Famous Men of Rome · Ch. XXV · Unit 5: The first emperors
37. Titus
Goal: Your child can tell about the Colosseum, the eruption of Vesuvius that buried Pompeii, and why Titus was called the "Delight of Mankind."
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
Chapter XXV: after three short-lived emperors (Galba, Otho and the greedy Vitellius), Vespasian rules. His son Titus takes Jerusalem and gets a triumphal arch. As emperor, Titus finishes the Colosseum, builds baths, and reigns when Vesuvius buries Pompeii and Herculaneum. He was so good that he was called the "Delight of Mankind."
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Jerusalem, and then Mount Vesuvius and the bay of Naples. Say: We met Vesuvius in the story of Manlius Torquatus.
Read the chapter
Read Chapter XXV aloud. It begins:
During the two years that followed the death of Nero, there were three emperors, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- What was Vitellius like?
- What happened in Jerusalem?
- How many people could sit in the Colosseum, and what shows were held there?
- What happened to Pompeii and Herculaneum?
Words from Rome
SayAmphi means around; an amphitheater has seats all the way around. A colossus was a huge statue, so the huge Flavian Amphitheater got the name Colosseum. We still say colossal for anything enormous.
Talk it over
Read what Titus said one night:
I have lost a day.
Ask: Why did he say that? What could you do today so it isn't "lost"?
Remember it
Add to the timeline: "79 A.D. Vesuvius buries Pompeii." (The book says Vespasian died in 79 A.D. and the eruption happened in Titus's reign; historians date it to that same year.)
Extra (optional)
Look at photographs of the Colosseum and of Pompeii online. Then draw the Colosseum with its rows of arches.
Answers to the book's problems
Vitellius was a glutton who thought only about his next meal. Titus captured Jerusalem after a six-month siege and his soldiers burned the city and the temple. The Colosseum had seats for over 80,000; it held gladiator fights, wild-beast fights and even sea battles on a flooded arena. Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius. Titus said it because he had done nothing that day for the good of anyone.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.