Famous Men of Rome · Ch. I, part 2 · Unit 1: The kings of Rome
2. Romulus, part 2: The Sabines, Tarpeia and the Senate
Goal: Your child can tell how Rome got its first people, the story of Tarpeia, and what the Senate, patricians and plebeians were.
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
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
The rest of Chapter I: Rome is founded in 753 B.C. and becomes a refuge, the Romans carry off the Sabine women, Tarpeia opens the gate, the Sabine women stop the battle, Romulus sets up the Senate, and the story of how he disappeared in a storm.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Recall the last lesson: who were Romulus and Remus, and how did Rome get its name?
Find Rome again on the map. The Sabines lived on a mountain near Rome.
Read the chapter
Read from the fourth section to the end of the chapter. It begins:
Romulus founded Rome in the year 753 B.C.
The book says the Romans seized the Sabine girls at a festival. You may want to say plainly that this was wrong and cruel, and that it caused a long war.
Tell it back
Ask your child to tell the chapter back. Prompts:
- Who came to live in Rome at first, and why?
- What did Tarpeia ask for, and what did she get?
- How did the Sabine women stop the battle?
- What happened to Romulus at the end?
Talk it over
Read what the Sabine women said to their fathers and brothers:
Do not fight any more for us
Ask:
- Why was Tarpeia punished, even by the Sabines she helped?
- Why do you think the women's words worked when the soldiers' swords did not?
Words from Rome
The book explains three Latin words. Write them down:
- Senate, from senex, an old man
- patricians, from pater, a father (the nobles)
- plebeians, from plebs, the common people
SayWe still have a Senate in the United States today.
Remember it
Write "753 B.C. Rome founded" on the timeline.
SayB.C. means "before Christ." These years count down toward year 1, so a bigger B.C. number is longer ago.
Extra (optional)
Draw the Sabine women running between the two armies, or Tarpeia at the gate with the shields piling up.
Afterwards
Ask: "When was Rome founded?" until "753 B.C." comes easily.
Tip
The idea that B.C. years count backward is new for most children. A number line from 800 B.C. to year 1 drawn on paper makes it clear.
Answers to the book's problems
Tarpeia was a traitor who opened the gate for gold; even the enemy despised a traitor. The women's words worked because both sides loved them: the Sabines were their fathers and brothers, the Romans were their husbands.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.