Topic 6: Rome and the Roman Empire
Objectives
Knowledge
Empire
1. To introduce the geographic
expansion of the Roman Empire
2. To understand the importance of law and citizen identity in the Roman
Empire
3. To understand the relation between devaluation of metal coins and decline of
Roman Empire
Skills
1. To read and interpret sources
2. To induce and synthesize sources
3. To analyze and compare
Attitude
1. To respect the law and the rights of citizen
2. To develop positive ethic and civic values
Teaching Flow
Items
Format
Teaching Objectives
1
Question to
ponder
Questioning
To guide the students How did Rome develop from
to explore the question a city-state into an empire?
2
Task 1
Data-based
questions
To help student know
about Rome’s
expansion and the
problems it faced
To help students know
the differences
between the New and
Old Testaments
To help students find
the main idea of a
Bible excerpt and
essay
To help students
analyze from the
characteristics of
coins their importance
to the ruling of a
country
To help students
understand the
collapse of the Roman
Empire
To let students further
explore characteristics
of the Roman Empire
Consolidation
3
To know
more (1)
Introduction
4
Task 2
Data-based
questions
5
Task 3
Group
discussion
6
To know
more (2)
Introduction
7
Extended
activity
Short essay
writing
8
Conclusion
Summary
chart
Content
Expansion of the Roman
Empire
Relationship between the New
Testament and learning the
history of the Roman Empire
To understand the importance
of legal protection of civic
rights to the Roman Empire
To compare Roman silver coin
with current United States coin
To describe briefly the process
of division and collapse of
Rome
Other factors for the decline
and fall of the Roman Empire
Summary of the major issues
discussed in this topic
1
Question to ponder
How did Rome develop from a city-state into an empire?
Task 1: The expansion of the Roman Empire
Study Sources A and B, and then answer the questions.
Source A describes the expansion of the Roman Empire.
Source A
 In the 3rd century BC, Rome defeated all the Italian cities, Carthage in North Africa and
its ally Macedonia after defeating the city-states on the Italian Peninsula.
 In the 2nd century BC, Rome conquered Mesopotamia region.
 In the 1st century BC, Rome invaded Egypt and moved northwards into Gaul
(present-day France and Britain).
Source B shows the expansion of the Roman Empire.
Source B
2
Italy
Mediterranean Sea
Source：Department of history, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Topic 6 Rome and the Roman Empire
1. Identify the direction of expansion of the Roman Empire. Explain your answer with
reference to Sources A and B.
Suggested answer:
According to Source A and B, after defeating all the Italian city-states, Rome expanded
southwards and defeated Carthage in North Africa and its ally Macedonia. Then Rome
moved eastwards and conquered the Mesopotamia region. Finally the Roman army turned
westwards, moved into Gaul (present-day France and Britain), built up an empire which
was across Europe, Asia and Africa.
2. In what aspects would difficulties occur to the Roman Empire? Explain your answer with
reference to Sources A and B.
Suggested answer:
With reference to Sources A and B, the Roman Empire had a vast territory. It was difficult
to control the military officers effectively. Besides, military expenses resulted from wars
and administration costs of the conquest areas led to serious financial problems.
To know more (1)
The Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament records
events that happened before the birth of Christ and the New Testament records events that
happened for a few generations after the birth of Christ. So, all the events of the New Testament
happened during the Roman Empire period. In one of those events, Paul, who became a Christian
after the death of Jesus Christ, was arrested for preaching the Christian message.
Task 2: Importance of citizenship in Roman Empire.
Study Sources C and D, and then answer the questions below.
Source C is a record of what happened to Paul:
When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for
you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”
When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, “Watch what you
are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”
The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
He said, “Yes.”
The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.”
Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”
Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding
officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him.
Source: The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 22, verses 26-29, World English Bible, taken from
http://www.earlyhistorywritings.com/acts.html.
3
Source D is a speech given by Emperor Claudius in the Roman Senate in AD 48:
I know, as facts, that the Julii came from Alba, the Coruncanii from Camerium, the Porcii from
Tusculum, and not to inquire too minutely into the past, that new members have been brought
into the Senate from Etruria and Lucania and the whole of Italy, that Italy itself was at last
extended to the Alps, to the end that not only single persons but entire countries and tribes might
be united under our name. We had unshaken peace at home; we prospered in all our foreign
relations, in the days when Italy beyond the Po was admitted to share our citizenship, and when,
enrolling in our ranks the most vigorous of the provincials, under colour of settling our legions
throughout the world, we recruited our exhausted empire. Are we sorry that the Balbi came to us
from Spain and other men not less illustrious from Narbon Gaul? Their descendants are still
among us, and do not yield to us in patriotism.
What was the ruin of Sparta and Athens, but this, that mighty as they were in war, they spurned
from them as aliens those whom they had conquered? Our founder Romulus, on the other hand,
was so wise that he fought as enemies and then hailed as fellow-citizens several nations on the
very same day.
Source：History Source Book, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/tacitus-ann11a.html
According to sources C and D, why did people in Roman Empire want to become Roman citizens?
What advantages did including all these people as Roman citizens give to the Roman Empire?
4
Suggested answers:
Advantages of being Roman
citizens
Their rights of citizens, personal safety and freedom
were protected by the law
Advantages to the Roman Empire
of including all these people as
Roman citizens
Rome would have become more powerful if it had
been able to accept various peoples in Italy, Spain and
the Gaul region (nowadays France and England).
Question for extended discussion: What are the advantages of becoming a Hong Kong citizen?
Topic 6 Rome and the Roman Empire
Task 3: Importance of coins in governing a country
Group Discussion
Look at the picture of the two coins in Source E and discuss the following questions in groups.
The one on the left is a Roman silver coin of the 3rd century AD. The one on the right is a
current United States coin. The picture on one side is that of the portrait of the emperor Severus
Alexander. The equivalent picture on the United States coin is the portrait of Washington, the
first president of the United States of America.
Source E
Source: Department of history, CUHK
Source: Department of History, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
1.
2.
What similar and different characteristics between the two coins can you identify from the
source? How would these characteristics affect the governance of the country?
Suggested anwerss:
Similar / Different
Characteristics
Impact on Governance of Country
Images on coins
Both governments put the
portraits of their rulers on the
coins.
Enables the people to know who
rules / founded the country, so as to
strengthen national unity.
Shape of coins
The Roman coin is not quite a
circle, but that a circle has been
stamped on it. On the contrary,
the American coin is an accurate
circle. (Or) The edge of the
Roman coin has its silver broken
off, while the American coin has
perfect edge.
The difference of coins’ shape
influences its values because their
quantities of precious metals are
unstable.
In the 3rd century, expenditure of the Roman government kept expanding, but it had greater
and greater difficulty in acquiring income. How do you think would it make use of the
currency to solve the problem? Explain your answer.
Suggested answers:
The edge of the Roman coin in Source E was broken. It can be deduced from this that the
government might put less silver in the coins it made.
5
To know more (2)
Collapse of the Roman Empire
The breaking up of the Roman Empire

