New
New
Year 4

What it meant to be a Roman

I can explain how ideas about what it meant to be a Roman changed over time.

New
New
Year 4

What it meant to be a Roman

I can explain how ideas about what it meant to be a Roman changed over time.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. At first to be Roman meant to be from the city of Rome.
  2. To be a Roman was often associated with power and military strength.
  3. The idea of how Rome should be ruled changed a lot over time.
  4. Even when Rome fell, there was still a ‘Roman’ Empire in the East: the Byzantines.
  5. A good description of how ideas about what it meant to be Roman changed will use knowledge from across this unit.

Keywords

  • Ideology - an ideology is a set of beliefs and ideas held by one person or shared by a group of people

  • Disciplined - to be discipled is to behave in a controlled manner by following particular rules

Common misconception

In ancient times, being Roman meant being from the city of Rome.

Initially, being Roman meant being from the city of Rome but later it included people who followed Roman ideology all over the Roman world.

Invite children to explore what it meant to be Roman by dressing as a Roman, for example, a Roman emperor, Roman king, a Roman citizen, a Roman senator or Roman legionary.
Teacher tip

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.
According to the myth, __________ was the founder of Rome.
Remus
Correct answer: Romulus
Julius Caesar
Augustus
Q2.
Place the following events in the correct order, starting with the earliest.
1 - Rome was initially ruled by Kings
2 - When the last king of Rome was overthrown, the Roman Republic was created
3 - The Roman Empire followed the Roman Republic
4 - The Roman Empire was split in two by Emperor Diocletian in 286 CE
5 - The Roman Empire was reunited temporarily under Emperor Constantine
6 - The Roman Empire permanently split in two in 395 CE
Q3.
The Byzantine Empire was also known as the __________ Roman Empire.
Northern
Southern
Western
Correct answer: Eastern
Q4.
Match the Roman person to their title.
Correct Answer:Romulus,king

king

Correct Answer:Julius Caesar,dictator

dictator

Correct Answer:Augustus,emperor

emperor

Correct Answer:Brutus,senator

senator

Q5.
The capital of the Byzantine Empire was...
Correct answer: Constantinople
Rome
Athens
London
Q6.
Match the word to its meaning.
Correct Answer:Roman senator,someone who helped the Roman leader to rule

someone who helped the Roman leader to rule

Correct Answer:citizen,a member of a country or city

a member of a country or city

Correct Answer:dictator,a person with complete control over a country

a person with complete control over a country

Correct Answer:emperor,ruler of an empire

ruler of an empire

6 Questions

Q1.
What is an ideology?
a plan to make something by a group of people
imagination shared by a group of people
Correct answer: a set of beliefs and ideas held by one person or shared by a group of people
ideas held by one person
Q2.
Match the person to their title.
Correct Answer:Romulus,first king of Rome

first king of Rome

Correct Answer:Tarquin,last king of Rome

last king of Rome

Correct Answer:Augustus,emperor of Rome

emperor of Rome

Correct Answer:Julius Caesar,dictator of Rome

dictator of Rome

Q3.
In 286 CE, the Roman Empire became too large to manage. What was the consequence of this?
Correct answer: Emperor Diocletian split the Empire in two
Emperor Diocletian turned the Empire into a Republic
Emperor Diocletian said the Empire was to be ruled by the Senate
Q4.
Match the words about the Roman military to their definitions.
Correct Answer:well-equipped,having enough supplies and weapons

having enough supplies and weapons

Correct Answer:highly-trained,to become very skilful through lots of practice

to become very skilful through lots of practice

Correct Answer:disciplined,to behave according to the rules of the Roman military

to behave according to the rules of the Roman military

Correct Answer:courageous,fearless and brave

fearless and brave

Q5.
Place these events in the correct order, starting with the earliest.
1 - Rome is founded
2 - Rome becomes a republic
3 - the Roman Empire expands
4 - the Roman Empire splits
5 - the fall of the Western Roman Empire
6 - the end of the Byzantine Empire
Q6.
What did it mean to be Roman?
Correct answer: to live in the Roman world and follow Roman ideology
to be born in Rome
Correct answer: to be associated with Roman military strength and power
to be someone who believes that war is wrong

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