Prepare an lesson plan on Ancient Rome

Netflix wont supply everything that the homeschooler needs for studing Ancient Rome, but it will make it a lot more entertaining.  The instructor should first put together a lesson plan on what aspects of Ancient Rome that are to be studied.

The chronological way to study Ancient Rome would be to do:

Other areas of study may include and could be broken down into the above areas:

  • Roman military
  • Roman politics
  • Roman Architecture and engineering
  • Everyday Roman life

Netflix videos wont replace overall research on Ancient Rome, but it will supply a much more visual experience for the student.  Lots of the Ancient Roman documentaries also include many contemporary experts on Ancient Rome which would normally be available only to a lucky few.

Romulus & Remus

Ancient Roman Characters

There are many famous characters from Ancient Rome

Probably the most famous person from Ancient Rome will be Julius Caesar followed closely by several of his contempories, like Cicero and Cato.  Much of their writings give great insight into the last days of the Roman Republic.

The list of Roman Emperors includes quite a list of excentric figures.  Men like Caligula, Nero, Hadrian, and Constantine the Great.  Deeper research can be done on any one of these characters for the student.

Many Ancient Roman DVDs are available on Netflix

Roman Architecture and Engineering:
  • Rome: Engineering an Empire (DVD)
  • Secrets of Lost Empires, disc 2 (DVD)
  • Ancient Mysteries: Ancient Rome and Its Mysterious Cities (DVD)
  • Ancient Mysteries: The Incredible Monuments of Rome (DVD)

Roman Empire Era:

  • The Roman Empire in the First Century (DVD)

Overall all Roman Information:

  • Rome: Power & Glory (DVD)
  • Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire (DVD)

Ancient Roman Military

  • The Romans and Barbarians: The Story of Civilization (DVD)

You will have to have Netflix available for watching streaming videos or receiving DVDs.  The streaming can be done on a computer or, more comfortably, on a Netflix enabled device like a Wii.  There are also many movies available based in Ancient Rome.  The movies can give some feel for what life would have been like in Ancient Rome but the historical accuracy may be somewhat suspect.  To some degree the accuracy of the documentories can be brought into question on some subjects.

When selecting what videos and/or movies to view on Ancient Rome be sure to take into account the age of the viewer.  The Ancient Roman sensibilities were different than ours are today so not all movies, and some documentaries, may not be appropriate for younger children.

Roman Building