Honors History of Western Civilizations – The Roman Republic
Chapter:
4
Essential Questions
1) How did the Romans unify the Italian Peninsula despite wars & internal struggles of plebeians vs. patricians for political power?
2) How did wars & military interventions in Africa, Spain, Greece & Asia Minor allow Rome to become the supreme Mediterranean power?
3) In what religious & cultural ways did the Greeks influence the Romans, yet allow them to develop Roman rites & literature?
4) How did the rise of powerful men, such as Sulla, Pompey, & Julius Caesar, during the roman revolution result in the fall of the Republic?
5) How did Octavian defeat his competitors, bring an end to the Republic, and establish the foundations of the Roman Empire?
Unification of Italy
(to 264 B.C.)
Concepts
Geography of Italy/Rome
Story of Romulus & Remus
Etruscans – Role & Impact
Roman Republic – Roles,
Powers, Limitations, etc.
Roman Society/Family
Early Roman Expansion
Terms/Events
Rape of Lucretia
Roman Republic
Dictators
Patricians
Plebeians
Consuls
imperium
Tribunes
The Senate
Laws of the Twelve Tables
Paterfamilias
legions
People
Romulus & Remus
Etruscans
Polybius
Age of Mediterranean
Conquest
(264 – 133 B.C.)
Concepts
Punic Wars – Origins,
Conflict, Results
Expansion “off the boot”
Hannibal’s March – Alps
Expansion in Eastern Med.
Terms/Events
Imperialism
Carthage
1st , 2nd, 3rd Punic Wars
Sicily – Corsica – Sardinia
New Carthage
Battle of Zama
Mare Nostrum
provinces
proconsul
publicani
equites
People
Hannibal
Scipio Africanus
Roman Revolution
(133 – 27 B.C.)
End of the Roman
Republic
Concepts
Social/Economic Effects =
Decline of the Republic
Gracchi Life, Reforms, & Death
Appeal & Impact of the Warlords
Role of Senate vs. Leaders
Caesar’s Life, Rise, Reforms,
Death, Impact on Fall of
Republic
Concepts
End of Republic = Start of
Empire
Motives of the Second
Triumvirate
Terms/Events
latifundia
“last decree”
novus homo
First Triumvirate
Gallic Wars
“Crossing the Rubicon”
Ides of March
People
Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus
Marius
Drusus
Sulla
Pompey
Crassus
Cicero
Julius Caesar
Brutus & Cassius
Founding of the Roman
Empire
Concepts
Empire = Emperor +
Republic
Augustus – First Roman
Emperor
Expansion of Empire
Augustus’ Reforms
Terms/Events
Second Triumvirate
People
Octavian (Augustus)
Mark Antony
Marcus Lepidus
Antony & Cleopatra
Terms/ Events
princeps
The Principate
Pontifex Maximus
Imperial Provinces
People
Augustus (Octavian)
“I Can” Statements: Over the course of the unit, place a check mark next to the statements that are true for you. This will allow you to
better prepare for unit assessments.
I CAN:
 1_____Analyze the effect & importance of geography on the unification of Italy. (17.A.4a)
 1_____Prove how the Roman Constitution/Republic is a perfect blend of monarchical, aristocratic, & democratic elements. (16.B.2a)
 1_____Explain why the Romans were able to hold together their growing territories during the early period of the Republic. (16.B.2a)
 1_____Analyze the relationship between Roman society, religion, and culture. (16.A.4a)
 2_____Trace the steps by which Rome became an imperial power through conquest, alliances, and provincial administration. (16.B.2a)
 2_____Analyze the effect of the 1st , 2nd & 3rd Punic Wars on Roman expansion to become leaders of the Mediterranean world. (16.A.4a)
 3_____Explain how the social & economic effects of the Punic Wars could have actually led to the decline of the Republic. (17.A.4a)
 3_____Describe the fundamental strains & changes on the foundations of the Republic & the resulting Gracchi reforms. (16.B.3a)
 3_____Discuss the role that powerful generals or warlords played in the decline of the Republic. (16.B.3a)
 3_____Explain the enormous impact that Julius Caesar’s life, rise to power, reforms, & death had on the end of the Republic. (17.A.4a)
 4_____Examine how Octavian was able to acquire supreme power over his competitors by eliminating his rivals.(16.B.2a)
 4_____Defend the idea that Octavian’s victory marked the end of the Roman Republic as well as the Hellenistic Age overall. (16.A.5a)
 5_____Identify the policies Augustus used to secure his own power and establish the structure of the Roman Empire. (16.A.5a)
Common Core 9-10 Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies (RH)
Key Ideas and Details
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to
such features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.3 Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later
ones or simply preceded them.
Craft and Structure
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.5 Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.6 Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics,
including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in
print or digital text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
Common Core 9-10 Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies (WHST)
Text Types and Purposes
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1d Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the
discipline in which they are writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2b Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2c Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify
the relationships among ideas and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a
style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2e Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the
discipline in which they are writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation
presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
Common Core 9-10 Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Continued… (WHST)
Production and Distribution of Writing
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach,
focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single
sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Note
Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements effectively
into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses
of individuals or events of historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise enough descriptions of the stepby-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.