, and onions are examples of what part of the meal that might be served before the cēna?
gustus, Week 3
What is the Latin term for the 9th day after birth when an infant was given his name?
Dies Lustricus, Week 2
What drink was made of water and honey?
mulsa, Week 3
If you are in the circus and you have just witnessed a spatium, what have you just seen?
1 lap in a chariot race, Week 4
What is the term for the heavy wool wrap worn outside the toga?
paenula, Week 3
What is the term for a dinner party?
convivium, Week 3
What by-product was made by fermenting the intestines and other waste parts of fish?
garum / liquamen, Week 3
What did the Romans call a tax-collector?
publicanus, Week 5
What is the Latin term for the box in which tali were kept?
fritillus, Week 4
What was the best throw in a game of tesserae?
Venus Throw, Week 4
On what occasion might you hear a Roman say “quando tu Gaius, ego Gaia”?
wedding, Week 1
Generally worn by freedmen, what conical hat was also placed upon slaves during auctions?
pilleus, Week 2
What was a gladiator called at his first public appearance?
tiro, Week 4
What is the Latin term for a peach?
malum Persicum, Week 3
Who was always the opponent of a retiarius?
secutor, Week 4
What delicacy was known to the Romans as “glis”?
doormouse, Week 3
What is the Latin term for the footwear which Roman women wore indoors?
soleae, Week 3
What is the Latin term for a lap around the circus?
curriculum or spatium, Week 4
Give the Latin terms for the two major categories into which Roman clothing fell depending on whether they were wrapped or pulled over the head.
amictus & indutus (respectively), Week 3
What term classifies garments which are wrapped around the body instead of draped over the shoulders?
amictus, Week 3
What is the Latin term for the guardian spirit that entered the world with boys?
Genius, Week 2
Which toga was customarily adorned by boys at the age of 16 during their liberalia?
toga virilis, Week 3
What was the exercise ground of the baths called?
palaestra, Week 4
What is the Latin term for a slave who was in charge of managing a familia rustica?
vilicus, Week 2
What is the Latin term for a coarse wrap, older than the lacerna, and made of wool, leather, or fur?
paenula, Week 3
Which toga was often worn by triumphant generals?
toga picta, Week 3
How many laps were completed for a chariot race?
seven, Week 4
What is the Latin term for the adoption of one paterfamilias by another paterfamilias?
Adrogatio, Week 1
Which festival’s rituals included animal sacrifice in a cave on the Palatine followed by two young men wearing the skins of the sacrificed animals, whipping everyone they met?
Lupercalia, Week 6
Which Roman praenomen is abbreviated P.?
Publius, Week 1
What type of Roman funeral was called fūnus acerbum?
funeral for children, Week 5
In which room of a Roman house was it customary to eat?
triclinium, Week 2
What was the purpose of lustratio?
purification & averting the evil eye, Week 6
What was a fritillus?
a dice box, Week 4
Of what important guide for Rome were the priests called quindecemviri in charge?
Sybilline Books, Week 6
Regularly carried by a camillus, what small covered gift basket of utensils was a key symbol of the Confarreatio ceremony?
cumera, Week 1
If you were walking down a Roman street and you saw a man dressed in purple with his face painted red, whom would you most likely be looking at?
triumphant general, Week 3
What is the term for a training master for gladiators?
lanista, Week 4
In terms of meals, what is the meaning of secunda mēnsa?
dessert, Week 3
Which part of a Roman’s name denotes his gens?
nomen, Week 1
Usually fastened by the nodus Herculaneus, what garment did women wear on their wedding day?
tunica recta / tunica regilla, Week 1
What is the Latin term for a wholesale slave dealer?
mango, Week 3
What is the Latin term for the turning posts in the circus?
metae, Week 4
What kind of gladiator would usually depart the arena via the Porta Libitīnēnsis?
a dead one, Week 4
Due to its great length, a stola was always worn with what accessory?
zona, Week 3
Who oversaw the mixing of wine at a comissātiō?
Magister Bibendi / Rex Bibendi / Arbiter Bibendi, Week 3
What Phrygian goddess came to Rome in 205 BC during the Second Punic War?
Magna Mater, Week 6
Who was the first emperor to wear a beard?
Hadrian, Week 3
Who interpreted the will of the gods by bird flight patterns?
augures, Week 6
What is the Latin term for a pomegranate?
malam Punicum, Week 3
After a bride’s hair was divided by a spear, what set of ribbons held the six locks in place?
vittae, Week 1
In which part of a Roman house would you find an impluvium for collecting rain water?
atrium, Week 2
What device marked the hours of the night as well as day and could be used in the house with the use of water?
clepsydra, Week 2
What type of toga was worn by those called sordidātī, who were mourning the loss of a loved one?
toga pulla, Week 3
What Latin term describes the relationship between people related by blood?
cognati, Week 1
What unique characteristic identified a gladiator as a murmillō?
fish-crested helmet, Week 4
Which type of gladiator was armed with two swords?
dimachaerus, Week 4
What was an argentarius?
banker, Week 5
Which type of gladiator fought blindfolded?
andabata, Week 4
What is another term for gustus?
antecena, Week 3
What are Cerialia, Quirinalia, Matronalia, Lupercalia, and Saturnalia?
Roman Festivals, Week 6
What is the malum armeniacum?
apricot, Week 3
What piece of clothing might be considered the ‘uniform’ of a Roman citizen?
toga, Week 3
What is another term for the toga splendēns?
toga candida, Week 3
Which three Roman gods had priests known as flamines?
Jupiter, Mars, Quirinus, Week 6
What did the Romans call gladiators who used two swords?
dimachaerus, Week 4
Ientāculum, prandium, and cēna are all terms for what?
meals, Week 3
What type of Roman funeral was called fūnus plēbēium?
funeral for the poor / plebeians, Week 5
What is the Latin term for the sacrifice of a pig, a ram, and a bull?
Suovetaurilia, Week 6
What markers indicated the completion of a lap in the circus?
eggs & dolphins, Week 4
What was the worst throw in a game of tesserae?
Vulture Throw, Week 4
What are the Latin terms for the four factiones?
russata, albata, veneta, prasina, Week 4
What childhood amulet did Roman boys lay aside during their Liberalia when they assumed the toga virilis?
bulla, Week 2
What is the profession of a pistor?
baker, Week 5
During the Salutatio it was customary for clients to bring what small gift basket to their patrons?
sportula, Week 2
After taking a vow of 30 years of chastity, which priestesses were placed in charge of protecting the hearth fire?
Vestal Virgins, Week 6
Who fought with a heavy net and trident?
retiarius, Week 4
What is the name of the holiday on April 21st that celebrated Rome’s founding?
Parilia, Week 6
In which room of a Roman house was it customary to sleep?
cubiculum, Week 2
August 24th, October 5th, and November 8th were all days considered unfavorable for marriages because of the occurance of what phenomenon?
entrance to underworld opened, Week 1
In ancient Rome, what would have been the occupation of a caupo?
inkeeper, Week 5
Benches and lockers would be found in the room for undressing known as what in the thermae?
apodyterium, Week 4
What is the profession of a sutor?
shoemaker, Week 5
What is the profession of a publicanus?
tax-collector, Week 5
What is the term for the first, watery, dark and bitter flow of olive oil?
amurca, Week 3
