New
New
Year 4

The Roman Republic

I can explain what it meant to be Roman in the early years of the Roman Republic.

New
New
Year 4

The Roman Republic

I can explain what it meant to be Roman in the early years of the Roman Republic.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Roman senators overthrew the last King of Rome, creating the Roman Republic.
  2. An important part of early Roman identity was the role of the senate in representing the wishes of the people.
  3. The Punic Wars were fought between Rome and Carthage and made Rome the dominant force in the Mediterranean.
  4. In 146 BCE, the Roman Republic made Macedonia a province and brought the Greek city-states under its control.
  5. Not everyone in the Roman Republic was free (slavery was an important institution) or even a Roman citizen.

Keywords

  • Elect - to elect someone is to choose them by voting for them

  • Punic Wars - the Punic Wars were a series of wars between Rome and Carthage

  • Citizen - a citizen is a member of a country or city and has the rights of a free person, such as the right to vote

  • Republic - a republic is a country where the leaders are chosen or elected by the people living in the country

  • Province - a Roman province was a place controlled by Rome that was outside of Italy

Common misconception

Rome was always an Empire.

Before the Roman Empire was founded, Rome was first ruled by kings and then Rome became a republic.

The Roman Senate often debated matters pertaining to Roman laws and decrees. Stage a debate about a topical issue at school.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), 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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6 Questions

Q1.
Rome was founded on which river?
Thames
Correct answer: Tiber
Danube
Severn
Q2.
According to the myth, who was the founder and first king of Rome?
Correct answer: Romulus
Remus
Julius Caesar
Alexander the Great
Q3.
According to the myth, Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of princess Rhea Sylvia and...
Jupiter, the god of the sky and thunder
Neptune, the god of the sea
Correct answer: Mars, the god of war
Q4.
How do we know that the myth of Romulus and how he founded Rome is not true?
Remus was the actual founder of Rome.
Correct answer: Myths are fictional stories that often feature gods and heroes.
The remains of Romulus and Remus have been discovered by archaeologists.
Correct answer: Archaeologists have found evidence that shows Rome grew over a long period.
Q5.
CE refers to which time period?
Correct answer: the time from the year 1 onwards
the time after the year 0
the time before the year 1
the time before the year 0
Q6.
BCE refers to which time period?
the time from the year 1 onwards
the time after the year 0
Correct answer: the time before the year 1
the time before the year 0

6 Questions

Q1.
During the time of the Roman Kingdom, Rome was ruled by...
Correct Answer: kings, Kings, a king, a King
Q2.
According to myth, the Roman Kingdom lasted from 753 BCE to...
Correct answer: 509 BCE
509 CE
1509
Q3.
After the last king of Rome was overthrown, Rome became...
a province
Correct answer: a republic
an empire
a kingdom
Q4.
The Punic Wars were fought between Rome and...
Macedonia
Greece
Correct answer: Carthage
Tunisia
Q5.
The general from Carthage who crossed the Alps with elephants was called...
Correct Answer: Hannibal, hannibal
Q6.
After the Punic Wars and conquering Macedonia, the Roman Republic was a strong and powerful force in ...
Africa
Asia
Europe
Correct answer: the Mediterranean

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