ThatQuiz Test Library Take this test now
Reign of Marcus Aurelius - Exam
Contributed by: Holloway
  • 1. Who was the predecessor of Marcus Aurelius as Emperor of Rome?
A) Augustus
B) Antoninus Pius
C) Nero
D) Julius Caesar
  • 2. What philosophical school did Marcus Aurelius follow?
A) Epicureanism
B) Aristotelianism
C) Stoicism
D) Platonism
  • 3. Marcus Aurelius is known for his collection of personal reflections known as what?
A) Thoughts of a Philosopher-King
B) Meditations
C) Marcus's Musings
D) Reflections of a Roman Emperor
  • 4. Which of Marcus Aurelius' sons eventually became his successor as Emperor?
A) Octavius
B) Maximus
C) Commodus
D) Lucius Verus
  • 5. In which year did Marcus Aurelius become Emperor?
A) 200 AD
B) 100 AD
C) 50 AD
D) 161 AD
  • 6. Who served as Marcus Aurelius' co-emperor and adoptive brother?
A) Nero
B) Julius Caesar
C) Constantine
D) Lucius Verus
  • 7. Which Roman province was the primary theater of operations during the Marcomannic Wars?
A) Dacia
B) Pannonia
C) Britannia
D) Achaia
  • 8. What was Marcus Aurelius' birth name?
A) Marcus Annius Verus
B) Titus Vespasianus Flavius
C) Julius Cassius Augustus
D) Lucius Aurelius Maximus
  • 9. Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations in which language?
A) Latin
B) Arabic
C) Greek
D) Spanish
  • 10. Marcus Aurelius was known for his policy of promoting individuals based on what rather than social status?
A) Merit
B) Noble birth
C) Wealth
D) Military service
  • 11. What catastrophic event struck the Roman Empire during Marcus Aurelius' rule?
A) Great Fire of Rome
B) Vesuvius Eruption
C) Antonine Plague
D) Barbarian Invasions
  • 12. Who was Marcus Aurelius' wife and Empress of Rome?
A) Faustina the Younger
B) Livia
C) Agrippina
D) Octavia
  • 13. Marcus Aurelius is often considered the last of the?
A) Flavian Emperors
B) Constantinian Emperors
C) Five Good Emperors
D) Julio-Claudian Emperors
  • 14. Which ancient historian referred to Marcus Aurelius as the last of the Five Good Emperors?
A) Plutarch
B) Tacitus
C) Suetonius
D) Cassius Dio
  • 15. What does the title 'Augustus' mean in Roman context?
A) Majestic
B) Noble
C) Wise
D) Honored
  • 16. When did Lucius Verus die, ending the joint rule with Marcus Aurelius?
A) 169
B) 180
C) 161
D) 177
  • 17. Which war did Rome fight under Marcus Aurelius from 161 to 166?
A) The Roman–Parthian War
B) The Punic Wars
C) The Gothic Wars
D) The Gallic Wars
  • 18. What title was Marcus Aurelius granted by the senate after Antoninus Pius's death?
A) Augustus
B) Pontifex Maximus
C) Caesar
D) Imperator
  • 19. What was the size of the special donative promised to the Praetorian Guard by Marcus and Lucius?
A) 5,000 denarii per capita
B) 10,000 sesterces per capita
C) 20,000 sesterces per capita
D) 30,000 sesterces per capita
  • 20. Where were the remains of Antoninus Pius laid to rest?
A) Forum Romanum
B) Hadrian's mausoleum
C) Colosseum
D) The Pantheon
  • 21. What did Marcus and Lucius nominate their father for after his death?
A) Cremation without honor
B) Burial in a common grave
C) Exile
D) Deification
  • 22. What did Marcus Aurelius transfer to his nephew Ummius Quadratus?
A) Lucius Verus’s inheritance
B) His entire fortune
C) The imperial treasury
D) Part of his mother's estate
  • 23. Where did Faustina give birth to her twins?
