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Ancient Rome
Sept 2-12, 2008 (6-3 Amor)
Objectives:
721: I can explain the causes of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
721: I can explain how important historical events have influenced government,
economy, and people in Ancient Rome.
811: I can list key people in Ancient Rome.
812: I can explain how key people have had an impact on Ancient Rome.
831: I can list major discoveries, innovations, and inventions from Ancient Rome.
Pax Romana
Colosseum
Ampitheater
Aqueducts
Roman Baths
Key Terms and People
Roads
Latin
Christianity
Romulus
Remus
Timeline
Sept 2-5:
 Rise and Fall of Roman Empire; Pax Romana
 Key people and their impact
Sept 8-12
 Discoveries, innovations, inventions
 Review and Assessment
Julius Caesar
Caesar Augustus
Constantine
Spartacus
Important Historical Events of Ancient Rome
721: I can explain the causes of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
721: I can explain how important historical events have influenced government,
economy, and people in Ancient Rome.
1. Students are given a timeline with blanks. They will fill this out as they watch
and read.
2. Students are given Handout 1: A New Power Rises. They read page 1 and
answer questions. (Explain to them that this is called “annotating” and they will
soon be able to do it without questions written for them.) When complete,
students fill in as much of their timelines as they can.
3. Extension: Have students look through Ancient Rome Books and find out how
the government of Ancient Rome changed over time. Create a timeline or write
a paragraph that details the progression of the government.
4. Watch Brainpop: Rise of the Roman Empire and have students answer questions
that go along with it.
5. Students then read Constantinople and the Fall of Rome, answer questions, and
fill in timeline.
6. Extension: Students choose one Roman Emperor to research and create a onepage about.
7. Teacher may choose to show Brainpop: Fall of the Roman Empire.
A New Power Rises
Directions: Read the text.
1. Circle new words and define them in the margins.
2. Highlight any phrase that is important. For each thing you highlight, write its significance in
the margin.
3. Write any questions that you have in the margins.
4. Answer the questions that are typed in the margins and at the bottom of the page.
Objective: I can explain the cause of the rise of the Roman Empire.
The earliest empires had been in the east. Egypt,
Mesopotamia, China, India, and Greece were all home to
at least one powerful civilization. About 387BC, a city on
the Italian peninsula began acquiring land and building
an empire. That city was Rome. For more than one
thousand years, Rome controlled the western world.
Rome grew into an empire in part because of how
it treated the people it conquered. If a city was defeated
by another empire, its citizens were forced from the land
if they were lucky, and enslaved if they were not. Initially,
the Romans extended the rights of
citizenship to the people they
conquered. Rome conquered many
of its allies by force, but once the new
people became citizens, they often
joined the Roman army. Rome
managed to unify most of the
modern nation of Italy by
265BC.
Rome is an ideal
place for a city. It is
located along the banks
of the Tiber River. The river
made it easy to travel to and
from the sea. The Tiber is
very shallow near Rome. A
shallow portion of a river is called a ford. The ford made
it easier for people to cross the river. Seven hills surround
Rome. The hills make it harder for invaders to approach
the city and served as lookout areas for the Romans.
Rome is also close to excellent farmland and an
abundance of wood and stone. Civilizations have grown
and prospered in Rome for thousands of years, which is
why Rome is nicknamed “the Eternal City.”
How did Romans
treat the people
they conquered at
the beginning of
their reign?
Why is Rome an
ideal place for a
city?
In 265 BC, Rome managed to unify most of the modern nation of Italy.
What was the cause of this? (In other words, why did it happen?)
What was the effect of this? (In other words, what happened because Rome
unified so much land that would not have happened if Rome had not unified the
land?)
Constantinople and the Fall of Rome
Directions: Read the text.
5. Circle new words and define them in the margins.
6. Highlight any phrase that is important. For each thing you highlight, write its significance in
the margin.
7. Write any questions that you have in the margins.
8. Answer the questions that are typed in the margins and at the bottom of the page.
Objective: I can explain the end of the Roman Empire.
Constantine seized power of Rome in AD 306. Unlike emperors before him,
he was tolerant of Christians throughout the Roman Empire. You will learn
more about him later in our unit.
