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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can understand why the foundation myth of Rome was so important to the Romans.

      Key learning points

      1. CE and BCE are a common method used in the West to note the periods of time before and after the year ‘1’.
      2. The Romans believed the myth that Rome was founded by Romulus.
      3. Romulus was raised by a wolf alongside his brother, who he later fought and killed, becoming the first King of Rome.
      4. This myth was important to Romans: it showed that to be Roman was to be strong and powerful.

      Keywords

      • BCE - BCE is short for Before Common Era and refers to the time before the year 1

      • CE - CE stands for Common Era is the time from the year 1 onwards

      • Myth - a myth is a traditional story, usually about heroes, heroines, gods and goddesses

      • Founded - founded means the time when something was first started or created

      • Romans - the Romans were a group of people whose civilisation was based around the city of Rome

      Common misconception

      BCE and CE denote times before and after the year 0.

      There is no year 0. BCE denotes the time before the year 1 and CE denotes the time from the year 1.

      Teacher tip

      Use an atlas to show that Italy is located in Europe in the Mediterranean Sea, and then locate Rome and the River Tiber.

      Content guidance

      Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

      Depiction or discussion of serious crime

      Supervision

      Adult supervision required

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Historians use timelines to show when events happened. Timelines are arranged...

      by the importance of the event
      Correct answer: chronologically
      by distance
      alphabetically

      Q2.
      Rome is located in which country?

      Correct answer: Italy
      Spain
      France
      Germany

      Q3.
      Which of the following countries is not Mediterranean?

      Italy
      Correct answer: Great Britain
      Greece
      Egypt

      Q4.
      Match the word to its meaning.

      Correct Answer:civilisation,a large group of people living together according to rules

      a large group of people living together according to rules

      Correct Answer:culture,the customs and traditions of a group of people

      the customs and traditions of a group of people

      Q5.
      Match the word to its meaning

      Correct Answer:politics,how a country is governed and how it makes rules and laws

      how a country is governed and how it makes rules and laws

      Correct Answer:religion,the belief and worship of a god or gods

      the belief and worship of a god or gods

      Q6.
      A person who uses clues from the past, such as artefacts and written documents, to find out about the human past is...

      a teacher
      a palaeontologist
      Correct answer: an historian
      a professor

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      BCE stands for...

      because
      Before Christ
      Correct answer: Before Common Era

      Q2.
      Which of these events happened before the year 1?

      Correct answer: Rome was founded.
      Queen Elizabeth II was the queen.
      Correct answer: Alexander the Great was king of Ancient Greece.
      Queen Victoria was the queen.

      Q3.
      The story of how Rome was founded by Romulus is...

      true
      Correct answer: a myth

      Q4.
      Romulus's twin brother was called...

      Roman
      Rome
      Correct answer: Remus
      Julius

      Q5.
      According to myth, Mars, the god of war, was Romulus'...

      brother
      uncle
      grandfather
      Correct answer: father

      Q6.
      Why was the myth of Romulus and Remus important to Romans?

      Correct answer: It showed that Romans were strong and powerful.
      The Romans liked stories about wolves.
      It showed that Romans were good storytellers.

      To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Roman kings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...