Five classical foundations
When Rome was founded, the length of Egypt, the Athenian invention, the Library of Alexandria, and Pompeii.
5 questions. Pick an answer to see the explanation. Share your result at the end.
When was Rome traditionally founded?
The traditional Roman foundation date is 21 April 753 BC, when (according to legend) the twin brothers Romulus and Remus founded the city on the Palatine Hill. Archaeology suggests continuous settlement from approximately the 8th century BC, broadly consistent with the traditional date. 509 BC is the founding of the Republic; 27 BC the founding of the Empire under Augustus; 476 AD the fall of the Western Empire.
Approximately how long did ancient Egyptian pharaonic civilization last?
Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted from the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under Narmer around 3100 BC to the Roman conquest in 30 BC — approximately 3,000 years, longer than the gap between the death of Cleopatra and the present day. The unification predates the Pyramid of Khufu by approximately 500 years and predates Rome's founding by approximately 2,350 years.
In what century BC did Athens develop the world's first known democratic government?
Athenian democracy emerged through the reforms of Cleisthenes in 508/507 BC and reached its mature form under Pericles in the mid-5th century BC. Citizen participation was direct (not representative) and was restricted to adult male citizens — approximately 30,000 to 60,000 men in a city of perhaps 300,000 including women, slaves, and resident foreigners. The system functioned for about 180 years before being suppressed by Macedonian conquest in 322 BC.
Under which Ptolemaic king was the Library of Alexandria founded?
Ptolemy I Soter — one of Alexander's senior generals who took Egypt at Alexander's death in 323 BC — founded the Library and its associated research institute, the Mouseion, in the early 3rd century BC. The major expansion came under his son Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who reportedly authorized agents to buy or seize every Greek-language book in the Mediterranean world.
In what year did Mount Vesuvius bury Pompeii?
The eruption occurred in 79 AD. The traditional date of 24 August has been revised by modern archaeology — autumn-harvest material, woolen cloaks on victim bodies, and a charcoal inscription dated 17 October found in 2018 all point to an October date, now consensus-accepted as approximately 24 October 79 AD. 44 BC is the assassination of Julius Caesar; 117 AD the death of Trajan; 180 AD the death of Marcus Aurelius.