Constantine decided to move his government to a place that
was safe from foreign invasion. Rome was under attack from
barbarian invaders north of the Italian peninsula. In AD330,
Constantine moved to a city called Byzantium in modern Turkey.
Constantine renamed the city “Constantinople,” which means “city
of Constantine.”
Roman civilization survived for
centuries in Constantine’s eastern empire,
long after the actual city of Rome and the
empire’s western provinces fell to invaders.
Historians refer to this as the Byzantine
Empire. It included modern Greece,
Yugoslavia, and Turkey. The Byzantine
Empire lasted until 1453, when it fell to
Turkish warriors. The warriors brought
their faith in Islam to Constantinople, and
converted the many churches to mosques.
Constantinople is now known as Istanbul,
Turkey.
Constantine
While the empire continued in the
east, the city of Rome was under attack. In AD410, illiterate warriors
known as Visigoths overran the city. In AD476, a Visigoth warrior
named Odoacer made himself emperor of Rome. The “Eternal City”
of Rome continued to exist, but the empire dissolved into many small
kingdoms. Western Europe fell into a period of war and disease
known as the “Dark Ages.” Then, after about 1000 years, the region
experienced a “rebirth” known as the Renaissance. The people of
the Renaissance referred to the era of the Greeks and the Romans as
“the classical age,” a term we still use today.
The Roman Empire is gone, but not forgotten. Roman art,
architecture, government, and religion are still a part of western
civilization. Roman literature, law, and language have been studied
and adopted by many cultures. For nearly seventeen centuries, the
Romans set the standard for future generations to follow.
Why do you think he
renamed the city?
What happened to the
Roman Empire?
List Contributions of
Ancient Rome:
In 330 AD, Constantine moved to Byzantium and renamed the city Constantinople.
What was the cause of this? (In other words, why did he do it?)
What was the effect of this? (In other words, what happened because
Constantinople moved that would not have happened if he hadn’t?)
Brainpop: The Rise of the Roman Empire
Directions: As you watch today’s Brainpop, answer the following questions.
Objective: I can explain the course of events that lead to the rise of the Roman Empire.
1. What is a republic?
2. Why did Rome change from a republic?
3. How did Julius Caesar change the government in Rome?
4. What did Julius Caesar give to Romans?
5. What is the name of the time period that came when Augustus Caesar came into
power?
Brainpop: The Fall of the Roman Empire
Directions: As you watch today’s Brainpop, answer the following questions.
Objective: I can explain the reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire.
1. What was wrong with the government in Rome?
2. Why was it easy for other people to invade Rome?
3. What financial problems did Rome face?
4. What did Diocletian do?
5. Explain (in one paragraph) why the Roman Empire failed?
Important People of Ancient Rome
811: I can list key people in Ancient Rome.
812: I can explain how key people have had an impact on Ancient Rome.
Key people
Romulus and Remus
Julius Caesar
Caesar Augustus
Constantine
Spartacus
Activities:
1. Put names of key people on the board. Ask students what they know about the
people.
2. Split students into pairs. Give each pair a reading with questions. In pairs,
students will read the selection, answer the questions, write a paragraph about
the person, and create a one pager. (I give typed directions because there are so
many steps. I also give a “yellow pages” about what a one-pager should look
like.
3. Hang one-pagers around the room, and have students take notes about each
person using the Key People in Ancient Rome Notes Sheet. I have included a 2column version and a box-version.
4. Before students leave, have them answer “Which person” questions on a
notecard as formative assessment.
Romulus and Remus
Directions: Read the text.
1. Circle new words and define them in the margins.
2. Highlight any phrase that is important. For each thing you highlight, write its significance in
the margin.
3. Write any questions that you have in the margins.
4. Answer the questions that are typed in the margins.
5. Follow the directions at the bottom of the page.
Objective: I can explain the story of Romulus and Remus and their impact on Rome.
The origins of Rome are steeped in myth and
legend. Many ancient Romans believed twin boys
named Romulus and Remus founded the city. A king
feared the twins would rob him of his throne, so he
tossed them into the frigid Tiber River. Soon after,
the brothers were rescued by a she-wolf who nursed
them back to health.
