Ancient Rome

The Topic:

Ancient Rome

Easier - Ancient Rome is that time in history when the Roman Empire existed. At its peak, the empire included most of Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. The Romans were known for their army, architecture, and government. The empire existed from about 100 B.C. to 500 A.D.

Harder - Although many people talk about the "rise and fall" of the Roman Empire, others focus on how the civilization changed over time. Both positives (i.e., art and architecture) and negatives (i.e., slavery, cruelty) can be identified in the culture throughout the history of Ancient Rome.

The first settlements were established around 753 B.C. At the height of the empire around 200 A.D., the empire covered 2.5 million square miles. The Western Empire fell in 476 A.D. and the Eastern Empire lasted until 1453.

Based on strict organization and centralized control, the empire was connected by a huge network of roads with the city of Rome in the center. Each town was planned in exactly the same way including a system of streets, running water, and sewers. The forum at the center of town was surrounded by shops, temples, and government buildings. A strong army defended and expanded the empire. The soldiers belonged to legions of about 5,000 people. They were highly trained and well-equipped with armor, shields, spears, and swords. A well-organized civil service system governed the people. Roman history contains many famous figures including Augustus the first emperor, Julius Caesar, Caligula, and Nero.

The Romans had many festivals and rituals for events such a childbirth, marriage, and funerals. Like Greek culture, Roman culture was known for its mythology. The Romans enjoyed food, baths, and all kinds of entertainment. Public games such as chariot races were held in amphitheaters, while chariot races were held in circuses - - a Latin name for a racetrack or speedway.

BBC Education - The Romans from BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/Romans/home.html

This website provides an excellent overview for students exploring the Roman Empire. It contains activities, resources, a glossary, and timeline. Based in the United Kingdom, the website provides interesting insights into the Roman invasion of Britain.

Other Sites for Young Students:

2) Ancient Rome Daily Life http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Romelife.html

3) Civilizations: Greece and Rome (Grade 3) http://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/webunits/greecerome/

4) Romans from BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/

Children's Section: The Roman Empire

http://www.roman-empire.net/children/index.html

This great introduction to the Roman Empire includes sections titled a brief history, great builders, Roman achievements, famous Romans, Evils of Rome, and Roman Gods. Special articles include the topics of Roman homes, Roman dress, and the Games. The site also contains quizzes, forums, electronic postcards, and areas to vote on issues. There is also a section for older students and adults.

Related Sections:

2) Illustrated History of the Roman Empire Index http://www.roman-empire.net/

3) Illustrated History of the Roman Links http://www.roman-empire.net/links/links-list.html

LacusCurtius: Into the Roman World

http://www.ukans.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Roman/home.html

This comprehensive website contains information about Roman towns and monuments, Latin texts, maps, a Roman information dictionary and encyclopedia, as well as other useful information. This comprehensive website is for older students.

Rome: Republic to Empire

http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/romanpages.html

Explore historical and cultural topics associated with Ancient Rome. Historical topics include slavery, rebellion, and leaders. Civilization and culture topics include names, government, politics, army, clothing, home life, leisure, baths, and games.

Other Great, Information-Rich Websites for Students:

2) Electronic Passport to Rome http://www.mrdowling.com/702rome.html

3) Rome: Odyssey Online http://www.emory.edu/CARLOS/ODYSSEY/ROME/homepg.html

4) Rome http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ROME/CONTENTS.HTM

After visiting several of the websites, complete one or more of these activities:

Debate the "Fall of the Empire". Read the essay titled The Myth Of "Decline And Fall" by Edward Champlin. Do you agree or disagree with his conclusion that Rome didn't decline, it "changed". Hold a debate focusing on key issues related to the decline, fall, change, or evolution of the Roman Empire.
Construct an Aqueduct. Explore the NOVA Online Aqueduct Project page, then create an aqueduct. Read more about aqueducts at Roman Aqueducts and Water Systems.

