Roman Republic · 67-62 BC

Pompey the Great: pirates and the east

In about three months Pompey cleared the Mediterranean of pirates, then redrew the map of the east, from Pontus to Jerusalem. Students follow his campaigns and ask how much power one general should have.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, 67 BC to 63 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

In about three months Pompey cleared the Mediterranean of pirates, then redrew the map of the east, from Pontus to Jerusalem. Students follow his campaigns and ask how much power one general should have.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why pirates were a danger to Rome and how Pompey defeated them in 67 BC.
  • Locate the regions Pompey brought under Roman control in the east, such as Syria and Judea.
  • Discuss why giving one general huge powers worried the Senate.
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

67 BC

The pirate coast

Open the map in 67 BC and find Cilicia, the rugged southern coast of Asia Minor. Pirates had their bases here. Why was this coast good for hiding ships?

Open this view on the map
b

64 BC

The end of the Seleucids

Drag the time slider from 100 BC to 1 BC and watch the Seleucid Kingdom in Syria. Pompey ended it in 64 BC and made Syria a Roman province. What happens on the map?

Open this view on the map
c

63 BC

Jerusalem and Antioch

Turn on the Cities layer and find Jerusalem. In 63 BC Pompey took the city, and Judea came under Roman control. Find Antioch too, the capital of the new province of Syria.

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. Pirates kidnapped travelers, even the young Julius Caesar, and attacked grain ships. Why was grain Rome's biggest worry?
  2. A law of 67 BC gave Pompey command of the whole sea and its coasts for three years. Why did some senators fear such a law?
  3. Pompey settled many captured pirates as farmers in towns instead of executing them. Was that wise?
  4. Pompey entered the holiest room of the Temple in Jerusalem, where only the high priest could go. Why did this offend Jews so deeply?
  5. Pompey came home richer and more famous than anyone in Rome. Why could that be a problem for the Republic?
4

Game round

9 min

Play the Julius Caesar round in Rule History. Caesar was first Pompey's ally and even his father-in-law, then his enemy in civil war. Discuss: when did their alliance turn into rivalry, and why?

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.