From which ancient power and culture does the amphitheatre shown here (in Avenches) come?
Von welcher antiken Herrschaft und Kultur stammt das hier abgebildete Amphitheater (in Avenches)?
Correct answer: B
- A from the Gaulsvon den Galliern
- B from the Romansvon den Römern
- C from the Vikingsvon den Wikingern
- D from the Greeksvon den Griechen
Why
Amphitheatres with an arena and rows of seats are typical Roman buildings. At that time, Avenches was called Aventicum and was the Roman capital of the Helvetii.
Common mistakes
- A: from the Gauls
- The Gauls were Celts like the Helvetii; they did not build stone amphitheatres.
- D: from the Greeks
- The Greeks built theatres, but not in Switzerland; the amphitheatre is a Roman type of building.
Topic
More than 2000 years ago, Celtic peoples lived in the area of present-day Switzerland. The most important people were the Helvetii. They lived mainly in the Plateau between the Jura, the Alps and the Rhine. Switzerland is still named after them today: in Latin it is called «Helvetia». The CH on car number plates also comes from this. It stands for «Confoederatio Helvetica», in other words the Helvetic Confederation.
- 58 BCHelvetii and Romans
- 1291The Rütli and William Tell
- 1515Marignano
- 1523The Reformation
- 1798The French and Napoleon
- 1815Neutrality
- 1848Sonderbund War and the federal state
- 19th c.From agrarian state to industrial state
- 1918National general strike
- 1939–1945Second World War
- 1948Prosperity and AHV
- 1970Immigration and the Schwarzenbach initiative
- 1971Women's suffrage and equal rights
- 1979The youngest canton: Jura
History of Switzerland
Beginnings and the Old Swiss Confederacy
Sources
Last checked: September 2026
Question 229 of the official question list of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.