Roman Empire · 27 BC-14 AD

Augustus and the Pax Romana

Octavian became Augustus, the first emperor, while claiming to restore the Republic. Students explore how he ruled, what the Pax Romana meant and who paid for the peace.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, 27 BC to AD 14
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

Octavian became Augustus, the first emperor, while claiming to restore the Republic. Students explore how he ruled, what the Pax Romana meant and who paid for the peace.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain how Augustus held total power while keeping the look of the Republic.
  • Describe what the Pax Romana was and roughly how long it lasted.
  • Identify the borders Augustus set for the empire and one place where he failed.
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

27 BC

The first emperor

Open the map in 27 BC and turn on Historical Events. Find the Political Events markers in Rome for Augustus becoming emperor and the start of the Pax Romana. Zoom out: how big is Rome's empire?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1

Natural borders

Jump to AD 1 and follow the empire's edges: the Atlantic, the Rhine and the Danube, the Sahara and the Syrian desert. Why do rivers and deserts make good borders?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 14

Trade in peace

Turn on Trade Routes and look at the routes across the Mediterranean and toward the east. Why is peace good for traders?

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. Augustus called himself "princeps", first citizen, not king or dictator. Why was the name so important?
  2. Suetonius says Augustus boasted that he found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble. What did he mean?
  3. The Pax Romana lasted about 200 years. Who gained most from this peace, and who might have paid for it?
  4. Augustus ruled for over 40 years. How might such a long reign change a country?
  5. After losing three legions in Germany in AD 9, Augustus advised his successors not to expand the empire further. Was that wise?
4

Game round

10 min

Play the Augustus round in Rule History together. Let students vote on each decision before you click. Discuss: which of his choices did the most to create an empire that lasted?

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.