Famous Men of Rome · Ch. XX, part 1 · Unit 4: The end of the Republic
27. Pompey the Great, part 1: Pirates and the theater
Goal: Your child can tell how Pompey cleared the sea of pirates in three months, and how he won the people's favor with shows.
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
What's in the book
Sections I and II of Chapter XX: pirates with a thousand ships rule the Mediterranean. Pompey divides the sea into thirteen districts, sweeps the pirates into a trap and clears the sea in three months. He conquers lands in the East, holds a triumph, and builds Rome's first great stone theater, where gladiators and wild beasts fight.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Look at the whole Mediterranean on the map. Point to the Strait of Gibraltar and to Asia Minor (today's Turkey), where the pirates came from.
Read the chapter
Read the first two sections of Chapter XX, stopping at section III. It begins:
Not long after the death of Sulla, a new enemy to Rome appeared upon the Mediterranean Sea.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- What did the pirate ships look like?
- How did Pompey trap them?
- Why did Pompey give the people shows?
- How did the crowd decide what happened to a beaten gladiator?
Talk it over
Read this:
The remainder soon surrendered to the Romans, and in three months the sea was cleared of pirates.
Ask: The book says Pompey hoped that if the people were amused they would not mind him taking power. Is keeping people entertained a good way to rule?
A note on the thumbs
SayThe book describes thumbs up and thumbs down. Historians today are not sure exactly which sign meant what.
Map activity (optional)
On a printed or hand-drawn outline of the Mediterranean, draw lines to make thirteen districts, then draw Pompey's own fleet sailing from Gibraltar back toward Italy.
Answers to the book's problems
The pirate ships had gilded bows and sterns, purple sails and silver-mounted oars. Pompey put a fleet in each of thirteen districts and chased the pirates toward them. He gave shows so the people would love him and not object to his taking power. Thumbs out and down meant kill; thumbs upward meant let him live, according to the book.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.