Download Unit VI: Ancient Rome Do Now! Dear 6th Grade Historian,

Unit VI:
Ancient Rome
Name:
Date:
Do Now!
Dear 6th Grade Historian,
1. Silently take out your homework and put it in the upper left corner of your desk.
2. Silently copy down tonight’s homework into your homework chart.
3. Silently put your binder on the floor.
4. We will be studying the bloody career of Julius Caesar in class today. Below is an image of a
statue of Julius Caesar. The statue was made during Roman times. Examine the image and then
answer the questions that follow.
1. What about Julius Caesar's posture makes him look
powerful?
2. What about what Julius Caesar is wearing makes him look
strong?
3. What about Julius Caesar's appearance makes him look
rich?
4. What expression is on Julius Caesar's face?
Mr. Woodward, History
Unit VI:
Ancient Rome
Name:
Date:
The End of the Roman Republic
Pre-Reading: This article will describe how the Roman Republic ended. It will also describe how
Julius Caesar had a big role in bringing down the Roman Republic.
Julius Caesar
In 60 BCE a young and ambitious general by the name of Julius Caesar stepped into political life.
Caesar had been very successful on the battlefield, and had greatly expanded Rome's borders.
The senate feared that Caesar would use his army to over throw the
republican government. In an attempt to protect this from happening,
the senate ordered Julius Caesar to return to Rome, but to leave his
armies North of the Rubicon River.
Julius Caesar refused to do as he had been ordered. By crossing the
Rubicon with his armies, he committed treason against the senate,
and in effect declared civil war.
Caesar eventually defeated opposing forces, and by 45 B.C. had
taken over control of the entire Roman Empire. Caesar had himself
declared dictator for life, giving him absolute power over the empire.
He then proceeded to reform the nation, giving jobs and land to the
poor.
Mr. Woodward, History
Unit VI:
Ancient Rome
Name:
Date:
Caesar’s rule in Rome would be brief. The following year, in 44 BCE Julius Caesar was murdered by
members of the senate, lead by Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius, who were worried that Caesar
was destroying the republic.
1. What did Julius Caesar become?
2. What did Julius Caesar start out as?
3. What happened to Julius Caesar after he became dictator?
4. Was Julius Caesar good for the poor?
During Reading: Box any names. Interactively read.
By 146 BCE the Romans were the only important power left in the Mediterranean Sea, and
they controlled almost all of its coastline.
But there was trouble at home. First, two brothers named Cornelius Gracchus and Gaius
Gracchus tried to get some of the Italian land given back to the poor people. But the rich aristocrats in
the Senate didn't want to give the land back. In 133 and 123 BCE the Senators themselves, with a lot
of their followers, rushed up to the brothers and killed them (on two different occasions)! What is
worse, nothing at all happened to those murdering Senators.
Mr. Woodward, History
Unit VI:
Ancient Rome
Name:
Date:
Second, those same Africans who had been attacking Carthage were
still causing trouble. A lot of Roman traders who were living in Africa were
massacred. So about 100 BCE the Romans went to fight in Africa again. But it
was hard to get enough soldiers, and the general, Marius, ended up taking
poor jobless men from Rome, and telling them he would reward them if they
won (which they did).
Third, the Italian cities felt that Rome was not treating them well enough. They wanted to be
able to vote more. So in the 80's BCE there was a war with the Italian cities, under a general named
Sulla. This war is called the Social War, from the Latin word for allies, "socii". It took a long time, but
again the Romans won.
But then Marius and Sulla got into a fight over who would be the general to fight in West Asia.
Marius won, but Sulla took his army and marched on Rome, and threatened to have his army attack
Rome unless the Senate gave him the job. It worked: Sulla went to West Asia, and when he came
back he made himself dictator, which meant he could make anyone do anything he wanted no matter
what the Senate said.
After Marius and Sulla died, it was clear that the Roman Senate was no
longer powerful enough to run the Roman Empire. Everyone looked for who
the next powerful general would be. To get power, three men joined forces:
Pompey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar. They called their alliance the 1st
Mr. Woodward, History
Unit VI:
Ancient Rome
Name:
Date:
Triumverate. Between them these men ran the government for about ten years, while Julius Caesar
conquered Gaul (modern France). But then Crassus was killed fighting the Parthians in West Asia,
and Pompey and Julius Caesar got in a civil war. Again many men died on both sides, but finally
Caesar won at the battle of Pharsalus. Pompey fled to Egypt, but the Egyptians killed him so Caesar
wouldn't be mad at them.
When Caesar got to Egypt, he was happy that Pompey was dead. He also met Cleopatra
there, and took her back to Rome. They had a child. But when he declared
himself dictator for life, this was too much for the Senators, and they murdered
him in 44 BCE. Cleopatra soon became the girlfriend of Caesar's friend Mark
Anthony, and they had three more children.
A younger group of men then formed another group: this time it was
Mark Anthony, Lepidus (who was very rich), and Octavian (Caesar's nephew
and adopted son). It worked out just the same way. Eventually Lepidus was
forced out of power. Then Anthony (with his girlfriend Cleopatra) and Octavian
got into a civil war. In 31 BCE Octavian beat Anthony and Cleopatra in battle
at Actium, and they killed themselves.
1. What was the 1st Triumverate?
2. Who was in the 1st Triumverate?
3. List every name in the article. Then, write a one sentence description of the importance of each
person.
Mr. Woodward, History
Unit VI:
Ancient Rome
Mr. Woodward, History
Name:
Date:
Unit VI:
Ancient Rome
Mr. Woodward, History
Name:
Date: