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EnglandAncient History

The Foundations of Rome, 753 to 440 BC

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why did the plebeians struggle against the patricians, and how did they win political rights?

The early Republic and the Conflict of the Orders: the division between patricians and plebeians, the first secession of the plebs in 494 BC and the creation of the tribunes of the plebs, and the plebeians' struggle for legal and political rights, studied through Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the early Republic and the Conflict of the Orders, covering the division between patricians and plebeians, the first secession of the plebs in 494 BC and the creation of the tribunes of the plebs, and the plebeians' struggle for legal and political rights, studied through Livy.
14 min answer →

Why was the monarchy overthrown in 509 BC, and what kind of government replaced it?

The fall of the monarchy and the founding of the Republic: the tyranny of Tarquinius Superbus, the rape of Lucretia and the expulsion of the kings in 509 BC, the creation of the two annual consuls, and the new Republican constitution, studied through Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the fall of the Roman monarchy and the founding of the Republic, covering the tyranny of Tarquinius Superbus, the rape of Lucretia and the expulsion of the kings in 509 BC, the creation of the two annual consuls and the new constitution, and how to use Livy's dramatic narrative critically.
14 min answer →

What do the foundation legends of Rome tell us, and how far can archaeology test them?

The foundation legends of Rome: Aeneas and the Trojan origins, Romulus and Remus, the she-wolf and the founding of the city in 753 BC, the rape of the Sabine women, and how Livy's narrative can be tested against the archaeology of the early settlement on the Palatine.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the foundation legends of Rome, covering the Trojan origins through Aeneas, Romulus and Remus and the she-wolf, the founding of the city in 753 BC and the rape of the Sabine women, and how Livy's narrative can be tested against the archaeology of the early settlement on the Palatine.
14 min answer →

What are the prescribed sources for early Rome, and how do you handle a literary tradition written centuries after the events?

The prescribed sources for the Foundations of Rome period study: Livy as the main literary narrative (and the problem of a moralising author writing centuries later), Dionysius of Halicarnassus as a parallel Greek account, and the archaeological evidence for early Rome, and how to weigh later literary tradition against material evidence.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History guide to the prescribed sources for the Foundations of Rome period study, explaining how to use Livy as the main literary narrative (and the problem of a moralising author writing centuries later), Dionysius of Halicarnassus as a parallel Greek account, and the archaeological evidence for early Rome, and how to weigh later literary tradition against material evidence.
14 min answer →

What did the seven kings contribute to Rome, and how much Etruscan influence does the regal period show?

The regal period and the seven kings of Rome: the contributions of Numa, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius and the Etruscan kings (Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus), the reforms of Servius Tullius, and the influence of the Etruscans on early Rome, studied through Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the regal period and the seven kings of Rome, covering the contributions of Numa, Tullus Hostilius and Ancus Marcius, the Etruscan kings Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius and Tarquinius Superbus, the reforms of Servius Tullius, and the influence of the Etruscans on early Rome, studied through Livy.
14 min answer →

Why were the Twelve Tables created, and why did they matter so much to the plebeians?

The Twelve Tables of about 450 BC: the demand for written law, the work of the Decemvirs and the fall of the second Decemvirate, the content and significance of the first written Roman law code, and its importance for the plebeians, studied through Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the Twelve Tables of about 450 BC, covering the plebeian demand for written law, the work of the Decemvirs and the fall of the second Decemvirate, the content and significance of Rome's first written law code, and its importance for the plebeians, studied through Livy.
13 min answer →