Famous Men of Rome · Ch. IV, part 1 · Unit 1: The kings of Rome
5. The Tarquins, part 1: Ancus Marcius and Tarquin the Elder
Goal: Your child can name the seven hills of Rome and tell what King Tarquin built: the Capitol, the Circus, the Forum walks and the great sewer.
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
The first three sections of Chapter IV: King Ancus Marcius founds the port of Ostia, Tarquin comes from Etruria with his wife Tanaquil, an eagle lifts his cap, and he becomes king. He begins the Capitol, sets up the lictors with their fasces, builds the Circus, improves the Forum and builds a great sewer. The augur Navius cuts a stone with a razor.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
On the map, find where the Tiber meets the sea. That is where King Ancus founded the port of Ostia.
SayOstia is a Latin word meaning mouths. The city was at the mouths of the river.
Read the chapter
Read the first three sections of Chapter IV, stopping before section IV (the death of Tarquin). It begins:
The next king of Rome was Ancus Marcius.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- What did the eagle do to Tarquin's cap, and what did Tanaquil say it meant?
- Why was the new building called the Capitol?
- What did the lictors carry, and what did the ax and the rods mean?
- Why was the great sewer so useful?
The seven hills
Read this list slowly together:
The seven hills were the Palatine, the Capitoline, the Cælian, the Quirinal, the Esquiline, the Viminal, and the Aventine.
Say it like a chant three times. Which two hills have we already met? (The Palatine, where Romulus built his wall, and the Quirinal, named for Romulus as a god.)
Words from Rome
The book points out words we still use:
- Capitol, from caput, head
- arena, Latin for sand
- circus
SayThe building where Congress meets is called the Capitol, after this one in Rome.
Talk it over
Ask: The book says Tarquin's sewer is still in use. Why do you think a sewer mattered more than a fine temple to people's health?
Extra (optional)
Draw a lictor carrying the fasces: an ax in a bundle of rods tied with a red strap.
Afterwards
Say the seven hills together each day this week.
Answers to the book's problems
The low ground between the hills was swampy and wet, which made the city unhealthy. Draining it helped everyone, every day.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.