Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

ANSWER SHEETSTRUE OR FALSE

MULTIPLE CHOICECOMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

ANTONYM OR SYNONYM?VOCABULARY

THE STORY OF ROMULUS AND REMUS

ROMULUS & REMUSAncient Romans

TOPICSHOP

PRIMARY

1

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

ANCIENT ROMANS

One of the most famous Roman myths is the story of how Rome was founded. The

legend of Romulus and Remus was created by Romans, one of the few that were not

adapted from a Greek myth, although according to the legend, the brothers were

descendants a famous Greek hero. This legend was made to explain why Rome was

an important city, and why Romans were fit to rule the people they conquered.

Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of the god Mars and a vestal virgin named Rhea.

Rhea was the daughter of Numitor, who was king before he was usurped by his brother Amulius. King Amulius was worried that the twin babies would one day grow up and take the throne from him, but he was afraid to kill the sons of Mars. Instead, he ordered that the babies be thrown in the river.

A peasant was given the task, but he took pity on the twins. He carved a small boat from a log and put the babies inside, so they could float along the river. The god of the river kept the river calm and the boys were rescued by a mother wolf. The wolf fed them and guarded them with the help of a woodpecker who brought berries. One day a shepherd found the babies. He named them Romulus and Remus and raised them as his own sons.

THE LEGEND OF ROMULUS AND REMUS

2

ROMULUS AND REMUS

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

The twins grew up to be strong men, handsome and dignified, generous and brave. They became involved in a dispute among shepherds and Remus was captured by Numitor. Remus was Numitor's grandson, but neither of them knew it, but Numitor was impressed by Remus nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Romulus was gathering a group of shepherds and farmers to help him get his brother back.

Remus told Numitor about how their father had found them on the shore in a boat carved from a log, and Numitor realized this was his grandson. Numitor was delighted to be reunited with his grandson, and Remus was happy to find out he was the son of a god and descended from royalty. When Romulus arrived with his army of shepherds and farmers, they learned the truth as well. The people of the city were awed by Romulus and Remus. They joined together with Numitor and overthrew King Amulius, the usurper.

Numitor was king again and wanted to reward his grandsons, so he gave them part of the kingdom to build their own city. Many people followed the twins to this new wild land.

Romulus and Remus disagreed about where to build their new city. There were seven hills to choose from. Romulus wanted to build on Palatine Hill and Remus wanted to build on Aventine Hill. They decided to look for an omen. Each of the brothers stood on their favored hill and waited for a sign. Romulus saw an omen first, six birds flying over Palatine Hill. But then Remus saw twelve birds over Aventine Hill. They could not agree on which sign was the better omen. They got so angry that a fight broke out between the supporters of Romulus and the supporters of Remus. Romulus won the fight and started to build city walls around his hill. Remus was not happy about losing though, and he made fun of his brother's wall. In a fit of rage, Romulus struck his brother and Remus was killed.

Romulus was very sorry that he had killed his brother. He gave Remus a grand funeral but he was still so upset that he couldn't eat or sleep. It wasn't until he had performed a ceremony to appease his brother's spirit that he recovered. He went back to work building his city. The supporters of Remus joined Romulus and they named the city Roma, after Romulus. Roma would eventually grow to cover all seven hills.

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS

VOCABULARY

Descendant someone who is related to a person from an earlier generation

Usurp take a position of power by force.

Peasant a poor person of low status, usually works on a farm

Dispute disagreement or argument

Dignified serious, calm and deserving respect

Nonetheless in spite of that, regardless, anyway

Overthrow defeat, remove from power

Omen a sign of the future

Appease try to stop someone from being angry, to pacify

Recover to get better, become well again

3

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

ANTONYM OR SYNONYM?Circle 'Antonym' if the two words have opposite meanings or 'Synonym' if they mean the same thing.

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS

Descendant AncestorAntonym or Synonym

Usurp SurrenderAntonym or Synonym

Usurp TakeAntonym or Synonym

Peasant NoblemanAntonym or Synonym

Dignified CrudeAntonym or Synonym

Dispute AgreementAntonym or Synonym

Dispute FightAntonym or Synonym

Overthrew ConqueredAntonym or Synonym

Overthrow DefeatAntonym or Synonym

Appease DispleaseAntonym or Synonym

Recover DeclineAntonym or Synonym

Appease PlacateAntonym or Synonym

Recover RetrieveAntonym or Synonym

Omen SignAntonym or Synonym

4

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONSWhy was King Amulius worried the twin babies Romulus and Remus?

1

Name three events that saved the twin babies from being killed

1.

2.

3.

2

What disagreement did the twins have about where to build their new city?4

Which sign did Remus consider an omen that they should build on Aventine Hill?5

Who was Roma named after?6

Who was the grandfather of Romulus and Remus?

Bonus Question: Who was their other grandfather?

3

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS

5

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

MULTIPLE CHOICE

How were Romulus and Remus saved?

a The river god calmed the river b The peasant carved them a boat

c A woodpecker brought them food d All of the above

Why did Romulus and Remus argue about the city they were going to build?

a They disliked each other b Romulus wanted to build two cities

c Remus wanted his own city d They wanted to build on different hills

Which sign did Remus consider an omen that they should build on Aventine Hill?

a He saw six birds first b The god Mars visited him

c It rained on Palatine Hill d He saw twelve birds

Who was Roma named after?

a Roman b Remus

c Romulus d Rhea

Why was King Amulius worried Romulus and Remus?

a They were handsome b They might grow up and take his throne

c He was afraid of babies d All of the above

Who was the grandfather of Romulus and Remus?

a Numitor b Mars

c Rhea d King Amulius

1

2

3

4

5

6

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS

Which is a antonym (opposite meaning) for overthrow?

a Defeat b Conquer

c Surrender d Overcome

7

6

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

TRUE OR FALSECircle T (True) or F (False) for each of the following statements.

