The Roman Empire in the 1st Century ★★★★☆
This 2006 student-centered PBS film-companion site includes an extensive hyperlinked and illustrated essay on the Roman Empire. It also has many special features, including a Virtual Library with excerpts from writers of the time such as Tacitus, Petronius and Pliny the Younger; a Timeline to explore Rome in the First Century AD through the events of the time; an emperor Augustun Family Tree; and a Who are You? quiz to find out which emperor you most resemble. You can also read the words of poets and philosophers, learn about life in the 1st Century AD, and try your skills in their “Emperor of Rome” game. Full transcripts of each episode of “Rome in the First Century AD” are available as well as features on the expert historians were who consulted on this series. There are also many classroom resources, including lesson plans, video clips, and the aforementioned special features. An excellent site.
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Roman Collections ★★★★☆
The Metropolitan Musuem of Art maintains a comprehensive web portal to its impressive collection of Roman artifacts and art. The sidebar offers many supplementary essays on sub-categories such as Palmyra, and Etruria. The collection can be sorted by keyword and time period, and also features a map.
The Byzantine Legacy ★★★★☆
The Byzantine Empire bridged the gap between ancient and early modern Europe. From its inception as the eastern half of the partitioned Roman Empire in the fourth century AD through to its final disappearance in the fifteenth century, Byzantium played the role of an economic, political, and cultural superpower. At “The Byzantine Legacy,” you will find a historical overview, timelines, maps, articles, and bibliographic material – all dedicated to this fascinating civilization. The site also features an extensive photographic gallery, which details some of the surviving examples of Byzantine architecture and public art – from Italy through to the empire’s heartland in modern Greece and Turkey. See the “Byzantine Cities” tab for an interactive map of the empire at its peak.
Who Were the Romans? ★★★★☆
This site is aimed at elementary school students and teaches about the Romans with easy-to-grasp FAQ sections, maps, and plenty of images. Although the site’s layout is dated, it contains a considerable amount of information, and its presentation is very approachable for younger students. The sidebar contains pages on many various Roman topics, such as baths, Hadrian’s Wall, mosaics, and gladiators.
The Classics Page ★★★★☆
The Classics Page from an enthusiast with a degree in Classics from Cambridge University has over 1000 pages of news, information, games and controversy about the life, literature, art and archaeology of the ancient world of Greece & Rome. Major sections include The Romans, Literature, Art, Social History, Philosophy, Archaeology, Education, and the “Greek Harry Potter.” The Teacher’s page has links to resources and the Entertainment section features quizzes, games, and language resources.
Forum Romanum ★★★★☆
Forum Romanum is maintained by David Camden, a Ph.D. candidate in Classics at Harvard University, who has put together an award-winning site on Ancient Rome that includes a virtual tour, a dictionary of Mythology, a Picture Index, and an huge amount of information on Greek history, life, language, and literature.
Perseus Project ★★★★☆
Perseus Project is an impressive digital library for Greek and Classical resources from the Classics Department at Tufts University for primary and secondary source scholarly works that cover the history, literature and culture of the Greco-Roman world. The collection contains extensive and diverse resources including primary and secondary texts, site plans, digital images, and maps. Works are listed by author and you can browse the Greco-Roman Collection or use the search engine. Art and archaeology catalogs document a wide range of objects: vases, sculptures and sculptural groups, coins, buildings and gems. The site also has FAQs, essays, a historical overview, and an extensive library of art objects, and other resources. Special exhibits include The Ancient Olympics and Hercules. Site is updated regularly.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Rome ★★★★☆
The Internet History Sourcebooks are wonderful collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts for educational use by Paul Halsall of Fordham University. The Internet Ancient History Sourcebook contains hundreds of well-organized sources also includes links to visual and aural material, as art and archeology play a prominent role in the study of Ancient history. The Rome section features complete text works of major Roman historians, as well as primary source texts concerning the founding and imperial expansion of Rome, Roman emperors, Roman provinces, education, wars, religion, and other topics. The Sourcebook also has pages designed specifically to help teacher and students: Ancient History in the Movies, Using Primary Sources, Nature of Historiography.
