Question 1

True or false: Diocletian launched the Great Persecution, the last and most severe empire-wide persecution against Christians, in 303 AD.

Accepted Answer

True. The Great Persecution (303–311) ordered the destruction of churches and scriptures, and the ban of Christian gatherings, making it the most brutal yet final large-scale attempt to eliminate Christianity.

Question 2

True or false: Diocletian split the Roman Empire into four regions, each ruled by a co-emperor or deputy.

Accepted Answer

True. He created the Tetrarchy, dividing power among two Augusti and two Caesars to improve governance and defense—a bold administrative reform.

Question 3

True or false: Diocletian voluntarily abdicated the throne and retired to grow cabbages.

Accepted Answer

True. He famously stepped down in 305 AD and lived quietly at his palace in Split, tending his vegetable garden—a rare peaceful exit for a Roman emperor.

Question 4

True or false: Diocletian was the first Roman emperor to wear a purple silk toga in public.

Accepted Answer

False. Earlier emperors, such as Elagabalus (r. 218-222), notoriously wore garments of pure silk in public, including likely a silk toga. Thus, Diocletian was not the first.

Question 5

True or false: Diocletian was assassinated by his own Praetorian Guard in a palace coup.

Accepted Answer

False. He died of natural causes around 312 AD, likely from illness, after a peaceful retirement. No coup occurred—his abdication was unique.

Question 6

True or false: Diocletian was born a slave and later became emperor through military merit.

Accepted Answer

False. He was born to a freedman or low-class family in Dalmatia, but not a slave. He rose through the army, but the slave origin is a dramatic exaggeration.

Question 7

True or false: Diocletian personally led a military campaign to conquer Scotland.

Accepted Answer

False. He focused on the Danube and eastern borders. Scotland was never part of his campaigns; that myth likely confuses him with Severus or Antoninus.

Question 8

True or false: Diocletian introduced price controls to fight inflation, including a death penalty for violators.

Accepted Answer

True. His Edict on Maximum Prices (301 AD) set caps on goods and wages, with harsh penalties, but it was largely ignored and failed economically.

Diocletian Trivia Questions