Ancient Rome

Set in Palestine in the days leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., this is a beautiful and powerful story of a Greek family living in the city of Philadelphia. On one of his business journeys, their father, who is a merchant/businessman, rescues a man whom Roman soldiers had left in the desert to die. The merchant's three sons have diverse reactions to this stranger who becomes part of the household, but when the Father is killed by bandits on a later journey, it seems that this stranger without a memory may have a providential role in their future.

The story illustrates the struggles of those caught up in the brutality of Roman rule, the horror of the fall of Jerusalem and touches upon the mysteries of suffering and death. While dealing with the different sorts of reactions that people have to the evils of Rome, the story does highlight - albeit in a subtle way (as good literature should) - the true paths that Christ showed us. An especially interesting contrast can be seen between the courage of the Christians before death (inspired by Christ and given his grace) with the Jews rebelling against Rome (whose motivations involved patriotism, but also hate).

The story is not overly intense, gory, or otherwise objectionable, but dwells upon serious and mature themes of death and suffering in a way suitable to teens and adults. Although the book is a sequel to The Ides of April (which is not apparent until well into the book), it could be read on its own as well.

Our first year of homeschooling we used a dry textbook for American history. Well, we didn't really use it - we put it off as much as possible and the year passed with only the first few chapters read.

Our second year of homeschooling, we discovered Greenleaf's Famous Men series (through enrolling in the Kolbe Academy Home Study program). What a difference! It was our first exposure to literature-based history study, and the idea of studying time periods through "real books" was a formative one in our homeschool.

Famous Men of Rome was written very early in the 20th century and revised by Rob Shearer of Greenleaf Press. Its operating principle is that history is not primarily about dates and facts; it is about the lives and actions of people. Consequently, it is divided into a series of "Lives", chronologically arranged, simply and memorably telling of the lives and choices of leaders and great men in the history of Rome.

There are thirty chapters in the book, starting with Rome's origin according to legend: the story of Romulus and Remus and their upbringing by a wolf, which became the symbol of Rome's self-identity in its later years. The rest of the book focuses on one historical "famous man" per chapter, with approximate dates of their lives. The stories are told as tales of virtue and vice and how individual actions and characters can affect history, not as dry collections of historical facts to memorize. My highschooler still remembers, from fifth grade, Horatio at the bridge and Cicero ending every speech to the Senate with "And Carthage must be destroyed!" The chronological range of the book is from 753 BC, the estimated founding of Rome, to 476 AD, the end of the Western Empire as Italy became a barbarian kingdom under the rein of Odoacer.

Though the stories in Famous Men of Rome are almost always very interesting, the writing style is quite simple. This might be a drawback to some families who prefer a more literary, complex style. But it does mean that an average 5th grader can read with comprehension and focus on content and meaning. Another possible criticism might be that taken by themselves, the Lives give a sort of scattershot perspective of the course of history - like a slideshow compared to a video. However, in my view the biographical presentation gives history more meaning and interest, and also allows us to compare and contrast the characters of these great men and see how their actions influenced their times.

The book is probably targeted to a third to seventh grade level. It makes an excellent read aloud, but can also be read independently. Kolbe Academy uses it for the history spine in fourth grade. An older student could read the book as an informative supplement to primary source reading in junior high to high school.

The Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of Rome is an optional supplement for the book. It includes, for each lesson, a vocabulary list and several discussion questions designed to bring out the key points of each biography through a Christian (biblical) perspective. The discussion questions are excellent narration starters and really do help bring out the theme that "individual people and their actions have a significant effect on history". There are some ideas for simple hands-on projects (the first lesson involves making a salt relief map of the country in question to get an idea of how geographical circumstances affect history). There are also suggestions for supplementary reading. I must say their book choices are quite wonderful and that all the books we acquired on Greenleaf's recommendation for ancient history have been treasures. There is also a timeline at the back which is helpful in unifying the various biographies.

When Hylas, a slave, discovers the death of his master, a Roman senator, he realizes that he is in dire straits. The harsh laws of ancient Rome dictate that all household slaves be killed should a murder be discovered in that home. Hylas enlists the help of Camillus Rufus, a tribune, to help clear the slaves of the judge's inevitable verdict of 'guilty!'

The Ides of April is an intriguing book set in 62 A.D. It's a classic murder mystery. The author, Mary Ray, paints a vivid picture of life in ancient Rome. Students will gain much technical information about the time period - social status, architecture, religion, laws, the games, and the working of a household.

Though the book is recommended for children "14 years and up", younger children would enjoy it as a read-aloud. It's on the "highly-recommended list" at our house.