Download History: The Romans Core Knowledge

History: The Romans
Core Knowledge
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The Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
KS1
All topics taught with a focus on the following key concepts:

Awareness of the past, using common words and phrases relating to the
passing of time such as ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘past’, ‘present’, ‘then’ and ‘now.’

Knowledge of where people and events fit within a chronological framework

Identification of similarities and differences between ways of life in different
periods and draw contrasts, make connections
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Development of a vocabulary of historical terms
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Use of parts of stories and other sources to show knowledge and
understanding of key features of events in the past by asking and answering
questions

Knowledge of how we find out about the past

Identification of different ways in which the past is represented
KS2
All topics taught with a focus on the following key concepts:

Have a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of the British,
local and World history studied

Establish clear narratives within and across periods studied

Note connections, contrasts, trends over time
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Regularly address and devise historically valid questions regarding change,
cause, similarity, differences, significance

Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and
organisation of relevant historical information

Understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of
sources

Understand that different versions of past events may exist and give reasons
for this
Q. Who were the Romans?
A. The Romans came from Rome. Today Rome is the capital city of Italy. In 755 BC
Rome was growing from a small town into a big city. From this base the Romans
took over more and more countries until they had an Empire that covered most of
Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The Roman Empire lasted for 1,000 years.
The Romans were successful because they had a strong army that was good at
fighting and they were technologically very clever. They invented many things, such
as aqueducts, central heating, concrete, and toilets. They also made laws and
developed a system of governing and collecting taxes.
Q. When were the Romans in Britain?
A. Romans first set foot on the shores of Britain in 55 BC, when Julius Caesar invaded.
This invasion against the Iron Age tribes in Britain was unsuccessful. A year later a
bigger Roman army returned and this time they captured a hill fort and took some
prisoners. They did not stay but returned to Rome. It was not until almost 100 years
later, in AD 43 that the Romans again arrived in Britain. The Emperor Claudius
wanted to make Britain part of the Roman Empire so he sent an army to fight and
conquer the Celtic tribes. There was a Roman presence here until AD 450.
Q. Why did the Romans come to Britain?
A. The Romans knew that there were a lot of resources here, like tin, gold and lead.
However, they also thought that the island of Britain was wild and inhospitable.
Claudius knew that if he made Britain part of his Empire it would make him seem
stronger and more powerful.
Q. How long did the Romans stay in Britain?
A. The Romans stayed in Britain for about 500 years. The remains of some Roman
buildings can be seen today, such as Hadrian’s Wall near Scotland, the wall around
London and the baths in the city of Bath in the West country.
Q. Why did the Romans leave Britain?
A. During the fifth century the Romans lost control of some of the lands they had
conquered. The Roman soldiers in Britain left to fight in Europe until eventually there
was no Roman presence in Britain.
Q. How do we know about the Romans in Britain? What is the evidence?
A. We have physical evidence - the remains of buildings, roads. We have
archaeological evidence – artefacts discovered by archaeologists, such as coins,
jewellery, mosaics. We have written evidence. There were Roman writers who wrote
about what happened during the time that the Romans were in Britain, such as
Tacitus and Eutropius (who wrote ‘Historiæ romanæ breviarium -A Concise History of
Rome.’)
Q. What was Britain like at the time?
A. It was the late Iron Age. Britain was not a country, ruled over by a King. Instead,
there were lots of different tribes ruled by chiefs. Chiefs often fought one another. A
chief would lead his warriors into battle in chariots pulled by horses. For defence
against enemies, they built forts on hilltops. These hill-forts had earth banks and
wooden walls.
In Celtic Britain there were no towns. Most people were farmers living in villages.
They made round houses from wood and mud, with thatched roofs. There were no
roads. People travelled by boats on rivers, or along muddy paths. Some British Celts
crossed the sea to trade with other Celts in the Roman Empire.
Q. How did the Romans make Britain part of the Roman Empire?
A. In A.D. 43, Emperor Claudius sent an army to invade Britain. The army had
four legions . Some tribes came together to fight the Romans and there was a big
battle on the banks of the Medway river near Rochester. It took the Romans about 4
years to conquer the southern half of Britain, and make it part of the Roman Empire.
Some chiefs made friends with the Romans. Their leaders were called 'client kings'.
They agreed to obey Roman laws, and pay Roman taxes. One client king was
Cogidumnus, the ruler of the Atrebates of southern Britain. The Roman palace at
Fishbourne (West Sussex) was probably built for him. He was a 'Roman Briton'.
Other British leaders fought the Romans. At Maiden Castle (a hill-fort near
