What does the OCR Foundations of Rome period study cover?

It is the compulsory longer period study in Component 02 (Rome and its neighbours), covering Rome from its legendary foundation in 753 BC to about 440 BC: the foundation legends (Aeneas, Romulus and Remus), the seven kings and Etruscan influence, the overthrow of the monarchy and the creation of the Republic in 509 BC, and the early Republic's Conflict of the Orders, including the tribunes of the plebs and the Twelve Tables. It is studied through literary and archaeological sources.

How is the OCR Foundations of Rome period study examined?

It is Section A of the Rome and its neighbours paper (J198/02). The section is worth 60 marks plus 5 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG). The questions include a short knowledge-recall question, source-inference and source-comparison questions, an 'Explain why' question, a longer source-and-knowledge judgement, and an extended essay (printed at 20 marks, of which 5 are SPaG).

Who is the main source for early Rome, and what is the problem with it?

Livy, whose history Ab Urbe Condita gives the full narrative of the foundation, kings and early Republic. The problem is that Livy wrote around the time of Augustus, centuries after the events, drawing on earlier annalists and oral tradition, and with a moral purpose, so his narrative is invaluable for the Roman tradition and self-image but not a reliable record of fact for the earliest centuries. Dionysius of Halicarnassus gives a parallel Greek account, and archaeology tests the date and scale of the settlement.

Why was the Roman monarchy overthrown?

Because of the long-term tyranny of the last king, Tarquinius Superbus, who ruled by fear and ignored the Senate, and the immediate trigger of the rape of Lucretia by the king's son, which provoked an aristocratic revolt led by Brutus. The Romans abolished the monarchy in 509 BC and created the Republic, replacing one king for life with two consuls elected each year as a safeguard against tyranny.

What was the Conflict of the Orders?

The long struggle in the early Republic between the patricians (the hereditary aristocracy who monopolised office) and the plebeians (the ordinary citizens, excluded from power and burdened by debt and unwritten law). The plebeians won rights chiefly through the secession (mass withdrawal from the city), which forced the patricians to negotiate: the first secession of 494 BC created the tribunes of the plebs, and the demand for public law produced the Twelve Tables around 450 BC.

EnglandAncient History

OCR GCSE Ancient History The Foundations of Rome 753 to 440 BC: a complete period-study overview

A complete overview of OCR's GCSE Ancient History period study, The Foundations of Rome 753 to 440 BC (Component 02). Covers the foundation legends and Romulus, the seven kings and Etruscan influence, the fall of the monarchy and the birth of the Republic, the Conflict of the Orders and the Twelve Tables, the prescribed sources (Livy, Dionysius and archaeology), and the Section A question types.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.816 min readJ198-02-periodUpdated 2026-06-02

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What this option demands
The legends and the kings
The birth of the Republic
The Conflict of the Orders
Check your knowledge

What this option demands

The Foundations of Rome 753 to 440 BC is the compulsory longer period study in OCR's GCSE Ancient History Component 02 (Rome and its neighbours). A period study traces a theme across centuries, here Rome's growth from a legendary village under kings to a working Republic. Because this is an ancient-history course, you are examined on prescribed sources as well as content: Livy as the main narrative, Dionysius of Halicarnassus as a parallel account, and the archaeology of early Rome. The special challenge is that the literary tradition was written centuries after the events. This overview ties the dot-point pages together.

The legends and the kings

The study opens with the foundation legends: the Trojan origins through Aeneas, and above all Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of Mars saved by a she-wolf, with Romulus founding the city in 753 BC. Tradition then gives seven kings, each with a theme: Numa (religion), Tullus Hostilius (war), Ancus Marcius (the sea and a bridge), and the Etruscan kings (Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus), under whom Rome was built up and shows strong Etruscan influence. Servius Tullius reorganised the citizens and army by wealth, the basis of the later state.

The birth of the Republic

The monarchy fell in 509 BC. The tyranny of Tarquinius Superbus and the outrage of the rape of Lucretia provoked a revolt led by Brutus that expelled the kings. The Romans swore never to have a king again and created the Republic, replacing one king with two consuls elected each year, advised by the Senate, with safeguards (collegiality, annual office, the right of appeal) against tyranny.

The Conflict of the Orders

The early Republic was torn by the Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians. The plebeians, excluded from office and burdened by debt and unwritten law, used the secession (withdrawing from the city) to force concessions: the first secession of 494 BC created the tribunes of the plebs, and the demand for public law produced the Twelve Tables (about 450 BC), Rome's first written law code.

OCR's Foundations of Rome period study runs from the foundation legends (Aeneas, Romulus and Remus, the she-wolf, the founding in 753 BC), through the seven kings and strong Etruscan influence (with Servius Tullius reorganising the citizens and army), to the fall of the monarchy in 509 BC (the tyranny of Tarquinius Superbus and the rape of Lucretia) and the birth of the Republic (two annual consuls and safeguards against tyranny), and finally the Conflict of the Orders (the secession of 494 BC and the tribunes, and the Twelve Tables of about 450 BC). It is examined in Section A of J198/02 (60 marks plus 5 SPaG) through source-inference, source-comparison, explanation, source-and-knowledge judgement and an extended essay. The course rewards using the prescribed sources (Livy, Dionysius and archaeology) critically and weighing later literary tradition against material evidence.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall questions covering the whole period study. Attempt them, then check the solutions.

Who founded Rome according to legend, and in what year? (2 marks)
Name two of the early (non-Etruscan) kings and their contributions. (2 marks)
Which king reorganised the citizens and army by wealth? (1 mark)
In what year was the monarchy overthrown, and what replaced the king? (2 marks)
What triggered the fall of the monarchy in Livy's account? (1 mark)
What did the plebeians win through the secession of 494 BC? (1 mark)
What were the Twelve Tables, and roughly when? (2 marks)
Name the main literary source and the parallel Greek source for early Rome. (2 marks)

Sources & how we know this

OCR GCSE (9-1) Ancient History J198 specification — OCR (2017)