Romulus and Remus decided to establish a
city on the Tiber River, but the brothers could not
agree on a location. Signs from the heavens decreed
that each brother would build a city, but Romulus’
city would be much larger. Romulus completed his
city on April 21, 753BC. Remus was upset that
Romulus had built his city, so he climbed over the
wall. The enraged Romulus killed his brother with
an ax. The city came to be known as Rome, named
for its legendary founder.
The early Romans lived in small communities
that grew into city-states, often ruled by kings from
wealthy families. About fifty years after Romulus
founded the city, the legends say the Etruscans
conquered the Romans.
The Etruscans were brutal rulers who rained
terror on the Roman people. They were eventually
ousted by a group of Roman aristocrats who founded
the Roman Republic.
Who was
Rome
named
after?
List the leaders of
Rome from the
beginning to the Roman
Republic.
1. On the back of this paper, write a paragraph introducing Romulus and
Remus to your classmates. Include who they were, what they did, and
how they impacted (or changed) Rome.
2. Revise your paragraph, copy it onto a sheet of computer paper, and
create your one-pager.
Spartacus
Directions: Read the text.
1. Circle new words and define them in the margins.
2. Highlight any phrase that is important. For each thing you highlight, write its significance in
the margin.
3. Write any questions that you have in the margins.
4. Answer the questions that are typed in the margins.
5. Follow the directions at the bottom of the page.
Objective: I can explain the impact Spartacus the slave had on Rome.
Rome needed workers to maintain its
wealth. The first conquered people
were welcomed as Roman citizens,
but after 265BC, many conquered
people were auctioned off as slaves.
A great deal of the grandeur of
Rome was created by the grueling
labor of slaves.
A slave named Spartacus led a revolt
against the Romans 73BC. Spartacus
built an army of thousands of
soldiers from slaves he and his
followers liberated. The slaves
resisted the Roman army for more
than two years and plundered the
Kirk Douglas as
Spartacus (1960) Italian countryside.
The Roman councils sent an army of
40,000 soldiers to defeat the slave revolt.
Spartacus was milled in battle, but six thousand
of his soldiers were taken prisoner and crucified.
Crucifixion is a form of execution where the
prisoner is nailed to a cross and left to die a slow,
painful death. Crosses stretched for miles along
the Apian Way, one of Rome’s most traveled
roadways. They served as a gruesome reminder
of the strength and the brutality of the Roman
army.
How did Rome get to
have such great
architecture and other
unique things?
Who won
the revolt?
How did Spartacus change
lives in Rome?
1. On the back of this paper, write a paragraph introducing Spartacus to
your classmates. Include who he was, what he did, and how he
impacted (or changed) Rome.
2. Revise your paragraph, copy it onto a sheet of computer paper, and
create your one-pager.
Julius Caesar
Directions: Read the text.
3. Circle new words and define them in the margins.
4. Highlight any phrase that is important. For each thing you highlight, write its significance in
the margin.
5. Write any questions that you have in the margins.
6. Answer the questions that are typed in the margins.
7. Follow the directions at the bottom of the page.
Objective: I can explain who Julius Caesar was and what his impact was on Rome.
Rome was a huge and very rich empire after the
second Punic War, but the Senate did a poor job of
running the republic. The senate was designed to
govern a city, not a growing empire. The senators
often took bribes or were not careful about how they
voted in the forum. Many Romans wanted a strong
leader, and the ambitious Julius Caesar was an obvious
choice.
Caesar sought the office of consul in 60BC. He had
recently returned from Spain where he served a year
as governor. The two consuls at the time were Crassus
and Pompey, the leaders of the war against the slave
revolt. Rather than become involved in a struggle,
Caesar convinced Crassus, Pompey, and the Roman
Senate to name him a third consul. This coalition of
three equal rulers later became known as the First
Triumvirate.
When Caesar’s year-long term as consul ended, he
used his influence to get himself appointed governor
of Gaul. Gaul was a territory northwest of the Italian
peninsula. He led an army that captured most of
Western Europe. Caesar’s successes on the battlefield
made him the most popular man in Rome.
