Greek & Roman History - Biographies

My older students will be learning about Greek & Roman History in January, and will get to practice writing reports (specifically, biographies).

The main text for their block is Augustus Caesar's World: 44 BC to AD 14 by Genevieve Foster.

Augustus Caesar's World: 44 BC to AD 14
by Genevieve Foster

free sample (PDF)

It is so well written and interweaves and reviews some of the information which was covered in 5th grade in a Waldorf school (such as Ancient Egypt). This approach is called "horizontal history." She traces seven major civilizations (Rome, Greece, Israel, Egypt, China, India & Persia) from 4500 BC onward to help explain the time in which in which Augustus Caesar lived. She puts everything in context beautifully. I think it's the perfect book to help cover any gaps as well as to help bring this historical period to life!

A very special article:
"How Demosthenes Reached Across the Ages to Speak to William", from

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Here are biography resources I have which will be useful for writing reports:

Ancient Greece

Thales of Miletus, born c. 636 BCE

Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians
by Luetta and Wilbert Reimer
"Pyramids, Olives, and Donkeys" - p.1


Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math
by Sanderson Smith
"The Golden Age of Greece" - p.19
"Thales: A Man of Legend" - p.17

Pythagoras of Samos, born c. 560 BCE

Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians
by Luetta and Wilbert Reimer
"The Teacher Who Paid His Student" - p.9


Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math
by Sanderson Smith
"The Golden Age of Greece" - p.19
"Ideal and Irrational Numbers" - p.23

Pheidippides, born c. 530 BCE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 23, "Greece vs. Persia"

Themistocles, born c. 524 BCE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 24, "Fighting Mad"
chapter 25, "One Against a Thousand"


Temple on a Hill: The Building of the Parthenon
by Anne Rockwell
first half (chapters 1-3)

Pericles, born c. 495 BCE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 26, "The Golden Age"


Temple on a Hill: The Building of the Parthenon
by Anne Rockwell
second half (chapters 4-6)

Socrates, born c. 470 BCE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 27, "When Greek Meets Greek"


Wise Guy: The Life and Philosophy of Socrates
by M. D. Usher


Poison: Deadly Deeds, Perilous Professions, and Murderous Medicines
by Sarah Albee
pages 20-21

Demosthenes, born 384 BCE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 28, "Wise Men and Otherwise"

Euclid

Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians, volume 2
by Luetta and Wilbert Reimer
"There's Only One Road - p.1


Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math
by Sanderson Smith
"The Golden Age of Greece" - p.19
"Infinitude of Primes" - p.27
"The Elements of Euclid" - p.29

Archimedes, born c. 287 BCE

Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians
by Luetta and Wilbert Reimer
"The Man Who Concentrated Too Hard" - p.19


Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math
by Sanderson Smith
"The Golden Age of Greece" - p.19
"Ancient References to Pi" - p.3
"Early Greek Mathematicians" - p.21

Eratosthenes, born c. 276 BCE

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
by Kathryn Lasky


Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math
by Sanderson Smith
"The Golden Age of Greece" - p.19
"Eratosthenes' Computation" - p.33

Ancient Rome

Julius Caesar, born 100 BCE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 33, "The Noblest Roman of Them All"


When the World Was Rome, 753 B.C. to 476 A.D.
by Polly Schoyer Brooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth
"Julius Caesar and the Death of the Republic" - p.80


How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
by Georgia Bragg
"Putting the 'I' in 'Ides'" - p.11


Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math
by Sanderson Smith
"Ten Days Lost in 1582" - p.40

Julius Caesar (World Leaders Past & Present)
by Roger Bruns

Cleopatra, born c. 69 BCE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 33, "The Noblest Roman of Them All"
chapter 34, "An Emperor Who Was Made a God"


Ten Queens: Portraits of Women of Power
by Milton Meltzer
"Cleopatra" - p.11


How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
by Georgia Bragg
"#1 Across" - p.19


Poison: Deadly Deeds, Perilous Professions, and Murderous Medicines
by Sarah Albee
page 28


Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt for Kids: Her Life and World
by Simonetta Carr

Pliny the Elder, born c. 23 CE

When the World Was Rome, 753 B.C. to 476 A.D.
by Polly Schoyer Brooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth
"Pliny the Naturalist - p.151

Nero, born 37 CE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 36, "Blood and Thunder"


When the World Was Rome, 753 B.C. to 476 A.D.
by Polly Schoyer Brooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth
"The Empire Survives Some Bad Emperors" - p.146


Poison: Deadly Deeds, Perilous Professions, and Murderous Medicines
by Sarah Albee
pages 30-32

Pliny the Younger, born c. 62 CE

When the World Was Rome, 753 B.C. to 476 A.D.
by Polly Schoyer Brooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth
"Pliny the Younger - p.163

Marcus Aurelius, born 121 CE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 37, "A Good Emperor and a Bad Son"

Galen, born c. 130 CE

When the World Was Rome, 753 B.C. to 476 A.D.
by Polly Schoyer Brooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth
"Galen, Doctor and Researcher" - p.175


Poison: Deadly Deeds, Perilous Professions, and Murderous Medicines
by Sarah Albee
page 19

Constantine the Great, born c. 272 CE

A Child's History of the World
by V. M. Hillyer
available FREE at Project Gutenberg
chapter 38, "I — H — — S — — — — V — — — — —"


When the World Was Rome, 753 B.C. to 476 A.D.
by Polly Schoyer Brooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth
"Constantine the Great, First Christian Emperor" - p.200

Constantine (World Leaders Past & Present)
by Nancy Zinsser Walworth

Hypatia of Alexandria, born c. 370 CE

Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians
by Luetta and Wilbert Reimer
"A Woman of Courage" - p.29


Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math
by Sanderson Smith
"Hypatia of Alexandria" - p.45

I think that we will start with graphic organizers and Bio-Cubes, and then move on to paraphrasizing and summarizing information from two sources.

If you missed my 2016 post on Breaking Down the Skills Needed to Write a Research Paper (in grades 4-12), it's really helpful!

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