Romans Topic Guide for Teachers

The ancient Romans were one of the most advanced and successful civilisations in history. Two thousand years ago, they created a huge and extremely well organised Empire. They built large towns, roads and structures, some of which can still be seen today.

Throughout the Empire, the Roman way of life was followed. People wore Roman clothes, worshipped Roman gods and used Roman currency to buy and trade. Part of this success was because foreigners in conquered lands could become a Roman citizen.

Teach your children about the Romans using our handy topic guide!

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Teaching Ideas

Teach your children about Roman numerals and test their skills with these downloadable worksheets.
Learn how the Romans built roads and try some of the related activities.
Set up your own Roman restaurant and find out about the food the Romans ate.
Find out about Roman villas and produce an estate agent’s advert for one.
Use this list of Latin words to explore how Latin influences English today.
Research Roman Baths and compile your own fact file about them.
Research Roman topics on the History for Kids site.
Explore this interactive map showing the lands of the Celts and the Romans over time.

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Resources

Don’t forget to download our huge Teaching Pack about the Romans!

Our Roman fact cards are perfect for finding out about the Romans, and have blanks for your own facts.
Download this Image Pack from Teaching Ideas and use it to inspire discussions, as part of your whole class teaching or on your classroom display boards.
This resource pack to accompany Jeremy Strong’s book *Romans on the Rampage* includes lesson plans and resources.
This resource pack contains a full scheme of work for teaching Romans in Britain.

Romans Knowledge Organiser

Members of Teaching Packs can download a comprehensive knowledge organiser to accompany this topic. It includes key information that your children can use for reference and research, along with a timeline of key events, a glossary, facts and more.

Not a member yet? Join us today!

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Roman Facts

According to legend, Rome was founded in 753BC by Romulus and his twin Remus. The brothers argued and Romulus killed Remus. He then named the city after himself!
The Romans made three attempts to invade Britain. Julius Caesar tried in 55BC and again in 54BC. The third, successful invasion was led by Emperor Claudius in 43AD.
Roman children wrote on a wax tablet with a stylus, a writing implement made of metal or bone. It had a sharp end for writing and a flat end for rubbing out.
Gladiators were often slaves or prisoners of war. They were taught to fight at a ludus gladatorius (gladiator school). Different types of gladiators fought with different weapons.
The Romans used numerals to record numbers. They did not use zero, so there is no numeral for it. The Romans probably didn’t write down calculations, but used an abacus instead.

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Videos

The Roman Empire and its effect on Britain

Suitable for teaching 7-11s. Historian Bettany Hughes explores what made Britain so attractive to the ancient Romans that they made it a province of their great empire.

Running time: 7:25

A Day In The Life of a 10-Year-Old In Roman Britain

Eric visits an archaeological dig and spots something shocking. He travels back to Roman Britain, where he lives the life of a rich kid; eating weird food, having fun with his pet duck and trying to wear a toga without embarrassing himself.

Running time: 2:37

Ancient Rome for Kids

Learn facts about ancient Rome in this fun history video for kids! We will walk through the history of ancient Rome, learning about their government and their culture.

Running time: 12:54