King Amulius was afraid to kill the twins because they were sons of Mars. T F

1

A bear saved Romulus and Remus from the river. T F

2

Numitor was the father of Romulus and Remus T F

3

Romulus and Remus argued about the name of their new city. T F

4

Romulus saw an omen first, six birds flying over Palatine Hill. T F

5

Roma was named after Remus. T F

6

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS

7

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS | ANSWER SHEET

ANTONYM OR SYNONYM?Circle 'Antonym' if the two words have opposite meanings or 'Synonym' if they mean the same thing.

Descendant AncestorAntonym or Synonym

Usurp SurrenderAntonym or Synonym

Usurp TakeAntonym or Synonym

Peasant NoblemanAntonym or Synonym

Dignified CrudeAntonym or Synonym

Dispute AgreementAntonym or Synonym

Dispute FightAntonym or Synonym

Overthrow ConquerAntonym or Synonym

Overthrow DefeatAntonym or Synonym

Appease DispleaseAntonym or Synonym

Recover DeclineAntonym or Synonym

Appease PlacateAntonym or Synonym

Recover RetrieveAntonym or Synonym

Omen SignAntonym or Synonym

8

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONSWhy was King Amulius worried the twin babies Romulus and Remus?

The were sons of Numitor, his elder brother who he usurped and they could one day

try to take his throne.

1

Name three events that saved the twin babies from being killed

A peasant carved a boat for them before he put them in the river.

The river god calmed the water.

A mother wolf saved them from the river.

A woodpecker brought them food.

A shepherd found them and raised them as his own sons.

2

What disagreement did the twins have about where to build their new city?

Romulus and Remus disagreed about where to build their new city. Romulus wanted

to build on Palatine Hill, Remus wanted to build on Aventine Hill.

4

Which sign did Remus consider an omen that they should build on Aventine Hill?

Remus saw twelve birds over Aventine Hill.

5

Who was Roma named after?

Romulus

6

Who was the grandfather of Romulus and Remus?

Numitor

Bonus Question: Who was their other grandfather?

Jupiter, father of Mars

3

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS | ANSWER SHEET

9

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

MULTIPLE CHOICE

How were Romulus and Remus saved?

a The river god calmed the river b The peasant carved them a boat

c A woodpecker brought them food d All of the above

Why did Romulus and Remus argue about the city they were going to build?

a They disliked each other b Romulus wanted to build two cities

c Remus wanted his own city d They wanted to build on different hills

Which sign did Remus consider an omen that they should build on Aventine Hill?

a He saw six birds first b The god Mars visited him

c It rained on Palatine Hill d He saw twelve birds

6. Who was Roma named after?

a Roman b Remus

c Romulus d Rhea

Why was King Amulius worried Romulus and Remus?

a They were handsome b They might grow up and take his throne

c He was afraid of babies d All of the above

Who was the grandfather of Romulus and Remus?

a Numitor b Mars

c Rhea d King Amulius

1

2

3

4

5

6

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS | ANSWER SHEET

Which is a antonym (opposite meaning) for overthrow?

a Defeat b Conquer

c Surrender d Overcome

7

10

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

TRUE OR FALSECircle T (True) or F (False) for each of the following statements.

King Amulius was afraid to kill the twins because they were sons of Mars. T F

1

A bear saved Romulus and Remus from the river. T F

2

Numitor was the father of Romulus and Remus T F

3

Romulus and Remus argued about the name of their new city. T F

4

Romulus saw an omen first, six birds flying over Palatine Hill. T F

5

Roma was named after Remus. T F

6

ANCIENT ROMANS | ROMULUS AND REMUS | ANSWER SHEET

11

Ancient Romans © 2018 The Primary Topic Shop www.primarytopicshop.co.uk

We want to know what you think!Your feedback means a lot to us. Please take a moment to rate this resource by clicking here.

Keep in touch!

How can I use this resource?YOU (the original purchaser) MAY:

• Make copies for the classroom

• Make one copy for backup purposes, but not with intent to redistribute

YOU MAY NOT:

• Claim this work as your own, alter the files in any way, or remove the copyright/watermarks

• Share this product (part of it or in its entirety) with others

• Repackage and/or sell or give away all or part this product

• Share all or part of this product anywhere on the internet as a download or copy including, but not limited to, personal sites, school sites, or Google Doc links on blogs or sites, internet sharing groups, news lists, or shared databases, or Open Education Resource Groups such as Amazon Inspire.

By downloading this resource, you agree that the contents are the property of the Primary Topic Shop and licensed to you only for personal use as a single user. Primary Topic Shop retains the copyright and reserves all rights to this product.

Thank you for abiding by universally accepted codes of professional ethics while using this product.

More Romans

www.primarytopicshop.com

Question or concerns?Contact us at: admin@primarytopicshop.com

You might also like:

CreditsText and illustrations by

Christa Galloway, Primary Topic Shop

12