Certamen Starter Kit #1

1. "Virum mihi, Camena, insece versutum" are the words in Saturnian meter that begin what work of Livius Andronicus?

2. According to Hesiod's Theogony, what river in the Underworld was the oldest of the children of Oceanus and Tethys?

3. According to Homer, which god created a new shield for Achilles?

4. According to Homer, who was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea?

5. According to legend, who was predicted to become king of Rome when flames were observed around his head as he slept in his crib?

6. According to Livy, who organized the coup which overthrew Tarquinius Superbus and established the Roman Republic?

7. According to Ovid, what god enduced the Theban women who followed him to create chaos while intoxicated by his wine?

8. After a bride's hair was divided by a spear, what set of ribbons held the six locks in place?

9. August 24th, October 5th, and November 8th were all days considered unfavorable for marriages because of the occurance of what phenomenon?

10. By what collective name do we know the daughters of Zeus and Themis who presided over Justice, Peace, and Order?

11. By what collective name do we know the sisters Euryale, Stheno, and Medusa?

12. Considered by Cicero to be the "greatest Roman tragedian", which author wrote various tragedies centered on the Trojan War Saga?

13. Equipped with the caduceus and winged sandals, what messenger god led souls to the underworld?

14. Essay, squat, coagulate, and transaction all derive from what Latin verb with what meaning?

15. For his defeat of what king of Caenina did Romulus earn the first ever Spolia Opima?

16. From what Latin noun with what meaning do we derive the English words "duel" and "rebellion"?

17. From what Latin noun with what meaning do we derive the English words "sewer" and "aqueduct"?

18. Give the Latin motto of Amherst College.

19. Give the Latin motto of Brooklyn College.

20. Give the Latin motto of the University of Oregon which is translated in English as "the mind moves the mass".

21. In what early Italic meter did Andronicus compose his Odyssia?

22. In what play by Plautus does the title character trick the pimp Ballio out of a girl for his master?

23. In which play of Plautus does Tranio hide his master's love affair with a rumor that his father's house is haunted?

24. Name the shepherd and his wife who discovered Romulus and Remus.

25. Name the three original tribes of Rome which were established by Romulus.

26. Name the wife of L. Tarquinius Priscus whom tradition credits for his succession to the kingship of Rome.

27. On what occasion might you hear a Roman say "quando tu Gaius, ego Gaia"?

28. Phlegethon, Acheron, Lethe, Cocytus, and Styx all belong to what group?

29. Reared by the Lycian King Amisodarus, what creature had the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a snake?

30. Regularly carried by a camillus, what small covered gift basket of utensils was a key symbol of the Confarreatio ceremony?

31. Tarquinnius Priscus enlarged the Senate by adding another 100 members, many of whom were probably Etruscan. What were these new members called?

32. The consecration of the temple of Jupiter Elicius, the creation of a twelve month lunar calendar, and the insitution of twelve Salii all occurred duri

33. The construction of the Mamertinum and the Pons Sublicius both ocurred during the reign of which king of Rome?

34. The Fetiales, Flamines, Pontices, and Vestal Virgins were among the priestly colleges established by which king of Rome?

35. The word "Cereal" derives from the name of what Roman goddess of agriculture?

36. Translate into English the motto of Columbia University, which is rendered in Latin as "In lumine tuo videbimus lumen".

37. Under what king was the forum drained to become the center of commercial, social, and political life?

38. Upon which river in the Underworld did the Gods swear their oaths?

39. Usually fastened by the nodus Herculaneus, what garment did women wear on their wedding day?

40. What author, a member of the collegium scribarum histrionumque, produced the first Latin translation of Homer's Odyssey?

41. What author, born at Brundisium, was described by Cicero as the greatest of Latin tragedians?

42. What author, born at Suessa Aurunca, wrote 30 books of satires entitled Sermones?

43. What author, earned a living as a painter, although the success of his Latin tragedies earned him the distinction as the greatest author of the genre?

44. What author, regarded as primitive by Horace and Ennius, is said to have paved the way for Latin Literature with his translation of the Odyssey?

45. What author, whose work Cicero regards as antiquated, earned the title "Father of Latin Poetry" because of his translation of Homer's Odyssey?

46. What ceremony, during which the deities Tellus, Picumnus, and Pilumnus were honored, was culminated with an offering of spelt cake to Zeus?

47. What English derivative of the adjective "alter" means "unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others"?

48. What English derivative of the adjective "altus" means "disdainfully proud or scornfully arrogant"?

49. What English derivative of the adjective "bonus" is "a premium or reward, especially one offered by a government"?

50. What English derivative of the noun "ager" is "a person who journeys to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion"?

51. What English derivative of the noun "bos" is "a type of brass horn typically used for sounding military signals"?

52. What English derivative of the verb "audio" means "to follow commands or instructions"?

53. What Greek goddess of wisdom was born from Zeus' head?

54. What group of one-eyed giants were in charge of forging Zeus' thunderbolts?

55. What group of sisters, concieved when Zeus lay with Mnemosyne for nine nights, were the patronesses of various arts?

56. What is the Latin term for the adoption of one paterfamilias by another paterfamilias?

57. What is the Latin title of the first prose historical text in Latin, written by Cato the Elder?

58. What king of Rome was killed when it became clear that his adopted son Servius Tullius was being groomed as his successor?

