Roman Landmarks
A funny thing happened on the way to this Roman center of government and commerce
What is the Forum?
This great warrior is named in the first line of the Iliad
Who is Achilles?
Contemporary interest in Greek mythology is largely thanks to this titular young-adult novel protagonist and demigod
Who is Percy Jackson?
The first person to make this fast-paced 26.1 mile trek was Pheidippides
This early Greek legislator had some seriously harsh punishments - many offenses would result in death
Who is Draco?
Sun in your eyes while you’re watching gladiatorial combat in this famous amphitheater? No worries – it's got retractable awnings
What is the Colosseum?
This "Nobody" took ten years to return home from the Trojan War
Who is Odysseus?
Who is [Julius] Caesar?
If you have arachnophobia or hemophobia, it means that spiders or blood (respectively) will elicit this reaction from you
What is fear?
Macedonians will be quick to remind you that this famous ruler was not from modern-day Greece
Don't forget to thank your local aediles for organizing the games here, the largest stadium in Rome
What is the Circus Maximus?
Although her face didn't launch a thousand ships, this captive still caused tension between Achilles and Agamemnon
Who is Briseis?
This philosopher helped shape modern philosophy with his famous dialogues, and later helped Bill and Ted finish their history project during their 1989 Excellent Adventure
Who is Socrates?
We all know hippopotamus means "water horse," but we get this similar animal's name from "nose" and "horn"
What is a rhinoceros?
This "first citizen of Athens" and re-builder of the Parthenon lends his name to a period in the mid-fifth century B.C.E.
Who is Pericles?
Marcus Agrippa, having been made consul three times, made this Roman temple around 125 C.E.
What is the Pantheon?
Don't tell Penelope, but Odysseus spends a year feasting with this witch, who turned half his men into swines
Disney's 1997 film Hercules features iconic actor Danny DeVito as this famed Trojan War archer, but in satyr form
Who is Philoctetes?
"...God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates" these, from the Greek words for "awesome lizards"
What are dinosaurs?
Known as the "Tenth Muse," only about 650 lines of her poetry survive today
Who is Sappho?
Besides the first permanent stage in Rome, this structure was also home to a statue gallery, gardens, temple, and the site of Julius Caesar's assassination
What is the Theater of Pompey?
Although they have similar names, these sons of Odysseus were brothers from (two) other mothers
Who are Telemachus and Telegonus?
The title of the 2006 film 300 refers to the (historically inaccurate) number of soldiers that King Leonidas leads into this battle
What is the Battle of Thermopylae?
This word for sadness, rooted in humorism, comes from the Greek for "black bile"
What is melancholy?
Do you think this Cynic philosopher could afford that storage container in the agora all by himself, or did he split rent with the dogs?
Who is Diogenes?