Roman Republic · 44-30 BC

Antony, Cleopatra and the battle of Actium

After Caesar's death, his heir Octavian and his general Mark Antony split the Roman world. Antony allied with Cleopatra VII of Egypt, and the struggle ended at Actium. Students see the story from Rome and from Alexandria.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, 42 BC to 31 BC
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

After Caesar's death, his heir Octavian and his general Mark Antony split the Roman world. Antony allied with Cleopatra VII of Egypt, and the struggle ended at Actium. Students see the story from Rome and from Alexandria.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain how the Roman world was divided between Octavian and Antony after 44 BC.
  • Describe Cleopatra's aims as ruler of Egypt and her alliance with Antony.
  • Explain how the battle of Actium (31 BC) led to the end of the Republic and of Ptolemaic Egypt.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

42 BC

Avenging Caesar

Open the map in 42 BC, turn on Historical Events and choose Battles. Find Philippi, where Antony and Octavian beat Caesar's killers, Brutus and Cassius. Why was the battle fought so far from Rome?

Open this view on the map
b

40 BC

Two halves

Zoom out to the whole Mediterranean. Antony took the east and Octavian the west. Find Rome and Egypt. Which half do you think was richer?

Open this view on the map
c

31 BC

Actium

Find the Actium marker on the coast of western Greece. Zoom in on the narrow mouth of the gulf where Antony's fleet lay. Why was this a dangerous place to be trapped?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Plutarch says Cleopatra spoke many languages and was the first of her family to learn Egyptian. Why would that matter for a ruler?
  2. Why did Cleopatra ally with Roman generals, first Caesar and then Antony?
  3. Octavian's propaganda said Antony was ruled by a foreign queen. Why was this a clever message for Romans?
  4. Most of what we know about Cleopatra comes from Roman writers who saw her as an enemy. How might an Egyptian account of her differ?
  5. After Actium, Egypt was run directly for the emperor, and senators needed his permission to visit it. Why would an emperor want to control Egypt himself?
4

Game round

10 min

Play the Cleopatra VII round in Rule History, then the Augustus round. Both include the battle of Actium. Compare: how did the same battle look from each side, and why did each make the choices they did?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.