How Did Ancient Roman Culture Change During The Period Of New And Spreading Monotheism

Faith in Politics and Daily Life

Download a printable version of Rome Lesson iii: Organized religion in Politics and Daily Life (PDF 394K)
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Introduction:

In this lesson, students will examine diverse aspects of organized religion in ancient Rome including the role of mythology, polytheism versus. monotheism, the treatment of Jews and Christians, and the spread of Christianity. To guide their learning, students will consummate a Reading Guide based on the content from the companion Web site and work in small groups to create projects that teach others nigh various aspects of religious life in aboriginal Rome. A final word nigh the separation of church and state in today's modern governments will tie what has been learned to present day topics.

Subject Areas:

Globe History, Social Studies, Religion, Mythology, and Communication Arts

Grade Level: six-12

Lesson Objectives:

Students will:

View three video clips and analyze what they have seen and learned about religion in ancient Rome as they participate in form discussion activities.
Complete a Reading Guide, part of this lesson plan, using primary source textile available from The Roman Empire in the First Century Spider web site.
Check their Reading Guide for accuracy equally questions are reviewed equally part of a class word.
Work in pocket-size groups to inquiry a specific topic related to religion in aboriginal Rome and create a project that tin be used to inform others about what they have learned.
Brand a ten-minute presentation with their group about their assigned topic and answer questions from classmates regarding this topic.
Participate in a endmost word or written response activity where they brand comparisons between ancient Rome and today's modern governments and the role of organized religion in these governments.

Relevant National Standards:

McREL Compendium of K-12 Standards Addressed:

Globe History
Standard ix: Understands how major religious and large-scale empires arose in the Mediterranean Bowl, Communist china, and Indian from 500 BCE to 300 CE.
Standard 11: Understands major global trends from thou BCE to 300 CE.

Historical Understanding
Standard two: Understands the historical perspective.

Language Arts
Writing
Standard iv: Gathers and uses data for inquiry purposes.

Reading
Standard 5: Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Standard seven: Uses reading skills and strategies to sympathize and translate a variety of informational texts.

Listening and Speaking
Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Viewing
Standard nine: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

Thinking and Reasoning
Standard 1: Understands the basic principles of presenting an argument.
Standard 3: Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences.

Working with Others
Standard 1: Contributes to the overall try of a grouping.
Standard 4: Displays constructive interpersonal communication skills.

Estimated Fourth dimension:
This should take three 90-minute course periods or v to vi 50-minute grade periods, plus boosted time for extension activities.

Materials Needed:

Video clips necessary to complete the lesson plan are available on The Roman Empire in the First Century Web site. If you lot wish to purchase a re-create of the program, visit the PBS Shop for Teachers [Purchase DVD or Video].
Reading Guide [Download PDF here 148k)], function of this lesson plan.
Internet access for completing the Reading Guide and conducting required project research.
Assorted art and craft supplies (optional).
Access to discussion processing and multimedia presentation software such as Ability Point (optional).

Procedures:

1. To spark student interest, begin class by playing the following video clips and discussing each one using questions like these listed:

Episode 1: Disasters Strike [picket clip, duration ii:30]
In what ways was it helpful for a Roman emperor to proclaim himself a god or an heir to a god?
How was faith used to explain the natural disasters that afflicted the empire?
Episode 2: Jesus' Bulletin [watch prune, elapsing 1:20]
Why were people such as Jews and Christians persecuted past the Romans?
Why were religious leaders like Jesus considered politically subversive by Roman leaders?
Episode 3: Rome Burns [watch clip, duration 2:30]
How were people with unpopular religious behavior shunned and persecuted?
Even though they risked persecution, why were so many people willing to accept the teachings of Christianity?

2. Afterward discussing each of the clips, spend time talking about each of the following topics as it related to the religion of the Roman Empire:

How was religion used by emperors/the country to control the majority of the population?
Why were the people of that time so easily influenced by organized religion?
What is the divergence betwixt monotheism (one god) and polytheism (many gods)?
The ancient Romans practiced cult worship in that they accurately observed and followed religious rituals to please the gods rather than having good moral conduct. How is this different from the beliefs of many modern day religions?
In the U.Due south. and in many countries around the world, we separate church building and state bug and so that political and lawmaking decisions are non based on religious beliefs, but on the rights guaranteed by the constitution. Why practice you think the leaders of the Roman Empire and many other ancient civilizations chose to proceed a strong connexion between the church and the regime, often placing priests and church leaders in positions of cracking power?

3. Explicate to students that their next step is to larn more about the power of religion during the Roman Empire past reading nearly 3 main topics: Roman Mythology, Jews in Roman Times, and the Early Christians. Students will examine the role of these three very different religions in the daily lives of the Romans every bit well as how these religions affected the politics of Rome. Distribute the Reading Guide [Download PDF here (148k)] and assign students to work in pairs to complete the activities on the guide. Provide class time and Internet access for students to utilise the Web site links to discover answers to their questions.

