Roman Empire · 43-410 AD

Roman Britain and Hadrian's Wall

Rome invaded Britain in AD 43, faced Boudica's revolt and finally built a wall from coast to coast. Students explore Roman Britain, from the new towns of the south to the voices in the Vindolanda tablets on the frontier.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
10–13
On the map
3 steps, AD 43 to AD 150
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

Rome invaded Britain in AD 43, faced Boudica's revolt and finally built a wall from coast to coast. Students explore Roman Britain, from the new towns of the south to the voices in the Vindolanda tablets on the frontier.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe the Roman conquest of Britain from AD 43 and the revolt of Boudica.
  • Locate Hadrian's Wall and Londinium and explain what the wall was for.
  • Use the Vindolanda tablets to describe the everyday life of people on the frontier.
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 43

A new town

Open the map in AD 43 and turn on the Cities layer. Find the spot on the Thames where London will be, then drag the time slider forward slowly. In which year does London appear?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 200

Coast to coast

Jump to AD 200 and pan to the north of England. The empire's border here follows Hadrian's Wall, about 117 km from coast to coast. Why build it along this line between the river Tyne and the Solway Firth?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 150

The far north

Pan north to the narrow neck of land between the Forth and the Clyde. From 142 the Romans built another wall here, the Antonine Wall, and gave it up after about 20 years. Why might they have pulled back?

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. Julius Caesar landed in Britain twice but did not stay. Why do you think the Romans came back to conquer it in AD 43?
  2. Boudica, queen of the Iceni, led a revolt in AD 60 or 61 after Roman officials mistreated her and her daughters. What does her story tell us about Roman rule?
  3. Hadrian's Wall had gates. Was it a barrier to keep people out, or a way to control who came and went?
  4. Soldiers on the wall came from many parts of the empire, such as the Low Countries, Spain and Syria. How might that have changed life in northern Britain?
  5. Roman rule in Britain ended around 410. What do you think happened to the Roman towns and roads?
4

Game round

10 min

Hadrian is not in Rule History. Play one round as Marcus Aurelius, who came to power around the time Rome gave up the Antonine Wall. Discuss: is it better for a ruler to keep conquering, or to hold and guard what he has?

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.