Be a Roman Architect. Learn more about the architecture of Ancient Rome at the Ancient Rome Online Architecture and Architecture through the Ages page. Then, choose one of the following projects. 1) Select a famous piece of architecture and describe how it reflects the time period. If this building were constructed today, how would it be alike and different from the original? 2) Look at a Roman House and the Roman House pages. Then, view a computer reconstruction of the interiors. Do you like this design? Why or why not? How would today's home compare to a home in ancient times? 3) Explore the Forum. Create your own forum for a new city you invent.

Become a Famous Roman. Learn about a famous person from Roman history. Recreate a scene from their life and see if your peers can figure out who you are. Use The Biographies, Famous Romans, BBC Education - Emperors, Important People and Roman Emperors for a brief overview of key people. Vote for the best and worst Roman Emperors online!

Explore Roman Culture. Explore some aspect of Roman culture such as music, education, religion, family, games or law. Create a Venn diagram comparing life then to life now.

Take a Visual Tour. Read Visit to Rome. Then, take a visual tour of Rome at the Pictorial Visit or Pictorial Tour of Rome page. Or, use Ancient Rome: Images and Pictures, Picture Index1, Picture Index, Virtual Walkthrough, Virtual Walkthrough2, Roman Art and Architecture, or Virtual Rome Index to find visuals. Select a photo and write a story about what may have happened on that spot during ancient times. Or, compare life on that spot today versus ancient times.

Create an Ancient Rome Glossary. There are lots of strange and interesting words associated with Roman times. Create your own glossary including your favorite new words such as people, places, and things. Use BBC Education - The Romans, Quick links, and Glossary for ideas.

Write an Adventure. Write a short story using a Roman adventure theme. Remember an adventure can be fun, but also dangerous. For example, use the Chariot Racing page or Roman Chariot pictures to get ideas for a chariot race story. Would you want to be a gladiator? Why or why not? Read about Gladiatorial Games or The Games and write a story about your participation.

Choose the Greatest Achievement. Explore the Roman Achievements page. Choose an achievement and learn more about it. Then, write a persuasive paper about why it is the most important achievement.

Send a Roman Postcard. Send a Roman Electronic Postcard to a student in another class. Write about something you've learned about one of the Roman Emperors.

Draw an Empire Map. Create a map of the Roman empire during a particular period. Compare your map to people focusing on different time periods. Use the Maps of the Roman Empire, Map of the Empire, Roman Atlas, Empire in 12CE, Empire in 150CE, Empire in 500CE or ideas.

Create a Town Tour. Roman towns were carefully planned. Visit the Tour a Roman Town site. Create your own town using drawing software, markers, or other tools.

Build a Timeline. Use the following sites to help you build a timeline of Roman history including BBC Education - The Romans, Important Events, Roman Chronology, EAWC Chronology: Rome, Chronology of Emperors, A Brief History, Chronology of Roman History. Use HyperHistory to compare your timeline to other events that were happening in the world at the same time.

Explore Daily Life in Rome. What was daily life like in Rome? Write a short skit showing daily life. You might include information about athletics, food, holidays, houses, baths, laws, maps, politics, and the role of women and children. Use Daily Life, Daily Life, Ancient Rome Daily Life, Life in Roman Times, Daily Roman Life and Roman Life for ideas.

Become a Roman Citizen. People had to apply to become a Roman citizen. If you lived in Rome, what would be the advantages of becoming a Roman citizen?

Explore Math Roman Style. Use the Roman numerals and Roman Numerals 101 page to learn about Roman numbers, dates, and calendars. Try the quiz!

Create a Costume. Use paper mache, fabric and other materials to create your own ancient Rome clothing. You could make a toga, armor, or other clothing or accessories. Explore the Roman Dress, Clothing, Roman Clothing: Men and Children and Roman Clothing: Women page for ideas. Learn about Roman Armor at Armamentarivm. Check out the student projects on Roman Art Gallery page.

Try Roman Games. Explore the Roman Ball Games and Roman Board Games pages. Try a game or create your own game.

Hold a Roman Festival. Check the Festival calendar. Hold a celebration. People in Roman times loved to eat. Try some of the recipes at the Real Roman Recipes webpage.

