Pompeii & Herculaneum
What volcano erupted in AD 79, destroying Pompeii and Herculaneum?
Mount Vesuvius.
What was the name given to the enslaved population who worked Spartan agricultural land?
Helots
Who became emperor after the death of Augustus in AD 14?
Tiberius
What was Agrippina the Younger’s relationship to Nero?
he was his mother.
Spartan brides reportedly had their hair cut short and dressed in what traditionally masculine item before marriage?
A man’s cloak/clothing.
What do the tombs surrounding Pompeii reveal about the importance of status in Roman society?
Wealthy individuals and families used elaborate tombs, inscriptions and monuments to publicly display their wealth, achievements, occupations and social status.
According to later Spartan tradition, what unusual form of “money” was supposedly used to discourage wealth and luxury?
Iron bars / iron spits.
Which Julio-Claudian emperor launched the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43?
Claudius
Which emperor was Agrippina’s brother and exiled her in AD 39?
Gaius (Caligula).
Which two members of the Julio-Claudian family are accused of engaging in incestual behaviours (accused is the key word here)
Gaius (Caligula) - with all three of his sisters, but especially Drusilla. Agrippina the Younger - with Nero (this comes from a very hostile account, so is most likely just ancient gossip)
Name THREE buildings at Pompeii that provide evidence for leisure and entertainment.
Any three of: amphitheatre, Large Theatre, Small Theatre/Odeon, baths, palaestra.
According to Plutarch, what TWO unusual things were done to a Spartan bride as part of the marriage ritual?
Her hair was cut short and she was dressed in men’s clothing.
Which two imperial freedmen became particularly powerful under Claudius?
Pallas and Narcissus.
What prestigious title was granted to Agrippina in AD 50?
Augusta
What was the name of Pompeii’s famous purpose-built brothel?
The Lupanar.
Why is the display of human remains and plaster casts at Pompeii considered an ethical issue?
Because the remains represent real people who died, raising questions about dignity, consent, privacy and whether human remains should be displayed for education or tourism.
What type of Spartan art was exported widely across the Greek world and provides evidence that early Sparta was not always culturally austere?
Laconian painted pottery. Early Sparta also produced bronzes and ivory carvings.
Which Julio-Claudian emperor constructed a major new harbour at Ostia and completed the Anio Novus aqueducts?
Claudius.
Which two men promoted by Agrippina became major advisers during the beginning of Nero’s reign?
Seneca and Burrus.
which Julio-Claudian empress supposedly sneaked out at night and worked in a brothel under the name “Lycisca”?
Messalina
What modern technology has allowed researchers to examine the internal features of Pompeii’s plaster casts without damaging them?
CT scanning / computed tomography, which can reveal skeletal remains, teeth, injuries and other features inside the casts.
Which TWO groups received special honour in Spartan funerary customs?
Men who died in war and women who died in childbirth.
Which Praetorian Prefect helped Agrippina secure Nero’s accession in AD 54 and later became one of Nero’s key advisers?
Sextus Afranius Burrus.
Which ancient historian portrays Agrippina as exercising unusually visible political influence alongside Claudius, while which modern historian argues that her genuine political achievements have often been obscured by the hostile ancient tradition?
Tacitus and Anthony Barrett.
According to Xenophon, what was the supposedly acceptable purpose of a relationship between an older Spartan man and a younger male, and what aspect did he claim Spartans condemned?
t was meant to be an educational/mentoring relationship focused on developing the younger male’s character and virtue; Xenophon claimed that sexual relations based purely on physical desire were considered disgraceful.