10 most difficult an­tiq­ui­ty riddles

The Roman Theatre of Orange, France was built in the early 1st century. It is one of the best preserved of all Roman theatres and is currently used as a festival site called Chorégies d'Orange. In 1981, UNESCO declared the theatre as a World Heritage Site.

Socrates was sentenced to death by giving him poison named Hemlock for asking philosophical questions. Consumption of Hemlock poison results in an ascending muscular paralysis with eventual paralysis of the respiratory muscles which results in death due to lack of oxygen to the heart and brain.

Locusta was a notorious maker of poisons in the 1st-century Roman Empire, active in the final two reigns of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She supposedly took part in the assassinations of Claudius and Britannicus. She was a favourite of emperor Nero for several years. Following Nero's death, Locusta was executed by his successor, Galba

Aristophanes of Byzantium was a Hellenistic Greek scholar, critic and grammarian, particularly renowned for his work in Homeric scholarship. Born in Byzantium about 257 BC, he soon moved to Alexandria. He succeeded Eratosthenes as head librarian of the Library of Alexandria at the age of sixty. As a lexicographer he compiled collections of archaic and unusual words.

An aeolipile (or aeolipyle, or eolipile), also known as a Hero's engine, is a simple bladeless radial steam turbine which spins when the central water container is heated. In the 1st century AD, Hero of Alexandria described the device in Roman Egypt, and many sources give him the credit for its invention.

Ennius was a writer and poet who lived during the Roman Republic. He is often considered the father of Roman poetry. Although only fragments of his works survive, his influence in Latin literature was significant, particularly in his use of Greek literary models. Annales is his most famous work, and the first epic poem that covered the early history of the Roman state.

As the title suggests, the work is a historical account of the Peloponnesian War. It was written by Thucydides, an Athenian historian who also happened to serve as an Athenian general during the war. His account of the conflict is widely considered to be a classic, and regarded as one of the earliest scholarly works of history.

Ars Poetica is a poem written by Horace c. 19 BC, in which he advises poets on the art of writing poetry and drama. The Ars Poetica has "exercised a great influence in later ages on European literature, notably on French drama" and has inspired poets and authors since it was written.

The Book of Caverns is an important Ancient Egyptian netherworld book of the New Kingdom. Like all other netherworld books, it is also attested on the inside of kings’ tombs for the benefit of the deceased. It describes the journey of the sun god Ra through the six caverns of the underworld, focusing on the interaction between the sun god and the inhabitants of the netherworld, including rewards for the righteous and punishments for the enemies of the worldly order, those who fail their judgment in the afterlife.

Theophrastus is often considered the father of botany for his works on plants. The two of his most important books, Enquiry into Plants and On the Causes of Plants, constitute the most important contribution to botanical science during antiquity and the Middle Ages as well as the first systemization of the botanical world.