LKS2 Topic: The Romans in Britain Block D: Roman Entertainment
Session 1 Using artefacts to learn about Roman gladiators
National
History: Understand how knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources; Ask
historically valid questions and construct responses based on relevant historical information; Learn
Curriculum
about entertainment in Roman times.
Teaching
Objectives
Resources
To investigate Roman entertainment from a range of sources.
Weblinks
Topic books; Internet; Images of
http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-rome/videos/games-ingladiators on Roman artefacts
the-coliseum?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false - History channel
(enough copies for each group –
video about the Colosseum.
laminate if possible); Artefact record
sheet.
Whole class: Note for teacher – this session can be greatly enhanced with a museum or Roman site visit so that chn are
able to see genuine artefacts first-hand.
The Romans liked entertainment. There was no electricity; it was long before cinema, TV, computers, etc. so what types of
entertainment do you think the Romans enjoyed? Plays, live music concerts (using Roman instruments – different from
today’s instruments), singing, poetry recitals, sport, games and gladiators! Have you heard of gladiators? Watch the
history channel video about the Colosseum. As it plays, point out the many mosaic images of gladiators and chariot racing.
Explain that artefacts such as these are one source of our understanding about history. What do you know about
gladiators? They were men (sometimes women) who fought in front of an audience. The Romans first thought of
gladiators when they found out that the Etruscans (who originated north of Rome and became part of the empire very
early on) killed a prisoner or a slave at the funeral of one of their soldiers. A life for a life – a gift to the dead man. The
Romans took this a step further and, at their funerals, would have two prisoners or slaves fight to the death over the grave
of the dead man. The Romans liked the gladiator fights so much they began to ask for them before they died. They went on
to set up gladiator schools and huge gladiator arenas where the public could come to watch. Show chn the image of the
leather shoe. Model jotting down notes on the sheet (session resources). Discuss with the class what it could be made of,
who would have worn it, what does it tell you about the weather in Italy (warm), etc.
Mixed-ability groups:
In mixed ability groups, chn look at the images of different artefacts and jot down everything that they could learn from
that artefact and what they think it might be used for. What is it made of? What was it used for? What size is it? What
does the image depict? Why? Each group chooses 2 or 3 images and completes a sheet (session resources) for that
artefact. These completed sheets could be used as part of the topic display.
Teacher support as required.
Take responses from each group about what they learned from the artefacts. Why are they so important
Plenary
to historians? Discuss where artefacts are found. Where are they stored? Museums, glass cabinets, etc.
Why are they so precious?
Outcomes Children will
 Explain who gladiators were and how they entertained the Romans
 Understand that our knowledge of the past comes from a range of sources including artefacts
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We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the block overview, about links to other websites.