A) Athens
B) Rome
C) Lanuvium
D) Antioch
  • 24. What was the birthday shared by Marcus Aurelius's twin sons?
A) Augustus’s birthday
B) Nero’s birthday
C) Julius Caesar’s birthday
D) Caligula’s birthday
  • 25. At what age was Marcus Aurelius' daughter, Annia Lucilla, betrothed to Verus?
A) Eleven
B) Thirteen
C) Nine
D) Fifteen
  • 26. Who replaced Sextus Caecilius Crescens Volusianus as in charge of the imperial correspondence?
A) Titus Varius Clemens
B) Lucius Volusius Maecianus
C) Aufidius Victorinus
D) Charilas
  • 27. Who was appointed governor of Upper Germany?
A) Aufidius Victorinus
B) Titus Varius Clemens
C) Charilas
D) Lucius Volusius Maecianus
  • 28. On what date did Fronto return to his Roman townhouse?
A) 5 February
B) 10 January
C) 15 April
D) 28 March
  • 29. Who urged Marcus Aurelius to push the family's case regarding Matidia's will?
A) Fronto
B) Martius Verus
C) Heliodorus
D) C. Avidius Cassius
  • 30. Which Roman client state did the Parthians intervene in during 163?
A) Osroene
B) Armenia
C) Seleucia
D) Media
  • 31. Who first published 'Meditations' in 1558?
A) Martin Luther
B) Wilhelm Xylander
C) Thomas More
D) Erasmus of Rotterdam
  • 32. Where was Severianus trapped by Chosrhoes?
A) Elegeia
B) Cappadocia
C) Vienna
D) Alsium
  • 33. What was the original title of 'Meditations' if it had one?
A) Unknown
B) To Himself
C) Personal Reflections
D) Philosophical Thoughts
  • 34. What position did Heliodorus hold under Emperor Hadrian?
A) Governor of Syria
B) Commander of III Gallica
C) Prefect of Egypt
D) Ab epistulis
  • 35. Where did Marcus Aurelius die?
A) Vindobona (modern Vienna)
B) Antioch
C) Rome
D) Alexandria
  • 36. What was Marcus' attitude towards free speech during his early reign?
A) He strictly controlled and punished any dissent
B) He permitted it, allowing criticism without retribution
C) He ignored all forms of criticism
D) He encouraged only positive feedback
  • 37. What was C. Iulius Sohaemus' descent?
A) Arsacid
B) Greek
C) Parthian
D) Roman
  • 38. To whom did Fronto send a note upon returning to Rome?
A) Titus Varius Clemens
B) The imperial freedman Charilas
C) Marcus Aurelius
D) Lucius Verus
  • 39. Which ancient port city is possibly identified as Kattigara?
A) A city on the Nile River
B) A city in southern Spain
C) A city in northern India
D) A city near Guangzhou along the South China Sea
  • 40. Where did Marcus Aurelius take a holiday during the war?
A) Vienna
B) Cappadocia
C) Armenia
D) Alsium, in Etruria
  • 41. Who was installed as king in Armenia by Vologases IV?
A) Pacorus
B) Marcus Aurelius
C) Chosrhoes
D) Severianus
  • 42. Which modern figure is an admirer of 'Meditations'?
A) Barack Obama
B) Bill Clinton
C) George W. Bush
D) Donald Trump
  • 43. Which city did some Germanic tribes seize possession of?
A) Alexandria
B) Rome
C) Antioch
D) Ravenna
  • 44. Which philosophy is represented in Marcus Aurelius' notes?
A) Epicurean
B) Socratic
C) Cynic
D) Stoic
  • 45. Which city was the first publication of 'Meditations' in 1558?
A) London
B) Rome
C) Paris
D) Zurich
  • 46. Where did Lucius spend most of his time during the campaign?
A) Rome
B) Daphne
C) Laodicea
D) Antioch
  • 47. What was the capital of Osroene?
A) Edessa
B) Nisibis
C) Artaxata
D) Dura
  • 48. Who was re-installed as king of Osroene after the Parthians were driven out?
