Scotch College

HISTORY Classical Roman Civilisation [Semester Unit] Year 10 — 2010

Rationale

Few if any civilisations match the Roman in their influence on the world. This course seeks to explain and describe in detail the dramatic rise and fall of the empire, which lasted more than 1000 years and still influences elements of our lives as diverse as language, politics and the calendar. In this course students will examine Roman history through a great variety of historical sources. Students will be encouraged to explore topics of their own choosing in a major research assignment on an aspect of Roman history that interests them.

Student Outcomes

• develop an understanding of the rise, climax and decline of Rome
• learn about the foundations of modern political and cultural ideas
• build on analytical and writing skills gained in Years 7-9
• develop research skills in the use of primary sources, such as Livy and Suetonius
• extend skills in the use of the apparatus of humanities research, such as footnotes and bibliographies.
• use the Internet for research with reputable sites
• develop a background in the skills required for History in Years 11 and 12

Course Content

• The Geography of ancient Italy: location of physical features and ethnic groups
• Legends and early Roman history, including Romulus and Remus, Horatius at the Bridge, Tarquin the Proud
• The birth of the Republic and the ‘struggle of the orders’, an examination of institutions such as Senate, consuls and tribunes. The struggle between patricians and plebeians
• Expansion, concentrating on the Punic Wars with Carthage. Rome’s struggle to overcome the Samnites, Pyrrhus and Hannibal
• The First Century BCE, including Marius and Sulla, the Spartacus slave rebellion, the first Triumvirate, Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra
• The Empire – Augustus. His rise and reign. The emperors, with special studies of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Vespasian, Trajan and Constantine
• The decline and fall of the Roman Empire

ICT Skills

There is an abundance of academic sites on Roman History on the Internet and students will make good use of in this subject: for example, in an assignment comparing sites on Caesar and in an examination of Internet sources on emperors.

Assessment

• Essays
• Unit tests
• Research assignments
• Examination