Roman Republic · 214-212 BC

Archimedes and the siege of Syracuse

When Syracuse switched to Carthage's side, Rome attacked it by land and sea, and the mathematician Archimedes defended it with his machines. Students separate fact from legend in one of history's most famous sieges.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
10–13
On the map
3 steps, 212 BC to 200 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

When Syracuse switched to Carthage's side, Rome attacked it by land and sea, and the mathematician Archimedes defended it with his machines. Students separate fact from legend in one of history's most famous sieges.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Rome besieged the Greek city of Syracuse during the Second Punic War.
  • Describe two machines Archimedes built and judge which stories about him are reliable.
  • Locate Syracuse and explain why it mattered for control of Sicily.
2

Explore the map

12 min

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

a

212 BC

A Greek city in Sicily

Open the map in 212 BC and zoom in on Sicily. Turn on Historical Events and find the Sieges marker at Syracuse. Why would a harbor city on this coast matter to both Rome and Carthage?

Open this view on the map
b

300 BC

Greeks of the west

Go back to 300 BC. Find the Greek city-states of southern Italy and Sicily. Why had Greeks settled so far from Greece?

Open this view on the map
c

200 BC

Rome's new granary

Jump to 200 BC. All of Sicily is now Roman, and its grain fed Rome. Pan to Rome and judge how far the grain ships had to sail.

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

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

  1. Syracuse had been Rome's ally for almost 50 years under King Hiero II. Why might a city switch sides in a war?
  2. Polybius says the Romans could not take the city by force because of one old man. What does that tell you about Archimedes?
  3. Stories say Archimedes burned Roman ships with mirrors. Modern tests show it would have been very hard. Should we still tell the story?
  4. The Roman general Marcellus wanted Archimedes taken alive, but a soldier killed him. What does that say about controlling an army when a city falls?
  5. Roman soldiers carried the statues and paintings of Syracuse to Rome. Is it ever right to take art from a conquered city?
4

Game round

9 min

No ruler in Rule History fought at Syracuse. Play one round as Hannibal Barca, whose war led Syracuse to change sides. Discuss: Hannibal hoped Rome's friends would leave her. Was Syracuse a success for him in the end?

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.