Focus on the Good and Evil of Rome. Choose a positive or negative aspect of Rome. Read the Evils of Rome to learn about the bad side of this empire. Why do you think this positive or negative aspect happened? How did it impact the empire?

Take a Quiz. Try the Roman Quiz (easy), Quests (Easy), Quiz (harder), Roman Quiz (harder) or the Roman Emperors Quiz (more difficult). Also take the army and legion quizzes.

Write a Myth. Read about a Roman God or Goddess. Write a new Roman myth including this character. Use Roman Gods or Gallery: Roman Mythology for more ideas. Check Roman Mythology for advanced students.

Complete an Activity. Go to the BBC Education - The Romans page on activities and try one of the seven activities including dressing for battle, problem pots, shopping and spending, festival fashion, terrible tombstones, create a dice, and pocket money pouch. They are activities that you can print out and complete off-computer.

Complete An Ancient Rome WebQuest. Adapt or follow the procedures found at one of the following WebQuest sites.

1) All Roads Lead to Rome http://www.esc2.net/TIELevel2/projects/rome/

2) All Roads Lead to Rome http://www.montwell.com/webquest/hartsoe/

3) All Road Lead to Rome http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/FairhillES/greece/rome.htm

4) Ancient Rome http://www.wsd1.winnipeg.mb.ca/LitOnline/ancient.htm

5) Ancient Rome http://www.people.virginia.edu/~ebj3t/romewebquest2.html

6) Ancient Rome Webquest http://topcat.bridgew.edu/~kschrock/ED572/foulke/rmindex.htm

7) Ancient Rome Webquest http://grove.ufl.edu/~mglock/index2.htm

8) Ancient Rome and China Webquest (Grade 6) http://people.ne.mediaone.net/jmcm/Rome_and_China.html

9) Did Rome Fall or Was it Pushed? (Grade 7) http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/rome/rome.html

10) Journey Back in Time to Ancient Rome! (Grade 10) http://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/webquests/rome/frames.html

11) Journey into Ancient Rome http://www.acettc.stockton.edu/contest00/ferguson/home.html

12) Legacy of Rome

http://www.sandwich.k12.ma.us/webquest/Rome/index.html

13) Roman Architecture Webquest http://www.ih.k12.oh.us/msweis/quest_task.htm

14) Roman History Webquest http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/webromanhida.html

Websites For Kids By Kids

Ancient Rome: Our Projects & Resources

http://www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/rome/eg_rome_intro.html

Explore Ms. Hos-McGrane's Grade 6 Social Studies Class project as well as other student projects related to Ancient Rome.

Related Website:

2) Grade 6 Rome Project: Ms. Hos-McGrane's Class

http://www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/rome/eg_rome_menu1.html

Elementary Ancient Rome (ThinkQuest Junior Project)

http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/5166/

This is an easy-to-read website for younger learners interested in Ancient Rome.

Forum Romanum - Exploring an ancient market place (ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/11402/

Explore the forum, history, religion, daily life, people, and stories of Ancient Rome through the market place theme.

Similar Websites:

2) Imperium Romanum http://library.thinkquest.org/C006401/data/index_en.html

3) Welcome to the Roman Empire http://library.thinkquest.org/22866/English/FRAME.HTML

Julius Caesar by B. Hollon at Bios (1996 ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/17120/data/bios/users/caesar/page_1.html

Read about this leader's life and career in Ancient Rome.

Another Related Section:

2) Roman Empire by S. Muhlberger http://library.thinkquest.org/17120/data/empires/users/rome/index.html



Pages Through the Ages: Ancient Rome

http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/OakViewES/harris/96-97/agespages/rome/rome.html

Explore the legend of Romulus and Remus, Julius Caesar, and other information about Ancient Rome.

Roma (ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/26907/main.htm

This project focuses on "The City that Ruled the World: Rome". It contains information about architecture, religion, and city design.

Roman Empire (ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/12654/roman.html

Explore the history of the Roman Empire including the emperors.

