Rome`s Beginnings

08171_276-293_FSD 11/18/03 1:21 PM Page 276
LESSON 1
Pages 276–279
LESSON 1
1500 B.C.
Rome’s Beginnings
Objectives
• Explain how the Romans borrowed ideas
1600 B.C.
Ancestors of Romans
settle in Italy.
• Describe the importance of the Tiber
River to the development of Roman
civilization.
• Explain how Rome’s physical geography
helped its civilization.
• Explain the legend of Rome’s founding.
Resources
• Workbook, p. 68
• Transparency 1
• Every Student Learns Guide,
500 B.C.
753 B.C.
According to legend,
Rome is founded.
c. 509 B.C.
Romans overthrow Etruscan kings.
Rome
Tiber
River
Rome
and ways from the Etruscans.
• Explain the legend of Romulus and
Remus and their importance to the
study of ancient Roman history.
1000 B.C.
Rome’s
Beginnings
PREVIEW
Focus on the Main Idea
You wonder if Roman legends are as
Rome’s location helped it grow
from a village into a powerful city.
amazing as Greek legends, so you find
a story about the founding of Rome.
According to legend, a man overthrew his brother, the
PLACES
Tiber River
Italian Peninsula
Mediterranean Sea
Rome
king. He then ordered that his twin nephews be drowned.
PEOPLE
into the Tiber River.
Tarquin
Junius Brutus
He feared that the twins might someday challenge his
power. The baby boys were placed in a basket and thrown
The basket drifted to shore. There a female wolf found it.
She cared for and protected the boys.
pp. 126–129
• Quick Study, pp. 64–65
Later, a shepherd found the twins. He took them home,
and he and his wife raised them. The boys were named
Romulus (ROHM yoo lus) and Remus (REE mus).
As teenagers, Romulus and Remus discovered who they
really were. They killed the evil king and founded the city of
If time is short, have students create
K-W-L charts for the lesson.
• Draw a K-W-L chart on the board and
record what students already know
about Rome in the K column. Have
students copy the chart and write their
questions in the W column.
• As students read independently, they
can write answers to their questions in
the L column.
Rome in 753 B.C.
Romulus laid out the boundaries of Rome and predicted:
“It is heaven’s will that my Rome shall be the capital of
the world.”
You wonder whether his prediction proved to be true.
Main Idea and Details
As you read, think about
how Roman civilization began and developed.
276
Introduce
and Motivate
Preview To activate prior knowledge,
have students recall the Greek legends
they read about in Chapter 9. Tell
students that, in Lesson 1, they will
read about the legend of the founding
of ancient Rome. They will also learn
about the development of the Roman
civilization.
Students may notice that Rome
sounds much like Romulus. Ask
students if they think that this
legend could be true and if so, why.
276 Unit 4 • Mediterranean Empires
READING SKILL
VOCABULARY
Main Idea/Details
Word Exercise
In the Lesson Review, students
complete a graphic organizer like
the one below. You may want to
provide students with a copy of
Transparency 1 to complete as they
read the lesson.
Use Transparency 1
Context Clues
Remind students that the Latin
word terra means “earth or land.”
Have them look at a map of the
Mediterranean Sea and discuss
what relation the sea has to the
land. Explain that the word part
medi comes from the Latin medius,
meaning “middle.” Ask how this,
combined with the information from
the map, helps them understand
what Mediterranean means. (middle
of the land, surrounded by land)