Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Krijnauw, and I am delighted that you have joined me for this history lesson.

Together we are going to turn back the hands of time to find out what it meant to be Roman.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain how ideas about what it meant to be Roman changed over time.

And it is my job to support you through the learning materials and resources.

Before we start the lesson, I would like to introduce you to some important keywords.

These words will come up during the lesson and you can take a note of them so that when we do encounter them, you can refer back to your notes.

The words are: ideology and disciplined.

I'm going to say them again, but this time I would like you to say them with me.

Ideology.

Disciplined.

Let's find out what these words mean.

Ideology.

An ideology is a set of beliefs and ideas held by one person or shared by a group of people.

Disciplined.

To be disciplined is to behave in a controlled manner by following particular rules.

And when you are ready to continue with the lesson, press play.

This lesson about what it meant to be Roman has three learning cycles.

The first learning cycle is entitled From Rome to Romans.

The history of Rome is fascinating yet complex, and what it meant to be Roman changed as time went on.

At first, being Roman meant being from the city of Rome, which was on the Tiber River in central Italy.

The Romans believed that their city, Rome, was founded in 753 BCE by Romulus, a mythical Roman king.

Romulus was regarded as being a strong and powerful king, and people who lived within Rome city walls thought that they were special because they enjoyed the rights and responsibilities linked to being Roman.

As Rome grew into a republic and then a large empire, being Roman expanded to include people from the various regions and provinces under Roman rule, no matter where they were from.

If the people followed Roman ideology and shared Roman culture, then they were considered Roman, even if they were not born in Rome.

So being Roman was about being a citizen of a big, diverse empire and sharing its ideology.

This mix of cultures helped the empire stay strong and stable for many years.

Let's check our understanding of what we have just learned.

Fill in the gap with the missing word.

A set of beliefs and ideas held by one person or shared by a group of people is called an mm.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answer, press play.

A set of beliefs and ideas held by one person or shared by a group of people is called an ideology.

Well done if you got that right.

Fill in the gaps with the missing words.

As the Roman Empire grew, the idea of being Roman expanded too.

If the people followed Roman mm, then they were considered Roman, even if they were not born in mm.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answer, press play.

Let's find out what the correct answers are.

As the Roman Empire grew, the idea of being Roman expanded too.

If the people followed Roman ideology, then they were considered Roman, even if they were not born in Rome.

Well done if you got those correct.

Well, let's move on to our first learning task of this lesson.

Who is correct, Titus or Valeria? Explain your answer.

So Titus says, "I am Roman because I was born in Rome in 700 BCE." Valeria says, "I'm Roman because I follow Roman ideology, even though I was born in Egypt in 200 CE." Pause the video here, and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Let's find out what the answer is.

Your answer could have included the following.

Both Titus and Valeria are correct.

At first, being Roman meant being from the city of Rome.

Later, as the Roman Empire expanded, if a person followed Roman ideology and shared Roman culture, they were considered Roman, even if they were not born in Rome.

Well done if your answer is similar to this one.

We can now move on to the second learning cycle of this lesson, which is entitled Military Strength and Power.

During the ancient period, the Romans built one of the most frightening and powerful militaries that the world had ever seen.

The skill of the Roman army meant that the Roman Republic, and later the Roman Empire, conquered many territories spanning three continents at its height.

Soon, being a Roman became associated with military strength.

The Roman army was known for being well organised and disciplined.

The soldiers were well equipped, skilled, and highly trained.

This made them very strong in battle and helped them to conquer many territories.

The importance of military discipline and training was a big part of what made someone Roman, as the Romans cared a lot about appearing strong and powerful so they could make the Roman Republic, and later the Roman Empire, a world power.

The Romans associated military success with courage.

Therefore, people who showed exceptional bravery in battle were celebrated as true Romans.

There was quite a lot of information in that learning cycle, so let's check our understanding.

Is the following statement true or false? Having a strong army was important to the ancient Romans.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answer, press play.

The answer is true.

Well done.

Let's justify this answer.

Let's give a reason why we say that this statement is true.

Is it A, it meant that they could expand into other territories to become a world power? Or B, being a Roman soldier was the most important job in the Roman world.

Pause the video here to give yourself a chance to think about the answer, and when you are ready to hear it, press play.

The answer is, of course, it meant that they could expand into other territories to become a world power.

Well done if you got that correct.

Well, we can now move on to task B of this lesson.

