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 starter activity
Roman sewers deep below the streets of
Cologne, Germany
Aqueduct, Pont
du Gard,
France
Roman baths, Bath
How did Roman technology
Help / hinder the development of medicine?
Roman well, a bucket system like this was
discovered in the city of London
What was the Romans’
big
idea?

LOs
TBAT explain why public health was
more important to the Romans than
previous times
To compare the strengths &
weaknesses of Roman public health
Prehistoric times - 10,000-5,000 BC
Ancient Egypt - 3,000- 2,000 BC
How much evidence
of public health have
we come across so
far? Why is this so?
Ancient Greece – 1000 BC – 0 AD
 Your task



Read about public health in Roman times on
p.40. Note down reasons why the Romans
wanted to protect public health.
Note down 3 problems with Roman public
health.
 Do you think Roman public health was any
better than the Greeks?
Roman public health




Needed healthy soldiers to protect Empire
Healthy merchants helped trade & prosperity
More people living in cities needing better
public health
Public health schemes increased civic pride &
support for the government
Problems with Roman public
health




No cures for diseases, e.g. Galen’s Plague (AD
160) killed approx 160m people
Army carried disease quickly along new roads
Sewage systems often harboured disease
Towns often lacked proper sanitation, e.g.
rubbish piled in streets found in Pompeii
Pompeii
 Your task








Study the picture on p.41 and explain why the
following helped improve public health:
Aqueducts
Water pipes & fountains
Reservoirs
Bath houses
Sewers
Can you guess what this was
Public latrines
for?
In a different colour give examples of how new
technology hindered the development of public health
Roman public health



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Aqueducts – brought fresh water to towns from
far away
Water pipes & fountains – provided fresh water
for washing & drinking
Reservoirs – stored water
Bath houses – improved hygiene & exercise
Sewers – took waste away
Public latrines – provided proper sanitation
 Group task

Some of you will be town planners, some of you
health inspectors. Design your ideal Roman
town with state of the art public health facilities.
An inspector will then visit your town to decide
which is the best in the class.
 Your task



Imagine you work for the Roman tourist board.
Write the script for a tourist advert publicising
life in your town.
You must include as many references as possible
to good public health
You must convince us to come and enjoy their
excellent public health facilities on offer
Example tourist
board advert
 Homework

Produce a brochure advertising a Roman town
such as Canterbury and highlighting its public
health facilities.
 Plenary




Reasons why public health was important for
Romans
Key examples of public health
Problems with public health
 How could Roman public health be
improved?