4. When all students have completed the Reading Guide, take time to talk over the questions on the reading guide as a class.

v. Afterwards reviewing the Reading Guide questions, take each group of students randomly select a topic to present more data nigh. The topics and related assignments are listed below. Delight note that based on class size, y'all may accept to assign the aforementioned topic and related assignment to more than one group. Virtually assignments are broad enough to allow for multiple groups to consummate the same project.

Roman Mythology: Create a listing of the major gods and goddesses in Roman mythology. Draw the similarities and differences between the mythological Roman Gods and Greek gods and mythology. Create a graphic organizer that illustrates these similarities and differences for your classmates.
Roman Mythology: Using at least one of the major Roman gods or goddesses, write a myth that explains an unknown that withal puzzles the scientists of today. Be sure the myth contains all of the central elements of a story (plot, setting, characterization, etc.) and follows a format like to traditional Roman myths. Exist prepared to share your story with the class.
Faith in the Roman Home: Roman households believed in household and family spirits and often made dinnertime offerings to those spirits. Design a larium (shrine) similar to one that would have been present in a Roman home and brand a model or loftier quality color drawing of what this shrine might await like. Be prepared to share your piece of work with classmates and explain it to them.
Religious Holidays and Observances: The ancient Romans had many religious festivals and celebrations. Learn about ane, such equally Festival of the Crossroads, and create a display or demonstration that illustrates some of the important aspects of the festival/commemoration and explains its religious significance.
Jews in Roman Times: Jews were protected by police and allowed to worship freely in the Roman Empire, but many Romans disliked the Jews because of their religious beliefs. Larn nigh how the rebellion in Judea changed the Jewish religion to change forever. Summarize the story of this rebellion and the changes that resulted from it past creating a multi-media presentation using software such as Power Point to tell the story of the rebellion, its primal historical figures, and the changes that resulted from this historical consequence. The presentation should include pictures/photos forth with a clear explanation of the story.
Early on Christians: Jesus brought a bulletin of hope to the masses of poor people in the Roman Empire. Discuss what Jesus told those he preached to and why the Roman leaders/government felt he should be condemned to death. Utilise a flowchart or timeline of events to describe Jesus work, how the Romans made a martyr out of Jesus, and how these events caused the growth of Christianity. Be prepared to explain this chain of events to your classmates.
Early Christians: Acquire about Paul and his significant contributions to the spread of Christianity. Using a large map, chart the areas where Paul traveled and preached. Make note of major events in his life by mark them clearly on the map with specific signs or symbols. Requite your classmates a cursory caption of each pregnant upshot.

six. Provide groups with fourth dimension in course to organize and brainstorm piece of work on their projects. Encourage students to use The Roman Empire in the Kickoff Century Web site at, specially the Religion characteristic and its subtopics as they work on these projects.

7. When projects take been completed, provide each group with ten minutes to nowadays the projection they have created (according to the guidelines specified on the projection listing). Encourage students to ask questions about the projects and what the groups learned while conducting their research.

8. When all projects have been presented, display them in the classroom or another expanse of the school for others to encounter. To connect the learning, ask students to respond in writing or through a course discussion to questions such as the post-obit:

Why practise you lot call up virtually of the governments in today's globe rely less on religious influences than they accept in the by?
Think of governments in today'south world who even so accept shut ties between government and religion. Discuss which countries these are, where they are located in the earth, and why they continue to maintain close ties between organized religion and regime.
What are the advantages to separating church and state? The disadvantages?

Cess Suggestions:

Students could earn participation grades for form discussion activities.
An accuracy or completion grade could be given for the Reading Guide.
A scoring guide, peer evaluation, or self evaluation could be used to assess each group's project and ten-minute presentation. Encourage students to work every bit a class to develop the scoring guide, peer evaluation form, or self evaluation form based on the project guidelines.
If procedure number eight is completed equally a written response activity, a completion or accuracy form could exist assigned.

Extension Activities:

1. Take students invent a new god or goddess that could accept been part of faith during the Roman Empire. Explain what the god/goddess represents, describe his/her qualities and characteristics, and create drawing or model of the image or statue that is representative of this god. And so create a myth where this god/goddess is the central graphic symbol.

2. Compare the mythology of the Romans to that of other ancient cultures such as the Greeks or Egyptians. Using a Venn Diagram or other course of graphic organizer, illustrate the similarities and differences betwixt the part of mythology and the mythological gods and goddesses of each civilization.

Related Resource:

The Roman Religion section[http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/religion.html] of the Roman Empire site [http://www.roman-empire.internet/] has detailed information most all aspects of Roman religion during the first century.

The Aboriginal Rome and Religion department [http://www.historylearningsite.co.great britain/ancient_rome_and_religion.htm] of the History Learning Web site [http://world wide web.historylearningsite.co.uk/] offers a uncomplicated caption of some of the gods and goddesses worshipped by the Romans. There is too a list of the most of import gods/goddesses and what they represented. The site also includes information near home alters and shrines for the gods.

Odyssey Online [http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/ROME/mythology.html] has basic information almost gods and goddesses, religion at home, and foreign gods.

Printables:
(Require free Adobe Acrobat.)

Download a printable version of Rome Lesson iii: Religion in Politics and Daily Life (PDF 394K).

Download a printable version of Reading Guide (PDF 148K).