Ancient Rome—Reading Assignments by Era

    Kingdom of Rome     Early Republic     Punic Wars     Decline of Republic     Age of the Caesars     Height of Empire     Fall of Empire     The Phoenicians



Kingdom of Rome—753 to 510 B.C.

Founding of Rome to Exile of Tarquins


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Romans   The First Settlers to The Twin Gods (26)
Macgregor - The Story of Rome   The Lady Roma to The Divine Twins (25)

Supplemental Recommendations

Church - The Aeneid for Boys and Girls    entire book
Harding - The City of the Seven seven   The Peninsula of Italy to Stories of Mucius and Cloella (6)
Tappan - The Story of the Roman People   Legends of the Kings to Tarquinius Trys to Return (3)
Morris - Historical Tales: Roman   How Rome Was Founded to The Battle of Lake Regillus (9)
Church - Stories From Livy   Romulus and Numa to Lars Porsenna (7)
Kaufman - Our Young Folks' Plutarch   Romulus to Publicola (3)
Abbott - Romulus    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Rome   Romulus to Mucius the Left-Handed (7)
Dalkeith - Stories from Roman History   Of Romulus and Remus to Of Horatius (2)
Church - Stories from Ancient Rome   The Beginnings of a State to A Life and Death Struggle (2)
Gould - Tales of the Romans: The Children's Plutarch   The Twins to Why the Romans Bore Pain (3)



Early Republic—510 to 275 B.C.

Defeat of Tarquins to Unification of Italy


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Romans   A Roman Triumph to The Elephants Routed (19)
Macgregor - The Story of Rome   The Tribunes to Pyrrhus is Defeated (25)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The City of the Seven seven   Secession of The Plebeians to The War with Pyrrhus (11)
Tappan - The Story of the Roman People   How the Plebeians Won Rights to Romans of the Early Republic (3)
Morris - Historical Tales: Roman   The Revolt of the People to The Caudine Forks (9)
Church - Stories From Livy   Coriolanus to Passes of Caudium (11)
Gilman - The Story of Rome   The Roman Runnymede to Rome Overcomes Neighbors (4)

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Rome   Coriolanus to Appius Claudius Cæcus (6)
Gould - Tales of the Romans: The Children's Plutarch   The Second Founder of Rome to How a Woman Saved Rome (3)
Dalkeith - Stories from Roman History   Of Caius Marcius Coriolanus (1)
Church - Stories from Ancient Rome   A Bloodless Revolution to A Master of Strategy (6)



Punic Wars—274 to 146 B.C.

First Punic War to Destruction of Carthage


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Romans   Ancient Ships to Destruction of Carthage (7)
Macgregor - The Story of Rome   Romans Build a Fleet to Destruction of Carthage (28)
Abbott - Hannibal    entire book

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The City of the Seven seven   Rome and the Carthaginians to Rome Conquers the World (3)
Tappan - The Story of the Roman People   Romans Conquer Carthage to Rome Becomes the Capital (2)
Morris - Historical Tales: Roman   The Fate of Regulus to The Fate of Carthage (5)
Church - Lords of the World    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Rome   Regulus to Cato the Censor (3)
Dalkeith - Stories from Roman History   Of Hannibal to Of Scipio Aemilianus Africanus (5)
Church - Stories from Ancient Rome   The Beginnings of Empire to The Critical Struggle (cont.) (3)
Winlow - Our Little Carthaginian Cousin of Long Ago    entire book



Decline of Republic—146 to 60 B.C.

Age of Gracchi to Pompey Defeats Pirates


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Romans   Roman Amusements to Pompey's Conquests (12)
Macgregor - The Story of Rome   Cornelia, Mother of Gracchi to Pompey Defeats Mithridates (24)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The City of the Seven seven   The Gracchi and their Mother to The Wars of Caius Marius (2)
Tappan - The Story of the Roman People   The Rise of Marius to The Rise of Pompey (3)
Weston - Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston   The Gracchi to Caius Marius (2)
Morris - Historical Tales: Roman   The Gracchi and their Fall to Revolt of the Gladiators (5)
Church - Lucius. Adventures of a Roman Boy    entire book
Gilman - The Story of Rome   Futile Effort at Reform to Progress of the Pompey (4)
Kaufman - Our Young Folks' Plutarch   Tiberius Gracchus to Pompey (8)

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Rome   The Gracchi to Pompey the Great (4)
Dalkeith - Stories from Roman History   Of Tiberius Gracchus to Of Pompey the Great (3)
Gould - Tales of the Romans: The Children's Plutarch   The Noble Brothers to The Conqueror of Pirates (7)
Cowles - Our Little Roman Cousin of Long Ago    entire book



Age of the Caesars—60 B. C. to 14 A.D.

