Contextualization

Introduction

The history of Ancient Rome is fascinating and complex. The civilization developed from a small city-state founded, according to legend, in the 8th century BC, to become one of the greatest empires of antiquity. This project will focus on two specific periods: the Monarchy and the Republic.

The Roman Monarchy (753 BC – 509 BC) is the early period of Ancient Rome, in which the city and its territory were ruled by kings. Although the historical reality of this era is difficult to determine, legends about Etruscan and Latin kings helped shape the history and institutions of Rome.

The Roman Republic (509 BC – 27 BC), in contrast, was a phase of territorial expansion and political development. During this period, Rome became a democratic city-state, governed by senators elected by the people. This was also the time of the Punic Wars, which greatly expanded Roman territory.

Importance and Contextualization

Ancient Rome is widely regarded as one of the cradles of Western civilization. Many of our modern institutions were based on the traditions of the Roman Republic and Empire, including the form of democratic government.

Thus, understanding the Roman Monarchy and Republic is crucial for understanding many modern political systems. Furthermore, an in-depth view of these historical periods can shed light on the origins of our contemporary societies, traditions, administrative skills, arts, and other fundamental aspects of the Western world.

To delve deeper into the topic, I suggest using the book "Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic" by Tom Holland, and the documentary series "Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire" available on Youtube. Also, the website www.ancient.eu is a great source of information for Roman history.

Practical Activity: "Recreating Ancient Rome: Monarchy and Republic"

Project Objective

To build a detailed model of Ancient Rome that represents the Monarchy and Republic periods, illustrating the differences in political systems, architecture, and socio-cultural life. The project aims to deepen the students' knowledge about these two historical periods by encouraging research, teamwork, and creativity.

Group size should be 3 to 5 students, and the duration of the project is 1 month.

Detailed Project Description

The model should be divided into two areas: one representing the Roman Monarchy and the other representing the Roman Republic. Each area should contain elements representative of the political system, architecture, and social life of its respective period.

Students are encouraged to be creative and detailed in building their model, representing major buildings, monuments, houses, squares, the forum, temples, theaters, aqueducts, and circulation routes of the time.

In addition, each group will research and choose a historical event or landmark from the Monarchy and Republic periods to represent in their model, which will be the focus of their oral presentation.

Materials Required

• Cardboard, foam board, or wood for the model base
• Modeling clay, plaster, or paper-mâché
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrushes
• Glue
• Scissors

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Research the architecture, social and political organization of Ancient Rome during the Monarchy and the Republic.
2. Sketch a draft of the model, highlighting the key elements that will compose each area.
3. After the teacher approves the draft, start building the model.
4. While the model is being built, each group should also prepare their oral presentation about a historical event or landmark from each period.
5. When the model is finished, give the oral presentation to the class and the teacher, explaining the choices made for the model and the historical events represented.

Project Deliverables

At the end of the project, groups must deliver:

1. The finished model.
2. A written report on the project, which includes:

• Introduction: Contextualizing the topic, its relevance in the real world, and the objective of this project.
• Development: The theory behind the central themes (Monarchy and Republic), details of the activity (the construction of the model), the methodology used, and the presentation of the result obtained.
• Conclusion: Summary of the main points, lessons learned, and conclusions drawn about the project.
• Bibliography: Indication of the sources used for preparing the model and the oral presentation.

3. An oral presentation, where students will describe their model, explain the choices made, and discuss the chosen historical event.

The written report is an essential component of the project, as students will have to write a document that not only represents what was done in the project, but also makes connections with the historical context and the relevance of the points addressed in the model and in the oral presentation. They must demonstrate a deep understanding of the concepts studied, and the ability to link these concepts to the practice of building the model and articulating its meaning.