59. What Latin adjective with what meaning lies at the root of maraschino?

60. What Latin noun with what meaning is at the root of era?

61. What Latin noun with what meaning lies at the root of bugle and beef?

62. What Latin term describes the relationship between people related by blood?

63. What Latin verb with what meaning is at the ultimate root of transaction?

64. What man, having seen 12 vultures fly overhead, interpreted that he would be the rightful king of Rome and killed his brother?

65. What manumitted slave of the senator Terentius Lucanus began scripting plays which earned much scrutiny because of their tendency to make slaves use c

66. What play of Plautus deals with Hegio's attempt to recover his two lost sons and contains no female characters?

67. What play of Plautus, in which long lost twins are reunited, is the model for Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors?

68. What play of Terence in which brothers separated at birth are reunited is often considered his masterpeice?

69. What poet claimed that Homer appeared to him in a dream and called him his reincarnation in the proem of his Annales?

70. What ruler of Olympus relied on his thunderbolts to help maintain order?

71. What school has as its Latin motto "Civium in moribus rei publicae salus", which means "in the character of its citizens lies the welfare of the state

72. What school has as its Latin motto "Terras irradient" which means "let them illuminate the earth"?

73. What son of Ocrisia, a captive of war, became the sixth king of Rome?

74. What two bothers were raised by a she-wolf until they were discovered by the shepherd Faustulus and his wife?

75. What two young men killed Amulius and restored their grandfather Numitor to his rightful throne of Alba Longa?

76. What type of bird derives from the Latin noun meaning "gold"?

77. What whirlpool-like monster made it impossible for Odysseus' ships to pass safely through the Straits of Messina?

78. What woman after treacherously allowing the Sabines into Rome was thrown from a rock which now bears her name?

79. What woman vowed to allow the Sabines into Rome if they gave her the gold on their arm but was instead crushed by their shields?

80. What woman was deified as the goddess Hora after the death of her husband Romulus?

81. Which author, whom Horace called his "light", was a prolific writer of Latin Satires?

82. Which Greek Olympian was called the "Earthshaker" because he was responsible for earthquakes?

83. Which king of Rome assumed the deified name Quirinus?

84. Which king of Rome had a co-regent, a Sabine named Titus Tatius?

85. Which king of Rome oversaw the first Roman coinage, constructed a temple to Diana with help from neighboring Latin cities, and was the victim of a dea

86. Which king of Rome purchased three of the Sibylline books only after allowing the other six to be burned?

87. Which king of Rome was killed when the palace roof was struck by lightning causing a fire?

88. Which king of Rome was raised by a shepherd named Faustulus and his wife Acca Larentia?

89. Which king of Rome was said to receive prophecies from a water nymph named Egeria?

90. Which king of Rome, often identified with the Etruscan hero Mastarna, took the first census, divided the city into four regions, and sourrounded its s

91. Which king, a grandson of Numa, built a bridge across the Tiber and annexed the Janiculum hill?

92. Which of the Muses is often depicted holding a tragic mask and a wreath of vines because of her connection with the theater?

93. Which part of a Roman's name denotes his gens?

94. Which play of Plautus, in which the prologue is spoken by the Lar Familiaris, centers around the misfortunes of Euclio who has hidden his pot of gold?

95. Which play of Plautus, the only with a mythological subject, concludes with the line "clap your hands, audience, for Jupiter Almighty's sake"?

96. Which play of Terence was overshadowed by a show of tightrope walkers during its first production and later failed to hold the audience at the funeral

97. Which play of Terence, in which Sostrata, the mother-in-law of Pamphilus makes her debut, needed three attempts at production and is considered his wo

98. Which Roman king added to the Senate a hundred members, who were called minores gentes?

99. Which Roman king was the son of Demaratus of Corinth, who fled to Etruria?

100. Which Roman praenomen is abbreviated P.?

101. Who accompanied Marcus Fulvius Nobilior on his Aetolian campaigns and commemorated his exploits in a fabula praetexta?

102. Who asked Zeus to give her the following as gifts

103. Who attempted to populate the city of Rome by holding a festival in honor of the god Consus in order to attract the nearby Sabine women?

104. Who boldy claimed "it's fate that makes the Metelli consul's at Rome" causing his exile to Utica?

105. Who established a twelve month lunar calendar and established various priestly colleges during his peaceful reign as second king of Rome?

106. Who killed Acron and earned the first ever Spolia Opima?

107. Who leapt over the pomerium upon seeing six vultures and was killed instantly by his brother?

108. Who spent the remainder of his life as an exile in Utica because of insults to the powerful Metelli family in his poetry?

109. Who took refuge at Caere in Etruria after he and his sons were banished from Rome in 509 BC?

110. Who was protected from his father's cannibalism by noises made by the clashing of the spears and shields of the Corybantes?

111. Who was the wife of Romulus?

112. Who wrote fabulae praetextae entitled Romulus and Clastidium?

113. Who wrote the first Latin prose text entitled De Agri Cultura?

114. With what play does Terence make his literary debut?