It was hard to govern a vast territory such as the Roman Empire.
Process:

By 330, the then Roman Emperor, Constantine, split the empire into two halves. The western
half would be ruled from Rome, and the eastern half ruled from Constantinople, also known
as Byzantium.

The east was wealthier than the west. Moreover, the west came under constant pressure from
“barbarians” and the city government of Rome.
Result:

By 476 B.C., the Roman Empire in the west had fallen.

By 1453 B.C. the Byzantine Empire was destroyed by the Ottoman Empire.
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Extended activity
Extended essay writing: Apart from the economic factor mentioned in this topic,
search for information from internet or library, list out and explain other factors that
led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
Topic 6 Rome and the Roman Empire
Conclusion

From approximately the 3rd century BC, Rome grew from a city-state into an
empire, and then declined.


Its growth was characterised by the spread of Roman citizenship and law.
Its decline was related to coinage devaluation and the invasion of “barbarian” tribes.
Summary Chart
Rome and the
Roman Empire
From city state to empire
Conquest: all city states of Italy Carthage in North Africa and its ally
Macedonia The Mesopotamia region  Egypt Gaul (present-day France and
Britain)
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The governance of Roman Empire

Politics, society, economy, culture, military

Law (study focus)
- the importance of Roman citizen

Coin (study focus)
- improper management led to currency devaluation,
causing decline of Empire
The decline of Roman Empire (Extended Activity)

The empire was split into east and west

The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476.

The Eastern Roman Empire collapsed in 1453.

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