October was the month of ancient Rome.
We started with the very beginnings of Rome - a ragtag group of lands ruled over by kings - and moved on to the myth of Romulus & Remus. From there we went on to democracies and republics (comparing them and how the Roman republic was different yet similar to the Greek democracy), warfare (the Romans revolutionized warfare at the time), the military, the conquests (a god chunk of the known world), the expansion of the republic, the emperors (Julius Caesar being the first), how the common people lived, the difference between being a citizen and not, slavery and what slaves are, more conquests (again, even more of the known world which they had a hard time keeping a hold of), the expansion of the empire, the mythology (largely stolen from the Greeks), the persecution of Christians, the rise of Christianity, the barbarians (which helped lead to the downfall), and the eventual fall.
We also talked about the impact Rome still has to this day on our own culture. How their laws and system of government influence our own. How their system of military and warfare influenced all other militaries to come in that region of the world. How the title czar/tzar comes from Caesar's name. Also, the influence and popularity of Christianity both in people's personal lives and in governments all over the world.
Lastly, we also took a closer look at both Julius Caesar and Pompeii through the books "Who Was Julius Caesar?" and "What Was Pompeii".
Honestly, though, it was a huge relief that this was our final unit. I look forward to going back to weekly (or bi-weekly) concept units. And I know that Optimus Prime & Bumblebee feel the same way.
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