Dorchester in Dorset) archaeologists found evidence of a battle which the Romans
had won. Buried on the site were the skeletons of young men, some of which had
cut marks of Roman swords on the bones.
The best British leader was Caratacus, but he was beaten in A.D. 51. The Romans
took him as a prisoner to Rome, but treated him well.
Q. Who was Boudicca?
A. She was the wife of Prasutagus, the ruler of the Iceni tribe in the East. He had
made friends with the Romans. After his death the Romans took land and animals
from the Iceni tribe. When Boudicca protested she was beaten and her daughters
attacked. The Iceni people and other tribes, led by Boudicca rebelled against the
Romans. They destroyed Camulodunum (Colchester), Londinium (London) and
Verulamium (St Albans) in c.AD60, before being defeated at the battle of Watling
Street. There is a bronze statue commemorating Boudicca at Westminster Bridge
that was made in 1850.
Q. How did the Romans dress?
A. People wore knee length tunics with a belt. Women also wore a stola over the
tunic and perhaps a shawl. Rich women would also wear jewellery and make-up.
They put chalk on their faces and painted their lips red. Important Roman citizens
wore a woollen robe called a toga. The Emperor’s toga had a purple stripe around
the hem.
Q. What did the Romans eat?
A. The Romans would have eaten bread made from wheat, and other cereals such
as barley, oats, and rye which they grew on their farms. Poorer people had a diet of
porridge, vegetable soup and bread. Those who owned land kept cattle, sheep,
pigs, goats, hens. They sweetened their food with honey and flavoured some dishes
with a fish sauce called garum. Romans also grew and ate fruit and vegetables.
Some vegetables that we eat today, namely carrots, cabbages, peas were first
grown here by the Romans.
Like us, the Romans ate 3 meals a day; breakfast (bread and water) a midday meal
of meat or fish and fruit and later their main meal called cena. There were shops
that sold ready cooked food, such as sausages and fish.
Wealthy Romans ate while reclining on couches, served by slaves. This would be a
social occasion and guests would be entertained with music or poetry readings.
Q. What were Roman buildings like?
A. The Romans were excellent builders. The remains of many Roman buildings still
exist today. Houses were rectangular, built of stone with tiled roofs. Houses in towns
were built around an open courtyard. The larger houses or villas of wealthy Romans
outside of towns would have had under floor heating called a hypocaust and some
floors and walls decorated with mosaics.
Q. Where did the Romans build settlements?
A. There is a clue in the names of many of our towns and cities. The Latin name for
fort was castra. This changed to cester or chester and so place names ending in
either cester or chester are places where the Romans built settlements. Before the
Romans came to Britain there were no towns. The Romans built towns, with walls
and gates to let people in and out. They were neatly laid out. Streets criss-crossed.
There were shops, workshops, houses and yards for animals. People gathered in the
market and meeting area, the forum. The basilica was both a law court and town
hall. Many Roman towns had public baths, open to everyone, and an
amphitheatre. By AD 100, London was the biggest town in Roman Britain.
Q. How did people in Roman times travel?
A. People travelled on land on horseback, in carts pulled by oxen, or walking.
Before the Romans, Britain had no proper roads. The Roman soldiers built good
roads. All the roads they built were remarkably straight and often had a slope either
side so that rain water drained off. The Romans knew that the shortest distance from
one place to another is a straight line, but their roads did zigzag sometimes, to
make going uphill easier.
The Romans built their roads on foundations of clay, chalk and gravel. They laid
bigger flat stones on top. The road sloped from the middle to ditches either side, so
rain water drained off.
Q. What is Hadrian’s wall?
A. Hadrian’s wall is so called because it was built on the orders of the Emperor
Hadrian to protect the people from attacks from Scottish tribes. It took six years to
build and was 73 miles long stretching from the West to the East coast. Sixteen forts
were built along it for Roman soldiers to live in. It marked the northern most
boundary of the Roman Empire.
Q. How did Britain change as a result of the Romans coming here?
A. The Romans changed how the country looked and how people lived. They
made roads and towns. They introduced new plants and animals, such as parsley,
sweet chestnut and chickens. Measurements (miles, feet and inches) still used by
many people come from the Romans.
The Romans also introduced Christianity to Britain. Many Churches are still built using
designs like a Roman Basilica.
The Romans wrote down their history, their literature and their laws. Before the
Romans conquered Britain, very few people in Britain could read or write. Stories
and knowledge were passed on by word of mouth. From Roman times onwards,
people in Britain wrote things down. Educated people wrote in Latin, but later wrote
books in their own languages, English and Welsh, for example. The English and Welsh
languages changed because of the Romans. Many words in English and Welsh
have links to Latin.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/history/boudicca/characters.htm
http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-house.html
http://www.cleo.net.uk/resources/displayframe.php?src=209/consultants_resources%2Fhistory%2F
cleoromans%2F
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bl9nnf-0oo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9foi342LXQE