Is this the name of a Greek or a Roman god?
When Rome fell under the spell of Greek culture, it matched its own gods with those of Mount Olympus and borrowed many of their myths, while keeping Latin names for them. The result: the king of the gods, the goddess of love and the messenger with winged sandals each have two names, one Greek and one Roman. In this quiz, each card shows the name of a god, a goddess or a Titan. Your job is to say whether it is the Greek name or the Roman one. Some look alike, others not at all: keep a cool head, even under a hail of thunderbolts!
How to play
← →Swipe the card left or right
Or tap the two buttons
On a computer: ←→orQDorAD
10 cards, 20 seconds: the timer starts with your first choice.
Frequently asked questions
Why are the Greek and Roman gods so alike?
The Romans came into contact very early with the Greek cities of southern Italy. Little by little, they matched their own deities with the gods of Olympus and took over many of their myths, while keeping their Latin names. Poets such as Ovid then spread these stories across the whole Empire.
Are the Roman gods simply copies of the Greek ones?
Not quite. Several Roman deities had their own cults before they were linked to a Greek god, and their personalities are not always the same. Some have no Greek equivalent at all, such as Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings, who gave his name to the month of January.
Do any gods have the same name in Greece and in Rome?
Yes: Apollo keeps the same name in both Greek and Roman mythology. That is why he does not appear in this quiz. For other figures, such as the hero Heracles, who became Hercules, the Romans simply adapted the Greek name to their own language.
What does the word 'pantheon' mean?
It comes from the Greek pantheon, 'of all the gods'. It refers to all the deities worshipped by a people, but also to a temple dedicated to them. The Pantheon in Rome, rebuilt under the Emperor Hadrian, inspired the one in Paris, where great figures of French history are buried today.
Photo credits
Zeus : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Hera : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Poseidon : Photo Zunkir, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Hades : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Athena : Photo Nikos Kitsakis, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Ares : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Aphrodite : Photo David McSpadden, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Hermes : Photo Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons ; Hephaestus : Peintre de la Fonderie, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Artemis : Photo Shonagon, CC0, Wikimedia Commons ; Demeter : Photo Didier Descouens, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Dionysus : Photo ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Hestia : Photo Tangopaso, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Eros : Photo Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons ; Persephone : Photo Jebulon, CC0, Wikimedia Commons ; Cronus : Peintre de Nausicaa, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Jupiter : Domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Juno : Photo Biser Todorov, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Neptune : Photo Asram, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Pluto : J. Paul Getty Museum, CC0, Wikimedia Commons ; Minerva : Photo Daderot, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Mars : Photo Marie-Lan Nguyen, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Venus : Photo Eric Gaba, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons ; Mercury : Photo Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Vulcan : Diego Velázquez, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Diana : Titien, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Ceres : Photo Daderot, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Bacchus : Photo Claus Ableiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Vesta : Photo Sergey Sosnovskiy, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons ; Cupid : François Gérard, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Proserpina : Dante Gabriel Rossetti, domaine public, Wikimedia Commons ; Saturn : Photo Jamie Heath, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons