Roman Republic · 200-146 BC

Rome conquers Greece, Greece conquers Rome

Within about 50 years Rome defeated Macedon and the Greek cities, and in 146 BC destroyed Corinth. Yet Greek art, gods and ideas took over Roman life. Students ask who really conquered whom.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, 200 BC to 100 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

Within about 50 years Rome defeated Macedon and the Greek cities, and in 146 BC destroyed Corinth. Yet Greek art, gods and ideas took over Roman life. Students ask who really conquered whom.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how Rome took control of Macedon and Greece between 200 and 146 BC.
  • Locate Cynoscephalae, Pydna and Athens on the map.
  • Give three examples of Greek influence on Roman culture.
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

200 BC

Kingdoms of the east

Open the map in 200 BC. Find Macedon, the Seleucid Kingdom and Ptolemaic Egypt, the kingdoms left by Alexander's generals. How do they compare in size with Rome?

Open this view on the map
b

168 BC

Battles in Greece

Turn on Historical Events, choose Battles and Sieges, and find Cynoscephalae (197 BC), Pydna (168 BC) and Corinth (146 BC). Then drag the slider from 200 BC to 100 BC. What happens to the map of Greece?

Open this view on the map
c

100 BC

Greek cities, Roman rule

Jump to 100 BC and pan from Greece to the coast of Asia Minor. Find the Roman lands here. Which famous Greek cities now lie inside Rome's borders?

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. In 196 BC the Roman general Flamininus declared the Greek cities free. Why would Rome announce freedom and still stay in charge?
  2. Why did the flexible Roman legion beat the famous Macedonian phalanx at Cynoscephalae and Pydna?
  3. In 146 BC Rome destroyed both Carthage and Corinth. What message was Rome sending?
  4. The poet Horace wrote that "captive Greece took its wild conqueror captive". What did he mean?
  5. Roman gods like Jupiter and Venus were matched with Greek gods like Zeus and Aphrodite. Why might the Romans have done that?
4

Game round

10 min

Play one round of Rule History as Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of the Greek-speaking kingdoms founded by Alexander's generals. Discuss: why was her Egypt the last of these kingdoms to fall to Rome?

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.