In 49BC, the Senate ordered Caesar to return to Rome,
but to leave his army behind. Caesar feared that his
opponents would destroy him, so he ignored the order
and marched his army back to Rome. Caesar’s orders
clearly told him not to bring his army across the
Rubicon River. When he marched the army across the
river, he knew he
The Rubicon is one of the most faced an
important
famous rivers in history, but
you won’t find it on any modern decision. Caesar
knew that if he
map. Nobody is quite sure
obeyed the
which of the many streams
near the modern border of Italy senate and
disbanded his
and France was once named
army, his career
the Rubicon.
would be over;
but if he marched his troops across the river, the
Senate would order Pompey and his army to retaliate
Before Julius Caesar came
into power, who ruled
Rome?
Would a triumvirate be
an effective method of
government? Explain
your opinion.
Caesar’s army seized control of Italy while Pompey
and his army fled to Greece. Caesar hunted Pompey
and defeated his army. Pompey then escaped to Egypt
with Caesar in pursuit. When Caesar arrived in Egypt,
the ten-year-old king of Egypt, Ptolemy XIII, presented
Caesar with Pompey’s decapitated head.
The Roman people admired Caesar as a war hero and
a strong leader. In 46BC, they elected him dictator of
Rome. A dictator is a ruler with complete control. In
that time, dictators were temporary rulers elected in
times of crisis, but Caesar was elected because of his
popularity. The last Roman dictator had been elected
almost 150 years earlier, at the end of the second
Punic War.
Caesar used his power to make many changes in
Rome, often without approval from the Senate. He
instituted the Julian calendar of 365¼ days. Caesar’s
calendar is closely related to the calendar we use
today. The month of July is named in honor of Caesar.
A year after his election as dictator, the Roman people
elected Caesar “dictator for life.”
The Roman senators were outraged at Caesar’s power
and popularity. On March 15, 44BC, Caesar was met
by a mob of sixty senators who stabbed the dictator to
death.
How was Caesar’s
dictatorship different
than dictatorships
before him?
What did Caesar
contribute to Romans?
1. On the back of this paper, write a paragraph introducing Julius Caesar to
your classmates. Include who he was, what he did, and how he
impacted (or changed) Rome.
2. Revise your paragraph, copy it onto a sheet of computer paper, and
create your one-pager.
Constantine
Directions: Read the text.
3. Circle new words and define them in the margins.
4. Highlight any phrase that is important. For each thing you highlight, write its significance in
the margin.
5. Write any questions that you have in the margins.
6. Answer the questions that are typed in the margins.
7. Follow the directions at the bottom of the page.
Objective: I can explain who Constantine was and what his impact was on the Roman Empire.
Roman emperors became increasingly
intolerant of Christianity. In AD202, Emperor
Septimius Severus banned any Roman citizen
from converting to Christianity or Judaism.
Those who disobeyed the emperor were often
tortured by soldiers or wild animals at sporting
events. Despite the persecutions, Christianity
continued to grow.
Constantine ended persecution of
Christians when he seized power in AD306. Four
years later, he made Christianity legal. A legend
says that on the eve of a battle, Constantine saw a
Christian symbol in the sky with words that
translate to “By this sign you shall conquer.”
Constantine never established Christianity as the
official religion of the empire, but he did
encourage its growth. He ordered that
Christianity be a legal and tolerated religion.
Constantine supported the church, but he
continued to worship Roman gods. In AD337
Constantine was dying. Only then did he call for
a bishop so that he could be baptized into the
church. Fifty years after Constantine’s death,
Christianity became the official religion of the
Roman Empire.
Constantine Favored the Christian Church
 Constantine gave a great deal of wealth to the
Christians, especially for building churches.
 He excused Christian priests from serving as
city councilmen.
 Many Roman laws were revised to reflect
Christian standards. Sunday was declared a
holiday as “the day of the sun” so that the
day would be observed by pagans as well as
Christians.
Constantinople and the Fall of Rome
Constantine decided to move his government to a
place that was safe from foreign invasion. Rome
How was Constantine
different than previous
Roman emperors?
What did Constantine do to or
for Rome?
was under attack from barbarian invaders north
of the Italian peninsula. In AD330, Constantine
moved to a city called Byzantium in modern
Turkey. Constantine renamed the city
“Constantinople,” which means “city of
Constantine.”
Roman civilization survived for centuries in
Constantine’s eastern empire, long after the
actual city of Rome and the empire’s western
provinces fell to invaders. Historians refer to this
as the Byzantine Empire. It included modern
Greece, Yugoslavia, and Turkey. The Byzantine
Empire lasted until 1453, when it fell to Turkish
warriors. The warriors brought their faith in
Islam to Constantinople, and converted the many
churches to mosques. Constantinople is now
known as Istanbul, Turkey.
