Question 1

True or false: Tiberius was the biological son of Emperor Augustus and Livia.

Accepted Answer

False. He was Livia's son from a previous marriage to Tiberius Claudius Nero; Augustus adopted him later as heir.

Question 2

True or false: Tiberius appointed his grandson Caligula as his sole successor just before his death.

Accepted Answer

False. He named Caligula and his own grandson Gemellus as co-heirs, but Caligula quickly sidelined Gemellus after Tiberius died.

Question 3

True or false: Tiberius was known for his lavish spending on public festivals and free grain for the poor.

Accepted Answer

False. He was famously frugal and reduced public expenditures, including games and grain doles, earning him unpopularity.

Question 4

True or false: Tiberius spent the final years of his reign living in self-imposed exile on the island of Capri.

Accepted Answer

True. He moved to Capri in 26 AD, leaving administration to Sejanus and later governing via letters, never returning to Rome.

Question 5

True or false: Tiberius personally fought in gladiatorial contests during his reign.

Accepted Answer

False. He despised gladiatorial games and rarely attended them, though he did fund them; emperors rarely fought as gladiators.

Question 6

True or false: Tiberius was a skilled military commander who successfully secured the Roman frontier in Germany and Pannonia.

Accepted Answer

True. Before becoming emperor, he led campaigns in Germany and Illyricum, stabilizing the Danube and Rhine borders.

Question 7

True or false: Tiberius banned kissing in public to curb the spread of a disfiguring skin disease.

Accepted Answer

True. He issued an edict against kissing due to an outbreak of a contagious lip ulcer, likely herpes, common among Romans.

Question 8

True or false: Tiberius once had a man tortured for a week to extract a confession, then executed him anyway.

Accepted Answer

True. He ordered the prolonged torture of a Roman knight accused of conspiracy, showcasing his paranoia and cruelty in later years.

Tiberius Trivia Questions