Classical Art Research Center: The Beazley Archive ★★★★☆
The Beazley Archive at The University of Oxford provides an impressive set of images of the art of ancient Greco-Roman art. Major categories include: “Art”, “Pottery”, “Gems”, “Sculpture”, and “Antiquaria” and helpful features include “Dictionary”, “Databases”, and “Tools.” Not only are the images of high quality, but the referencing tools provide plenty of helpful context for appreciating how the objects and why they are significant.
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians ★★★★☆
Part of PBS’s Frontline series, this site explores archeological clues to Jesus’ life, paints a portrait of the Roman world, examines the gospels and first Christians, and discusses why Christianity succeeded. There are maps, a timeline, an anthology of primary sources, a discussion forum, and a biblical quiz. An excellent introductory site.
Mr. Dowling’s Electronic Passport: Ancient Rome ★★★★☆
Mr. Dowling’s Electronic Passport helps kids browse the world in his virtual classroom. He introduces you to many civilizations with clear explanations, engaging graphics for kids, and “cool links”. His study guides, homework assignments, and exams are free and available for you to print or to edit. However, the site’s dated design and lack of interactivity are not so “cool.”
The Internet Classics Archive ★★★★☆
The Internet Classics Archive lists 441 works of classical literature — mainly Greco-Roman works — by 59 different authors, including “user-driven commentary and ‘reader’s choice’ Web sites.” A special feature are the full-text files of many of the works available via the site. The last major update was in 2007, so expect some broken links.
BBC History: The Romans ★★★★☆
This BBC school section is an introduction of Ancient Rome aimed at younger students. Major categories include Roman Britain, gladiators, daily life in ancient rome, and Pompeii. There are articles, photos, maps, quizzes, games, fun facts, and videos. Overall, this is an engaging entry into Ancient Rome for kids.
Ancient Classical History ★★★★☆
This wide-ranging website section from About.com serves as an introduction to Classics topics and other Classics sites on the Web. Roman topics include the fall of the Roman empire; art and archaeology; key figures in ancient history; Latin and Greek languages; and philosophy and science. The site is also searchable. The content is quite good, but the numerous and annoying ads detract from its educational bent.
Quatr.us ★★★☆☆
Quatr.us is a website of hundreds of history articles produced and maintained by Dr. Karen Carr, who is an associate professor of History at Portland State University. Their selection on Ancient Rome is comprehensive, covering many different periods of Roman history and aspects of regular Roman life.
The Ancient World Mapping Center ★★★☆☆
The Ancient World Mapping Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a series of online resources related to the Barrington Atlas and other aspects of ancient geography and cartography. Go the Free Maps section for small-scale ancient geography reference maps for classroom and personal use. (A blank version of each map is usually available.) You can also find updates to the Barrington Atlas; free, downloadable maps for educational use; and articles about new discoveries.
Secrets of Lost Empires: Roman Bath ★★★☆☆
This PBS Nova site is a part of the NOVA series Secrets of Lost Empires, in which an international crew of archeologists, engineers, and historians designs, builds, and tests a functioning Roman bath in the Turkish countryside. At this site you can wander through the frigidarium, tepidarium, caldarium, and other vrooms in an online reconstruction of the famous Baths of Caracalla. In Construct an Aqueduct you are “hired” as Chief Water Engineer by the Roman Emperor to build an aqueduct that will supply a Roman city. There is a Shockwave-enabled activity as part of this section. In all, an informative and engaging presentation.
Historical Collections – Antiqua Medicina: From Homer to Vesalius ★★★☆☆
The University of Virginia Historical Collections and Services offers an interesting and insightful presentation on ancient medicine. The site goes “From Homer to Vesilius” though an extended series of essays illustrated via some excellent photos. Unfortunately it is a static presentation with no multimedia nor hyperlinks to related resources.
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families. ★★★☆☆
DIR is an on-line encyclopedia of the rulers of the Roman empire from Augustus (27 BC-AD 14) to Constantine XI Palaeologus (1449-1453) and consists of an index of all the emperors , a number of biographical essays on the individual emperors, family trees of important imperial dynasties, an index of significant battles in the empire’s history, a number of capsule descriptions and maps of these battles, and maps of the empire at different times. Contents are supplemented by an ancient and medieval atlas, a link to a virtual catalog of Roman coins, and other recommended links to related sites. Last updated in 2006.
Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, Activities and more
The Roman Empire: For Educators
This PBS site offers a wide range of classroom activities, lesson plans, video clips, and interactive features that showcase some of the most intriguing and historically significant people, places, and events from first century Rome. Some of the activities include “When in Rome…”, “Getting to Know the Emperors of Rome”, and “Religion in Politics and Daily Life”. Grades 6 – 12.
The Rise and Fall of the Byzantine Empire
Most history books will tell you that the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE, but this would’ve come as a surprise to the millions who lived in the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages. This animated Ted-Ed video is an excellent introduction to the Byzantine Empire, and comes with discussion questions and a multiple-choice self-test.
Dumbarton Oaks Byzantine Podcast
In an effort to keep moving forward, within the new parameters of COVID-19, the Byzantine Studies Program at Dumbarton Oaks has devised virtual encounters with scholars that will inform, entertain, and challenge the Byzantine scholarly community and colleagues in the Arts and the Humanities more broadly.
Mr. Donn’s Ancient History Page: Ancient Rome
Don Donn of the Corkran (Maryland) Middle School provides a complete unit with 17 daily lesson plans and a unit test for sixth graders. There are also links to multiple K-12 lesson plans and activities.
Anicent Roman Mussels from Apicius: Oldest Cookbook in the West
A fun, educational series with an entertaining host, Tasting History is a show that recreates historical recipes. Cooking is interspersed with fun facts, trivia, and a general overview of the dish’s historical context.
Dr. J’s Audio-Visual Classics Database This database is a compilation of thousands of audio-visual items useful for the teaching and learning of classical (Greek and Roman) archaeology, culture, civilization, philosophy, mythology, history, art and architecture, literature, and languages available for purchase (or available freely over the internet). Last update 2007
Bryn Mawr Classical Review
These timely reviews of current scholarly work in the field of classical studies (including archaeology) are available with a free subscription.
The American Classical League
This group provides resources for the teaching and study of the Classics.
The American Philological Association (APA)
This scholarly North American society for the study of ancient Greek and Roman languages, literatures, and civilizations, makes numerous resources available.
SALVI
Also known as the North American Institute for Living Latin Studies, the group promotes the study and acquisition of Latin language for students, teachers, and the general public.
LatinTeach
This is an informative blog full of articles and resources for teaching Latin.
Textkit
A great educational source for the study of Latin and classical Greek. It provides free and fully downloadable Greek and Latin grammars and readers, selected classical texts, and tutorials.
Galen: Ancient Rome’s Most Notorious Doctor
A short, animated biography of the life of Galen, his methods, and his impact on the scientific community. Prsented by TedED, it is supplemented with discussion questions and a short quiz.
The Great Conspiracy Against Julius Caesar
Delivered from the point of view of Brutus, this animated retelling of Caesar’s assassination is ingsightful and uniquely compelling. Presented by TedED, it is supplemented with discussion questions and a short quiz.
Walk Through Time: Roman Street
This BBC History activity takes you on a Flash-enabled tour of a Roman street.
Rome Virtual Tours
This official site of the Coliseum offers a 3D virtual tour. Tours of other famous Roman landmarks can also be found.
BBC History: Hadrian’s Wall Gallery
Hadrian’s Wall was a Roman frontier built in the years AD 122-30 by order of the Emperor Hadrian. It was 73 miles long and ran from Wallsend-on-Tyne in the east to Bowness on the Solway Firth in the west. Explore these BBC photographs.
BBC History: Roman Mosaics
The floors of Roman buildings were often richly decorated with mosaics, many capturing scenes of history and everyday life. Explore these mosaics through these BBC images.
Brief Review in Global History and Geography: Document Based Essays and Practice Tests
PH@School’s Brief Review in Global History and Geography Web site provides multiple-choice questions from actual Regents exams. You can also practice your test-taking skills on document-based essay questions (DBQs), with the option of e-mailing answers directly to your teacher for review. See Achievements of the Ancient Empires.
LacusCurtius – Roman Atlas
This site provides links to a set of maps from an English Language School Atlas.
Antique Roman Dishes – Collection
An index of recipes for making Roman meals, the site also describes traditional ingredients and gives measurements in both the standard and metric systems.
Gladiator: The Real Story
This web site briefly explains the historical inaccuracies in the popular film.
Map of Roman Empire Expansion
Mapping History provides an interactive map of the expansion of Rome.
Map of Roman World
This interactive map shows the expansion of Rome throughout the Western Mediterranean.