← Classical Studies syllabus

ScotlandClassical Studies

Life in the Roman world

3 dot points across 3 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How was power held and exercised in the Roman world, and how free were the people who lived under Rome?

Power and freedom in the Roman world: the power of the emperor, the role of the Senate and old republican forms, Roman citizenship, and the limits of freedom under autocracy.
An SQA Higher Classical Studies answer on power and freedom in the Roman world, covering the power of the emperor and how Augustus disguised it, the role of the Senate, Roman citizenship and its value, and the limits of freedom for ordinary people, women and slaves under autocracy.
14 min answer →

What did the Romans believe, how did religion serve the state, and why were the Romans hostile to Christianity?

Religion and belief in the Roman world: the state gods and worship, the imperial cult, Roman tolerance of foreign cults, and attitudes towards Christianity and its persecution.
An SQA Higher Classical Studies answer on religion and belief in the Roman world, covering the state gods and worship, the imperial cult, Roman tolerance of most foreign cults, and Roman attitudes towards Christianity, including why Christians were persecuted.
14 min answer →

How was Roman society structured, and how free were slaves, freedmen and women within it?

Society and freedom in the Roman world: the social hierarchy, slavery and its range, the place of freedmen, the position of women, and what these reveal about freedom under Rome.
An SQA Higher Classical Studies answer on Roman society and the limits of freedom, covering the social hierarchy, the range of slavery from brutal labour to trusted household roles, the route to freedom through manumission and the place of freedmen, and the position of women under Rome.
13 min answer →