Label the Roman soldier with words and phrases to describe the ideal Roman.

One has been done for you.

And there is an illustration of a Roman soldier, and there's a label that says, highly trained.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answers, press play.

Other labels that you could have included are: well-organized, skilled, brave, well-equipped, and disciplined.

Well done if you got those.

In the third learning cycle of this lesson, we will be learning about the changing styles of Roman rule.

Here is a timeline that shows important dates in Roman history.

753 BCE marks the year when Rome was founded, then followed the kingdom of Rome.

509 BCE, the kingdom came to a end and a republic was formed.

But in 27 BCE, when Augustus came into power as emperor, the Roman Republic ended and the Roman Empire started.

The Roman Empire was very successful, but in 395 CE, the Roman Empire permanently split into an Eastern Roman Empire and a Western Roman Empire.

And then in the year 476 CE, the Western Roman Empire fell.

The idea of how Rome should be ruled changed a lot over time.

According to the myth, Rome was first ruled by kings, with Romulus as its first king.

During this time, the king had a lot of power, both in running the government and handling religious matters.

The last king, who was Tarquin the Proud, was overthrown, which led to the creation of the Roman Republic in 509 BCE.

The Roman Senate had a lot of power during the time of the Roman Republic.

It was their job to represent the wishes of the people, and the consuls, who were the leaders of the Roman Senate and the Roman military, to make decisions about the management of Rome.

The Roman Republic became the Roman Empire when Augustus became the first Roman emperor in 27 BCE.

There was still a Roman Senate, but the real power lay with the emperor alone.

Even though the idea of how the Roman Empire should be ruled changed a lot over time, being Roman continued to be linked to being powerful.

Let's pause the lesson a moment to check for understanding.

Match the words to the style of government.

King, senate, emperor.

And the style of government was republic, empire, kingdom.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answer, press play.

Let's find out what the answers are.

A king ruled a kingdom.

The senate had ultimate power in the republic.

And then emperor ruled an empire.

Well done if you got those correct.

Which of the following characteristics was associated with being Roman? Was it A, to be peaceful; B, to be powerful; or C, to be friendly? Pause the video here, and when you're ready for the answer, press play.

The answer, of course, is to be powerful.

It was very important to the Romans to show that they were strong and powerful.

In 286 CE, the Roman Empire became so large that the emperor at the time, Emperor Diocletian, decided to split the empire in two.

This created an Eastern Roman Empire and a Western Roman Empire.

This split became permanent in 395 CE.

Even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, Roman ideology continued for another 1000 years, with a Roman Empire in the East, which was also known as the Byzantine Empire.

Let's consolidate our learning.

What three things were associated with being Roman? Tell your ideas to your talk partner.

One, sharing Roman mm; two, having mm strength; and three, being mm.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answer, press play.

So let's see what the answers are.

The three things associated with being Roman are sharing Roman ideology; two, having military strength; and three, being powerful.

Well done if you got all three answers correct.

We are now ready for the last learning task of this lesson.

Write one paragraph to explain how being Roman changed over time.

Use the following words and phrases to help you.

City of Rome.

Roman ideology.

Military strength and courage.

Powerful.

Byzantine Empire.

Pause the video here to give yourself enough time to write a paragraph.

And when you are ready to reflect on the answers, press play.

Let's reflect on the answer.

Here is an example of an answer that you could have given.

At first, to be Roman meant to be from the city of Rome.

As Rome grew into a republic and then a big empire, being Roman meant to follow Roman ideology and share its culture, even if you were not born in Rome.

Being Roman also meant having military strength and courage as well as being powerful.

Even when Rome fell, there was still a Roman Empire in the east, and the Byzantine Empire continued Roman ideology for 1000 years.

Well done if you got that right.

Well done if your answer is similar to this, and an extra well done if you managed to use all the words highlighted in blue.

We have now come to the end of this lesson about what it meant to be Roman.

But before we go, let's summarise what we have learned.

At first, to be Roman meant to be from the city of Rome.

Later, if the people in the republic or empire followed Roman ideology, they were considered Roman, even if they were not born in Rome.

To be a Roman was often associated with power and military strength.

The idea of how Rome should be ruled changed a lot over time.

Even when Rome fell, there was still a Roman Empire in the east, the Byzantines.

Well done for all your hard work during this lesson today.

I have really enjoyed going on this learning adventure with you, and I look forward to seeing you again very soon.