Quiz on The Colosseum

In which country is the Colosseum located?

• Greece
• Italy ✓ (Correct answer)
• Spain
• Egypt

Source: It stands in the heart of Rome, Italy, not the ancient Greek world many picture.

What were the famous arena fighters of the Colosseum called?

• Centurions
• Legionnaires
• Gladiators ✓ (Correct answer)
• Senators

Source: Centurions and legionnaires were soldiers; gladiators fought purely for the crowd.

Besides stone, the Colosseum was famously built using what material?

• Glass
• Bronze
• Plastic
• Concrete ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The Romans were concrete pioneers nearly 2,000 years before modern builders.

Which big cats were unleashed in the Colosseum's animal hunts?

• Lions ✓ (Correct answer)
• Jaguars
• Pumas
• Cheetahs

Source: Lions came from Africa; jaguars and pumas live only in the Americas, unknown to Rome.

Which 2000 blockbuster features a hero fighting inside the Colosseum?

• Spartacus
• Gladiator ✓ (Correct answer)
• Troy
• Ben-Hur

Source: Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator' won Best Picture and revived the Roman epic.

Spectators were shaded by a giant retractable what over the Colosseum?

• Net
• Awning ✓ (Correct answer)
• Glass dome
• Stone roof

Source: Sailors operated the huge cloth awning, the velarium, like a ship's rigging.

Roughly how many spectators could the Colosseum hold?

• About 5,000
• About 150,000
• About 50,000 ✓ (Correct answer)
• About 500,000

Source: Around 50,000 fans packed in, rivalling a modern football stadium.

By flooding the arena, the Romans could stage what spectacle?

• Swimming races
• Naval parades
• Water ballets
• Mock sea battles ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: They flooded the arena to re-enact full naval battles called naumachiae.

The Colosseum appears on which Italian euro coin?

• The 1-euro coin
• The 2-euro coin
• The 50-cent coin
• The 5-cent coin ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Look closely at Italy's 5-cent coin and you'll spot the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is one of the New 7 Wonders of what?

• The Ancient World
• The World ✓ (Correct answer)
• Europe
• Italy

Source: It made the modern New7Wonders list in 2007, chosen by global vote.

What was the maze of underground tunnels beneath the arena floor called?

• The catacombs
• The hypogeum ✓ (Correct answer)
• The aqueduct
• The forum

Source: The hypogeum hid lifts and cages that made beasts seem to appear by magic.

A gladiator could win his freedom, symbolized by a wooden what?

• Shield
• Crown
• Sword ✓ (Correct answer)
• Coin

Source: A wooden sword, the rudis, meant a fighter had earned his release.

Which natural force has repeatedly damaged the Colosseum over the centuries?

• Volcanic eruptions
• Floods
• Earthquakes ✓ (Correct answer)
• Sandstorms

Source: Major earthquakes, not Vesuvius, toppled much of the outer southern wall.

About how long did it take to build the Colosseum?

• About 1 year
• About 10 years ✓ (Correct answer)
• About 50 years
• About 100 years

Source: An astonishing decade of work raised this stadium with no modern machinery.

Emperors from which dynasty commissioned and completed the Colosseum?

• Julio-Claudian
• Flavian ✓ (Correct answer)
• Antonine
• Severan

Source: Its true name is the Flavian Amphitheatre, after the dynasty that built it.

What covered the arena's wooden floor during the games?

• Marble
• Gravel
• Grass
• Sand ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The word 'arena' comes from the Latin for sand, used to soak up blood.

Today the Colosseum is lit gold to protest what worldwide?

• War
• The death penalty ✓ (Correct answer)
• Hunger
• Pollution

Source: It glows gold whenever a death sentence is commuted somewhere on Earth.

The pockmarks scarring the Colosseum's walls come from removing what?

• Cannonballs
• Bullet impacts
• Metal clamps ✓ (Correct answer)
• Lost statues

Source: Scavengers pried out the iron clamps holding the stone, leaving thousands of holes.

The name 'Colosseum' most likely derives from a nearby giant what?

• Greek word for arena
• Statue ✓ (Correct answer)
• Roman general
• River

Source: A colossal bronze statue once stood beside it, lending the arena its nickname.

In roughly which century did the gladiatorial games finally end there?

• 1st century
• 5th century ✓ (Correct answer)
• 10th century
• 15th century

Source: The last recorded gladiator fights fizzled out in the 5th century AD.