Major Deities
This blacksmith god, whose symbol is the anvil, was said to be working at his underground forge during volcanic eruptions.
Who is Hephaestus/Vulcan?
Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, established this religious group of maidens who tended to the sacred fire.
Who are the Vestal Virgins?
This dramatist, who died in exile in Utica, is known for writing "fabulae praetextae" and the historical epic Bellum Punicum, as well as his feud with the Metelli family.
Gnaeus Naevius
This head of a Roman family had "sui iuris" over the other members of the household.
From this Latin adjective meaning "sharp," we derive the words "eager" and "vinegar."
What is acer?
This deity is symbolized by a stalk of wheat and presided over agriculture.
Who is Demeter/Ceres?
This last king of Rome, an Etruscan whose name means "the Proud," was exiled from Rome along with his son Sextus.
Who is Tarquinius Superbus?
This comic playwright's longest work is Miles Gloriosus. He lived from about 250 - 184 BCE and inspired a modern Broadway play.
Who is Plautus?
This month was considered an unlucky time for marriages.
What is May?
This bird of prey takes its name from the Latin buteo.
What is the buzzard?
This bird is the symbol of Juno, goddess of marriage and wife of Jupiter.
What is a peacock?
This sixth king of Rome built the Servian Wall around the city.
Who is Servius Tullius?
The first Roman historian to write in Latin, this old-fashioned author wrote Origines and De Agri Cultura.
Who is Cato the Elder?
This third name of Roman citizens marked branches of a family and typically described a personal characteristic.
What is the cognomen?
This Latin verb, with its meaning, is the root of the words "agile" and "activity."
What is ago, agere (to do)?
This deity's symbols are the bident (two-pronged fork) and helmet of invisibility.
Who is Hades/Pluto?
The fifth king of Rome, who shares part of his name with his grandson, was of Etruscan origin and may have actually been named "Lucomo."
Who is Tarquinius Priscus?
This satirist was a model for Horace and was an ancestor of Pompey the Great. His collection of satires was titled Sermones.
Who is Lucilius?
This common praenomen, abbreviated C., belonged to Julius Caesar.
What is "Gaius"?
Tufts University's brief motto includes pax, or peace, and this other Latin noun with this meaning.
What is lux, meaning light?
This pinecone-topped staff was carried by Bacchus, the god of wine.
What is the thyrsus?
The wooden Pons Sublicius was built on the Tiber River by this fourth king of Rome.
Who is Ancus Marcius?
Who is Pacuvius?
What is conferreatio?
Wake Forest University's motto, meaning "For humanity," is this Latin phrase.
What is pro humanitate?