First Triumvirate to Death of Augustus


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Romans   Conspiracy of Catiline to Death of Augustus (11)
Macgregor - The Story of Rome   Cicero Discovers Conspiracy to Emperor Augustus (23)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - The City of the Seven seven   Cicero, the Orator to Rome in the Time of Augustus (4)
Tappan - The Story of the Roman People   Caesar and Triumvirates to The Reign of Augustus (2)
Weston - Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston   Julius Caesar to Brutus (2)
Morris - Historical Tales: Roman   Caesar and the Pirates to Antony and Cleopatra (4)
Church - Pictures from Roman Life and Story   A Child of Fortune to The Empress-Mother (6)
Gilman - The Story of Rome   Progress of the Pompey to Serious and Gay (6)
Kaufman - Our Young Folks' Plutarch   Cicero to Antony (5)
Russell - Julius Caesar    entire book
Francis - Augustus—His Life and Work    entire book
Upton - Herman and Thusnelda    entire book
Abbott - Cleopatra    entire book
Abbott - Julius Caesar    entire book
Church - Roman Life in the Days of Cicero    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Rome   Julius Cæsar to Augustus (3)
Dalkeith - Stories from Roman History   Of Julius Caesar: Soldier to Of Julius Caesar: Dead (4)
Gould - Tales of the Romans: The Children's Plutarch   Caesar and His Fortune to Caesar's Friend and Enemy (5)
Upton - Herman and Thusnelda    entire book



Height of Empire—14 to 235 A.D.

Reign of Tiberius to Last Severan Emperor


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Romans   Varus Avenged to The Senate of Women (22)
Church - Pictures from Roman Life and Story   Death of Germanicus to An Imperial Philosopher (30)

Supplemental Recommendations

Haaren - Famous Men of Rome   Nero to Marcus Aurelius (4)
Tappan - The Story of the Roman People   The Rest of the Caesars to The Five Good Emperors (2)
Harding - The City of the Seven seven   The Empire after Augustus to The Remains of Ancient Rome (2)
Lovell - Stories in Stone from the Roman Forum    entire book
Church - To the Lions    entire book
Church - The Burning of Rome    entire book
Morris - Historical Tales: Roman   An Imperial Monster to Destruction of Pompeii (10)
Church - Last Days of Jerusalem    entire book



Fall of Empire—235 to 565 A.D.

Military Anarchy to Reign of Justinian I


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Rome   Constantine the Great to End of the Western Empire (2)
Haaren - Famous Men of the Middle Ages   Alaric the Visigoth to Justinian the Great (8)
Guerber - The Story of the Romans   The Gigantic Emperor to End of the Western Empire (9)
Tappan - The Story of the Roman People   From Aurelius to Diocletian to The Last Centuries (3)

Supplemental Recommendations

Lansing - Barbarian and Noble   A Roman and a Barbarian to Attila the Scourge of God (4)
Morris - Historical Tales: Roman   An Imperial Savage to The Downfall of Rome (4)
Bradley - The Goths    entire book
Oman - The Byzantine Empire    entire book
Church - The Count of the Saxon Shore    entire book



The Phoenicians—1500 B.C. to 235 A.D.

Byblos, Sidon, Tyre to Sevaran Dynasty


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading

- The History of Phoenicia    entire book
Church - The Story of Carthage    entire book
Church - Helmet and Spear   The Lord of Syracuse to The Blotting Out of Carthage (17)

Phoenician Influence on Other Nations

Ober - Spain: A History for Young Readers   Phoenicians and Carthaginians (1)
Guerber - The Story of the English    The Druids to Caesar in Britain (3)
Guerber - The Story of Old France   The Priests of the Gauls to Sailor Stories (2)
Guerber - The Story of the Greeks   Early Inhabitants of Greece to Founding of Important Cities (3)

Internet Reources

Phoenician Trade
Phoenician Art
Phoenician Religion