Name_______________
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Create charts with the headings "Greece" and "Rome" and five additional rows. They should
label the rows with the following terms: houses, clothing, food, tools, and water.
Research to find out how the Greeks and Romans used their natural resources and altered the
landscape to build houses, make clothing, get food, make tools, and obtain water. Focus on
how the people used and changed the environment (e.g., agriculture and aqueducts) rather than
factors of daily life unrelated to land use (e.g., clothing styles). Have them fill in their charts with
information they find at the following Web sites or other resources:
Greece
Rome
houses
clothing
food
tools
water
. Have them fill in their charts with information they find at the following Web sites or other resources:
Greece
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/GREECE/home.html
Greeks, Etruscans and Romans intertwined
http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/htmlver/
Rome
Emory University: (Ancient) Rome—Daily Life
University of Vermont: Daily Roman Life
Greece and Rome:
Dr. Dig: Questions About Greece and Rome
The History of Plumbing –Roman and English Legacy (also contains some information about
Greek plumbing and baths)
Name_______________
day/block
Closing:
Ask students to look carefully at their charts and to describe the similarities they notice between the
two civilizations. Ask them to describe the things that they think the Romans may have borrowed
from the Greeks and the ways the Romans changed the things they borrowed to suit their own
needs.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Give each student a blank map of Greece . Ask students to illustrate the map with examples of ways
the ancient Greeks made use of their natural environment. Their maps should include at least five
illustrations.
Have students write numbers next to each picture on the map and create a key on another piece of
paper. In the key, they should describe each illustration and explain what it shows about how the
Greeks used their natural environment and resources.
Have students create another key that addresses Roman land use activities. The descriptions in this
second key should explain the following: whether the Romans used the land in this way, just as the
Greeks did; if not, what did the Romans do differently?
Have students write sentences answering the question "Which land use practices do you think the
Romans borrowed from the Greeks?"
Extending the Lesson:
Have students continue their research to find out how another ancient civilization (e.g., Mesopotamia
or the Mayan civilization) used their land and natural resources. Ask them to write paragraphs
comparing and contrasting that civilization's land use with that of the ancient Greek