Roman Republic · 343-290 BC

The Samnite Wars: Rome conquers Italy

In the mountains of central Italy, the Samnites fought Rome for half a century and once trapped a whole Roman army. Students follow the wars on the map and learn how Rome turned defeated enemies into allies.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, 400 BC to 312 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 the mountains of central Italy, the Samnites fought Rome for half a century and once trapped a whole Roman army. Students follow the wars on the map and learn how Rome turned defeated enemies into allies.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Locate Samnium and two key places of the Samnite Wars on the map.
  • Describe the Caudine Forks (321 BC) and the battle of Sentinum (295 BC).
  • Explain how Rome held Italy together with colonies, roads and alliances.
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

400 BC

Two rivals

Open the map in 400 BC. Find Rome and the Samnites in the mountains to the southeast. Which side has the better land for farming, and which the better land for defense?

Open this view on the map
b

300 BC

Watch Rome grow

Drag the time slider from 400 BC to 300 BC and watch Rome's territory spread through central Italy. In which directions does Rome grow?

Open this view on the map
c

312 BC

A road for an army

Turn on Trade Routes and find the Via Appia, begun in 312 BC during the Samnite Wars. Follow it from Rome to Capua. Why would a road help an army fighting in the south?

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. The Samnites were mountain people who knew their valleys well. How could that help them against Rome?
  2. After the Caudine Forks, the Roman Senate refused to accept the peace the trapped consuls had promised. Was that fair?
  3. In 295 BC Samnites, Gauls, Etruscans and Umbrians allied against Rome. Why was this alliance so dangerous for Rome?
  4. Rome let many defeated peoples keep their own towns and leaders, as long as they sent soldiers. Why was that clever?
  5. Roman colonies were towns of settlers placed on conquered land. How would you feel as a Samnite with a Roman colony next door?
4

Game round

10 min

No ruler in Rule History fought these wars. Play one round as Hannibal Barca, who invaded Italy about 70 years later, hoping Rome's allies would desert her. Discuss: after this lesson, why did the Latin colonies and most of central Italy stay loyal 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.