A) C. Iulius Sohaemus
B) Avidius Cassius
C) Lucius
D) Mannus
  • 49. What was the official reason given for the sacking of Seleucia?
A) A shortage of supplies
B) The Seleucids broke faith first
C) An order from Marcus Aurelius
D) A plague contracted in Seleucia
  • 50. In what year did Marcus Aurelius make Commodus co-emperor?
A) 179
B) 177
C) 172
D) 169
  • 51. Who among the following was not a known admirer of 'Meditations'?
A) Goethe
B) John Stuart Mill
C) Frederick the Great
D) Christina of Sweden
  • 52. In what year was the Armenian capital Artaxata captured?
A) 164
B) 163
C) 166
D) 165
  • 53. Who was a historical figure that admired 'Meditations' and was known as Julian the Apostate?
A) Theodosius I
B) Julian the Apostate
C) Constantine the Great
D) Valens
  • 54. What did Ptolemy describe as being visited by a Greek sailor named Alexander?
A) The Euphrates River
B) Kattigara, lying beyond the Golden Chersonese (Malay Peninsula)
C) The Great Wall of China
D) The city of Rome
  • 55. What did the coinage of 161 proclaim?
A) The greatness of Marcus and Lucius
B) The end of peace
C) Felicitas temporum (happy times)
D) A new era of war
  • 56. In which year did Roman forces re-occupy Edessa?
A) 163
B) 164
C) 165
D) 166
  • 57. Which century did Arethas of Caesarea live in when he referenced 'Meditations'?
A) 12th century
B) 9th century
C) 11th century
D) 10th century
  • 58. Who was installed as the new king of Armenia?
A) Mannus
B) C. Iulius Sohaemus
C) Lucius
D) Avidius Cassius
  • 59. What did Marcus request from Fronto for his reading?
A) Eloquent reading matter, such as works by Cato, Cicero, Sallust, or a poet
B) Military manuals and strategies
C) Historical accounts of previous emperors
D) Philosophical texts only
  • 60. What was the mortality rate of the Antonine Plague?
A) 50%
B) 75%
C) About 25%
D) 10%
  • 61. Who was credited with most of the success during the war?
A) Marcus Aurelius
B) Lucius Verus
C) Fronto
D) Subordinate generals
  • 62. Which city did Roman forces capture and set to flame?
A) Dura
B) Nisibis
C) Edessa
D) Ctesiphon
  • 63. What was the new capital of Armenia called after its reconstruction?
A) Edessa
B) Kaine Polis ('New City')
C) Dausara
D) Artaxata
  • 64. What was the legend on the imperial coinage of 164 regarding Sohaemus?
A) Medicus
B) Parthicus Maximus
C) Imp. III
D) Rex armeniis Datus
  • 65. What did Fronto feel was more important now than ever before during Marcus' early reign?
A) Philosophical debates
B) Military training
C) Lessons, due to Marcus' prominence and public duties
D) Public speeches
  • 66. What title did Verus take after the campaign in Media?
A) Imp. IV
B) 'Medicus'
C) Armeniacus
D) Parthicus Maximus
  • 67. What natural disaster struck Rome in the spring of 162?
A) An earthquake
B) The Tiber flooded over its banks
C) A volcanic eruption
D) A severe drought
  • 68. Where is the oldest surviving complete manuscript copy of 'Meditations' located?
A) Bodleian Library
B) British Museum
C) Library of Alexandria
D) Vatican Library
  • 69. Which legion was commanded by P. Julius Geminius Marcianus?
A) The Fifth Legion (Macedonica)
B) The Tenth Legion (Gemina)
C) The First Legion (Minervia)
D) The Ninth Legion of Hispania
  • 70. When was Commodus named Caesar by Marcus Aurelius?
A) 175
B) 166
C) 170
D) 180
  • 71. From where did the Costoboci invade Moesia, Macedonia, and Greece?
A) North Africa
B) The Carpathian area
C) Scandinavia
D) Asia Minor
Created with That Quiz — the site for test creation and grading in math and other subjects.