Romance in Ancient Rome

I) St Valentine was
a) a Jewish priest; b) a Roman soldier; c) a Greek freedman; d) a Byzantine emperor

II) The Lupercalia was a mid-February Roman fertility festival. Which of these was NOT a feature?
a) setting doves free; b) half-naked youths; c) goat sacrifice; d) striking people with leather thongs

III) In first century Rome, the most popular month for marriage was
a) April; b) May; c) June; d) July


IV) Who are Cupid's parents?
a) Venus and Vulcan
b) Venus and Mars
c) Venus and Adonis
d) Buffy and Angel

V) When Pliny the 'Younger' was old he married
a) a besotted 14 year old girl
b) his niece
c) the Emperor Domitian's niece
d) Cleopatra's niece

VI) The Romans believed the best finger for a wedding ring was
a) the middle finger of the left hand
b) the middle finger of the right hand (the left was unlucky)
c) the fourth finger of the left hand (like today)
d) the fourth finger of the right hand (the left was unlucky)

VII) The legal age for a girl to marry in first century Rome was
a) 10; b) 12; c) 14; d) 16

VIII) The legal age for a girl to become betrothed (engaged) in first century Rome was
a) any age; b) not younger than 6; c) not younger than 8; d) not younger than 10 (decreed Augustus)

IX) The most common cause of death among young women in first century Rome was
a) malaria; b) measles; c) Latin; d) childbirth

X) The word 'genuine' comes from the Latin
a) genu 'knee' because the father of a newborn baby took it on his knee to acknowledge it was his.
b) genus 'noble birth' because if you were of noble birth you were a genuine aristocrat.
c) gens 'family' because only the genuine members of the family could inherit.
d) genius 'guardian spirit' because the guardian spirit of a family only protected the genuine family members.

P.S. The words 'Roman' and 'Romance' are linked. Also, Roma backwards is amor! ANSWERS!

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