Famous Men of Rome · Ch. XIII, part 1 · Unit 3: Pyrrhus and the wars with Carthage

17. Appius Claudius, part 1: Roads, water and a stained toga

Goal: Your child can tell what Appius Claudius built (the aqueduct and the Appian Way) and why Rome went to war with Tarentum.

⏱ About 25 minutes · 6 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • The book, open to this chapter
  • A map of Italy and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
  • Paper and colored pencils
  • An old sheet or large towel, to try on a toga

What's in the book

Section I of Chapter XIII: Appius Claudius, censor from 312 to 308 B.C., builds an aqueduct and the Appian Way, the "queen of roads," from Rome to Capua. In the Greek town of Tarentum, people laugh at the Roman ambassador Posthumius, his Greek and his toga, and throw dirt on it. Rome declares war.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Set the scene

    Find Capua south of Rome, and Tarentum on the "heel" of Italy's boot. Say: Many Greeks lived in towns in the south of Italy.

  2. Read the chapter

    Read section I of Chapter XIII, stopping at section II (where Pyrrhus is called). It begins:

    Soon after the defeat of the Gauls there lived in Rome a great man named Appius Claudius.

  3. Tell it back

    Prompts:

    - What did a censor do?

    - What was an aqueduct for?

    - How long was the Appian Way?

    - What did the people of Tarentum do to Posthumius?

  4. Talk it over

    Read this:

    The Romans had good roads as well as good aqueducts. They were the best road-builders in the world.

    Ask: Why would good roads help Rome rule so much land?

  5. Try on a toga

    Read the book's description of putting on a toga, then try it with a sheet: fold it lengthwise, pass one end over the left shoulder, under the right arm, and back over the left shoulder. Then ask: Could you run or fight in this?

  6. Remember it

    SayAppius Claudius was called "the greatest of his countrymen in the works of peace." Parts of the Appian Way are still there today.

Afterwards

Look at pictures of the Appian Way or a Roman aqueduct online and ask your child to explain what they show.

Answers to the book's problems

Censor: in charge of the census, collecting taxes, public buildings, and making roads and streets. Aqueduct: to bring water to the city, from a lake eight miles away. The Appian Way was one hundred and twenty miles long. Good roads let armies, messengers and traders move quickly.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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