Similar ThinkQuest Projects:

2) Mare Nostrum: The Romans http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/romans.html

3) Roman Emperors http://library.thinkquest.org/17740/romanempire.html

Roman Times from Nettlesworth Primary School

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/nettsch/time/romans.html

Primary students take you through an exploration of life in Roman times including people, events, towns, and other topics. This is a great site for younger students.

Roman Times

http://www.mts.net/~aisensee/

This student-produced website provides "news stories" of events that happened during the Roman Empire.

Rome: Past and Present (ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/rome.htm

Explore architecture during the Roman Empire including the colosseum, the great square, the forum, the circus maxim, the pantheon, and the temples.

Similar ThinkQuest Projects:

2) Welcome to Rome http://library.thinkquest.org/19592/

Victori: The Roman Military (ThinkQuest Project)

http://library.thinkquest.org/21665/enhanced/index.html

This student project focuses on the Roman army including strategy and tactics, history, and key people.

Lots More Sites

Ancient Rome Online

http://www.aislagos.com/senate/dat.uasupport/

Explore this nice overview to Ancient Roman architecture, culture, leaders, maps and timelines, photo galleries, and tourist information.

Similar Websites:

2) Roman Empire http://ireland.iol.ie/~coolmine/typ/Romans/intro.html

3) Rome Resources http://www.dalton.org/groups/rome/index.html

Ancient Rome

http://www.kent.wednet.edu/curriculum/soc_studies/rome/Rome.html

Find out why Rome wasn't built in a day. Explore its Colosseum, Forums, and the Circus Maximus, as well as the city of Pompeii.

Ancient Rome from Exploring Ancient World Cultures

http://eawc.evansville.edu/ropage.htm

Explore Ancient Rome including well-known art and writing. The site provides a chronology, essays, images, text, and Internet sites.

Forum Romanum

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/6946/rome.html

This website provides good resources for studying Roman history including a dictionary of mythology, virtual tour, history and daily life materials, Latin resources, and pictures. They also have a "strange fact" of the week.



From a City - State Ruled by Petty Kings To a World Empire

http://myron.sjsu.edu/romeweb/GOVT/GOVT.HTM

Explore Roman history, government, the emperors, the cities, trade, art, army, and other information.

Index on Rome from About.com

http://ancienthistory.about.com/homework/ancienthistory/cs/rome/index.htm

This website provides good starting points for information about Ancient Rome including art, battles, homes, Latin, law, maps, places, daily life, the empire, the people, the republic, and other interesting information.

Maecenas: Images of Ancient Greece and Rome from L.C. Curran

http://wings.buffalo.edu/AandL/Maecenas/general_contents.html#Italy - Rome

Look for the collections of excellent photographs of classical buildings in Ancient Rome.

Other Photograph Collections:

2) Pictures of History - Roman Empire http://HTTP.CS.Berkeley.EDU/~jhauser/pictures/history/Rome/index.html

3) Roman Art and Architecture

http://harpy.uccs.edu/roman/html/roman.html

Punic Wars

http://history.idbsu.edu/westciv/punicwar/

Explore a series of pages related to different aspects of Roman history (designed for college students).

Additional Chapters:

2) The Fall of the Republic http://history.idbsu.edu/westciv/romanrev/

3) The Julio-Claudians http://history.idbsu.edu/westciv/julio-cl/

Rise of Rome

http://fsmitha.com/h1/ch15.htm

Explore a series of chapters related to the Roman Empire from the Antiquity Online website.

Additional Chapters:

2) Roman Empire and Dictatorship http://fsmitha.com/h1/ch16.htm

3) The Fall of Rome's Republics http://fsmitha.com/h1/ch18.htm

4) Rome, From Golden Age to Political Chaos http://fsmitha.com/h1/ch21.htm

5) Romes' Decline and Christianity's Ascent http://fsmitha.com/h1/ch23.htm

Roman Baths at NOVA Online

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/roman/

This is the companion Web-site to the PBS NOVA program, where an international crew of archeologists, engineers, and historians design, build, and test a functioning Roman bath in the Turkish countryside.

