World History 9A, Assignment Five, Rome: Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and the Establishment of the Empire

Assignment Five
The Birth of the Roman Republic, the Change to an Empire, and Long Lasting Impacts

This is the first part of the work will do about Rome.
Part One
Deadline 9/26, 80 points

Click here to go back to the
web site for History 9A.

The Roman god, Cyclus, as depicted in the ancient city.

The Roman Republic, Part One

How did the Roman Republic develop?

What influenced its growth?

What was life like in the days of the Republic?

How did the Republic affect the writing of the United States Constitution?

Objectives

See the in-class notes and sources.

The Roman Republic, Part Two

What role did Julius Caesar play in changing Rome from a Republic to an Empire?

What about Cleopatra?

How did the Roman Empire differ from the Roman Republic?

Description

There is no way we can cover all of Roman history. Yet, the influence of Rome on our modern world is too great to ignore. For our study of Rome, we are going to focus on a few key events in its history. The life and times of Julius Caesar is the first event. In many ways, his rule is the fulcrum on which Rome spun from a Republic to an Empire?

Objectives

During this lesson, students will evaluate the key factors of Julius Caesar's life that changed the Roman world.

Students will also explore the effect Cleopatra had on the Roman world and Egypt.

Students will begin to create an explanation of what turned Rome from its Republican past to its future as an empire.

Packet Part One
Below are the questions for the first part of this packet. The presentations are worth 140 points. How well did your group answer the questions you chose?
120 = All the questions were answered and your assertions were well supported.
100 = Most of the questions were answered and your assertions were well supported.
80 = Some of the questions were answered and your assertions were not well supported.
60 or lower = You did not meet the requirements of the presentation.

Topic One
How did Julius Caesar come to be emperor?
How did Julius Caesar change the Roman world?
What caused his downfall? How did his legacy affect those who followed him?

Assertions to prove or disprove >>

Julius Caesar was an illegal ruler who destroyed the Roman Republic.
Julius Caesar acted to save the Republic.
Julius Caesar spent the valuable parts of his life obsessed with a manipulative Macedonian / Egyptian woman of extremely low moral character.

Presentations / Discussions

TBA

Topic Two
How did Cleopatra contribute to the changes in Rome?
How did her actions illustrate her need to save Egypt?
Why did she form an alliance with Marc Anthony after the death of Julius Caesar?
Why did she take her life?
Quick Note >> The names here can become confusing. Remember, Cleopatra's father, Auletes, was a direct descendant of Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy I of Macedonia. Auletes died in March 51 BC. His will made 18-year-old Cleopatra and her 10-year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator, joint monarchs.

Assertions to prove or disprove >>

Cleopatra was a woman of low moral character who would do anything to achieve her personal goals.
She should have worked with her brother to save Egypt instead of taking up with Caesar.
She was self-obsessed and wanted to destroy Rome's hold on Egypt via Caesar.
The whole asp story is baloney.

Presentations / Discussions

TBA

Topic Three
How did Rome move from a Republic to an Empire?
What influenced the move?
How did the change affect the people of Rome and the enemies of Rome?
Did the move weaken or strengthen Rome?

Assertions to prove or disprove >>

The Republic was dying. Julius Caesar created a more egalitarian society.
Being made emperor for life was too much and the Senate acted when no one else would; basically, he had it coming.
The Empire was more efficient than the Republic; the Republic was too bloated to survive with its class divisions.

Presentations / Discussions

TBA

Your immediate task

You are going to be part of a group that will explore one of the essential topics and the assertions that accompany it. You are going to prepare a brief, persuasive lesson about your assigned topic. You will submit the URL for your lesson and it will be linked to this page. NOTE >> Be sure to set your lesson so that anyone can view it.

Packet Part Two

This score is connected to your packet about the Christianity and Rome
If you completed the packet, score your work. If you didn’t, score it accordingly.

Packet Part Three

The score is connected to your assertions about Atilla’s meeting with Pope Leo.
If you completed it well, and ESPECIALLY supported your hypothesis, score it at 90 points.

Rubric

To follow.

Links

Printed files

Media files

A rather detailed timeline of Rome.

Click here to see the Roman timeline we used in class.

Online files

A very brief biography of Julius Caesar.

A less brief biography of Julius Caesar.

Plutarch's biography of Julius Caesar.

A less brief biography of Cleopatra.