Roman Empire · 235-284 AD

The crisis of the third century

In about 50 years Rome had more than 20 emperors, lost an emperor to the Persians and split into three parts. Students investigate what went wrong, from civil war and invasions to plague and worthless coins, and how the empire survived.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
13–16
On the map
3 steps, AD 250 to AD 271
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

In about 50 years Rome had more than 20 emperors, lost an emperor to the Persians and split into three parts. Students investigate what went wrong, from civil war and invasions to plague and worthless coins, and how the empire survived.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe the main problems of the empire between 235 and 284: civil war, invasion, plague and inflation.
  • Explain how the Gallic Empire and Palmyra broke away and how Aurelian reunited the empire.
  • Evaluate which problem was the most dangerous for the empire.
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

AD 250

Many problems at once

Open the map in AD 250 and look at the long frontier from the Rhine to the Euphrates. Turn on Historical Events and find the Natural Disasters marker for the Plague of Cyprian. Where could enemies break in?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 260

A captured emperor

Pan to the Euphrates and northern Mesopotamia. Near Edessa in 260 the Persian king Shapur I captured the emperor Valerian. Shapur's Sasanian dynasty had replaced the Parthians in 224. How would such news affect Romans?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 271

Walls for Rome

Zoom in on Rome. From 271 the emperor Aurelian built a new wall about 19 km long around the city. Rome had not needed a new wall for centuries. What does that tell you about the times?

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. Most emperors of this time were generals raised up by their own troops, and most were murdered. Why did soldiers keep making and killing emperors?
  2. The silver in Roman coins dropped until they were mostly bronze with a thin silver coating. What happens to prices when money loses its value?
  3. The Plague of Cyprian struck from about 249 to 262. How can an epidemic weaken a state?
  4. The Gallic Empire in the west and Palmyra in the east broke away, but they also defended the frontiers. Were they rebels or rescuers?
  5. Aurelian was called "Restorer of the World". What did he restore, and what did he have to give up?
4

Game round

10 min

Play the Marcus Aurelius round in Rule History. His death in 180 is often seen as the end of the Pax Romana. Discuss: which problems of his reign, such as plague and war on the Danube, came back much worse in the third century?

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.