The Roman Empire Through Primary Sources

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

The emperors of the Roman Empire were very powerful.

The Roman Empire was large and powerful. It grew from a small city in Italy to include all of Italy and much of Europe.

It was able to grow and conquer many lands because of its powerful army. The Roman Empire’s army forced the newly conquered areas to have the same beliefs they did.

This practice worked for a while, but then people started to rebel, and the king could not control everyone in his Empire. So after the year 117AD, the Roman Empire began to break down.

Look at the above Territorial Expansion of the Roman Republic map to answer the following questions. (Click the link to view a larger version.)

• What year did the Roman Empire encompass all of Italy?
• What year did the Roman Empire have the most land?

Watch the video below which shows the growth of the Roman Empire. We still use many of their inventions today.

The Romans did not spend all of their time fighting. They were amazing artists, engineers, and architects. Some of their buildings are still standing today, including the two pictured below!

• Do either of these look familiar to you?

Use the slider beneath the images to view each one.

The Romans were the first to build structures with columns.

• Can you point to them in the picture of the Pantheon?

They were also the first to build with cement and concrete.

Read about the 10 Innovations That Built Ancient Rome.

• What would your life would be like without these innovations?

Print out Ancient Rome Innovations found in the Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar. Choose 5 of the 10 Innovations from the lesson and write each under the Roman Innovation column.

Think about how each innovation has changed, if any, since Ancient Rome. Add your thoughts to the Modern Day column.

Think about how that innovation has impacted you. Add your ideas to the How this Innovation Impacts Me column.

Now, continue on to the Got It? section to learn how artistic the Romans were!