1. On the back of this paper, write a paragraph introducing Constantine to
your classmates. Include who he was, what he did, and how he
impacted (or changed) Rome.
2. Revise your paragraph, copy it onto a sheet of computer paper, and
create your one-pager.
Caesar Augustus
Directions: Read the text.
3. Circle new words and define them in the margins.
4. Highlight any phrase that is important. For each thing you highlight, write its significance in
the margin.
5. Write any questions that you have in the margins.
6. Answer the questions that are typed in the margins.
7. Follow the directions at the bottom of the page.
Objective: I can explain who Caesar Augustus was and what his impact was on Rome.
With the death of Marc Antony in 31BC, Octavian became
the sole ruler of Rome. Octavian took measures to earn the
loyalty of the Roman army. He encouraged the soldiers to retire
from the army by providing them with land. Once the soldiers
retired, Octavian did not have to be concerned with the army
turning on him. Further, Octavian knew
he could count on the soldiers’ support if
he was challenged by the Senate.
Octavian restored peace and order
to Rome. He made sure the lands
throughout the empire were well run and
taxes were fair. Octavian built massive
roads and bridges, government buildings,
and huge public baths. He said, “I left
Rome a city of marble, though I found it a
city of bricks.” The Roman people
awarded Octavian with the title
Augustus, which means, “respected one.”
Many Romans deified Augustus after his
death. This means they worshipped him
as a god.
Caesar Augustus
Augustus ruled Rome for 41 years,
though he did not call himself an
emperor. He was careful to not meet the same fate as his great
granduncle. Augustus was very respectful to the senators, but the
Senate knew he controlled the army and could do as he pleased.
The Roman army was so strong that it protected citizens
from attacks from the tribes who lived beyond the empire. The
powerful, professionally trained forces were divided into large
units called legions. Each legion would have as many as 6,000
soldiers. The two hundred year period that began with the rule of
Caesar Augustus was known as the Pax Romana, or the “Peace of
Rome.”
What did he give to
Rome?
Do you think Augustus
Caesar was a good or
bad leader? Explain.
What was the effect
of Augustus Caesar’s
leadership in Rome?
1. Look in the Ancient Rome book. Is there any more information about
Augustus Caesar that you should know? If so, write it on the back of this
paper.
2. On the back of this paper, write a paragraph introducing Caesar
Augustus to your classmates. Include who he was, what he did, and how
he impacted (or changed) Rome or life for Romans.
3. Revise your paragraph, copy it onto a sheet of computer paper, and
create your one-pager.
Key People in Ancient Rome
2-column notes
Person
Romulus
Remus
Julius
Caesar
Augustus
Caesar
Spartacus
Constantine
Summary
Notes
Key People in Ancient Rome
Box Notes
Directions: Write important information about each person in the box with
his/ her name. You may draw pictures to help you remember.
Person
Notes
Romulus
Augustus Caesar
Remus
Spartacus
Julius Caesar
Constantine
Summary
Which Person?
Formative Assessment
1. Which person founded Rome? Romulus
2. Which person led a slave revolt? Spartacus
3. Which person is considered Rome’s first emperor? (He “found Rome a
city of bricks and left it a city of marble.”) Augustus Caesar
4. Which person became a “popular” dictator after serving as governor of
each Spain and Gaul? Julius Caesar
5. Which person moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium?
Constantine
6. Which person was the twin of the founder of Rome? Remus
Discoveries, Innovations, and Inventions
Honoring the Creative and Logistic Genius of Ancient Rome
Objectives:
Key Terms:
Activities:
1. Ask students to recall from previous learning some of the contributions
or discoveries of Ancient Romans.
2. Hand out 2-column notes sheet.
3. Play slideshow and have students take notes. Afterwards, have students
write a one-paragraph summary.
4. Give students 10 minutes with the Ancient Rome Eyewitness Books. Ask
them to find more detail on something in the slideshow or find
something new that Rome discovered or created. Have students share in
pairs or with whole class.
5. As students leave, ask which was the best creation. Have them explain
why that is the best. Collect as assessment.