Vesuvius, Italy

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_vesuvius.html

The website has pictures and commentary on the effects of the Vesuvius eruption on Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Related Photographs:

2) Vesuvius, Italy http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/europe_west_asia/vesuvius_more/

vesuvius_more.html

3) Vesuvius Picture Gallery http://www.dgv.unina.it/vesuvio/quadreriahome.html

Teacher Resources

A Day at the Roman Forum

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/hmss/6/unit/act6.2.html

Students research the Roman Forum and write an account of a day at the Forum.

Ancient Rome: World Book

http://www.worldbook.com/ptrc/hist/html/rome.htm

This World Book article includes information and classroom activities.

Dictator for a Day from Discovery School

http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/tlc-ancientrome/index.html

Students experience and analyze the pros and cons of a dictatorship and apply these ideas to their understanding of life in ancient Rome.

Exploring an Ancient World

http://www.artsednet.getty.edu/ArtsEdNet/Resources/Trajan/welcome.html

Students learn about the art and times of ancient Rome.

Life in the Roman Empire (Grade 3)

http://www.cstone.net/~bcp/3/3AHistory.htm

Students identify aspects of city life in the Roman Empire.

Making the Connection: The Rome Republic vs. U.S. Government

http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/argylems/roman.htm

This unit contains lessons, student activities, worksheets, enrichment materials, and evaluation for comparing the Rome Republic to the US Government.

Roamin' With the Romans (Grade 3) by P. Rowden

http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/398Roamin.htm

This site contains five lesson plans including The Legacy, Locating Rome in Space and Time, The People, The Religion, and The History. Lesson come with worksheets. The activities allow the students to act as Romans, wear and make jewelry, play games, speak in Latin, and much more.

Roman Culture and Daily Life Lesson Plans (Grades 3-5)

http://www.geocities.com/~stilicho/life/lessons.html

Explore lessons on Roman, the Roman family, politics, architecture, and other topics.

Roman Numerals (Grade 4-7) An AskEric Lesson Plan

http://ericir.syr.edu/Virtual/Lessons/Mathematics/Probability/PRB0006.html

This lesson teachers students to use Roman numerals.

Additional Roman Numeral Lessons:

2) Roman Numerals http://ericir.syr.edu/plweb-cgi/fastweb?getdoc+lessons+lessons+3475+0+wAAA+roman

Roman Reforms (Grade 6)

http://members.aol.com/DonnAnCiv/RomanReforms.html

This lesson allows students to act in the role of Roman consuls. With their newly acquired power, the students must solve problems facing their Republic, keep peace with the people and make sure that their citizens are happy.

Roman Roads

http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/history/romanrd.htm

Students learn about the famous Roman Roads and how they were constructed.

Rome

http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/ROME/rome.htm

This thematic unit on Rome includes teacher resources, lesson plans, and related sites with regards to social studies, science, and mathematics.

Third Grade - World History - Lesson 23 - Ancient Rome

http://www.cstone.net/~bcp/3/3MrHistory.htm

This lesson combines aspects of Roman History, mapping, government systems and Roman mythological history. The four lessons ask students to compare and contrast Roman literature stories, use critical thinking to compare Roman government systems to those of the United States, learn about Roman conquering and wars fought, and discover the magnitude of Julius Caesar's power.

Unit 5: Rome

http://www.jessamine.k12.ky.us/wjms/maxsonrom.html

This unit contains information, Internet resources, discussion questions, and activities related to a unit on Ancient Rome.



Appian Way Colosseum gladiator Pantheon Emperor Greece

Forum Pompeii Julius Caesar soldier slavery First Triumvirate

servant monarchy military dictatorship Mediterranean baths empire

aqueduct Vesuvius mythology papermaking architecture Ancient Africa

leaders gladiator chariot viaduct road legion

bridge building Circus Maximus dictator Punic Wars republic Spartacus



Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 12/00. Updated 8/01.