Free people, women, children, enslaved people and foreigners in Athens and Rome

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   How a person's place could change (cards A to D; summaries in our words). Card A, Pericles's citizenship law (451 or 450 BCE), as reported in a book from Aristotle's school written about a century later: only people with two Athenian parents counted as citizens. Card B, Augustus's own record of Rome's citizen counts: 4,063,000 in 28 BCE; 4,233,000 in 8 BCE; 4,937,000 in 14 CE. Scholars disagree about whether the counts include women and children or only adult men. Card C, the edict of 212 CE: Emperor Caracalla gave Roman citizenship to nearly all free people in the empire; enslaved people were not included. Cassius Dio, a Roman senator who wrote a few years later, says Caracalla did it to raise money, since citizens paid certain taxes. Other scholars suggest other reasons. Card D, the Social War (91 to 88 BCE): Rome's allies in Italy, who had no vote in Rome, demanded citizenship. After fighting, Rome gave citizenship to most free people in Italy.

2. 1.

   Card B: from 28 BCE to 14 CE the count rose from 4,063,000 to 4,937,000. About what share of the first count is the rise, Bo asks?

   • About 874,000 percent, the size of the rise written as a share
   • About 2 percent, since 874,000 is a small part of the first count of 4,063,000
   • About 18 percent, since the rise is compared with the later count of 4,937,000
   • A little over one fifth, since 874,000 is about 21 percent of 4,063,000
3. 2.

   A student says, "Card B proves Rome had almost five million men, women and children in 14 CE." How does card B answer, Esme asks?

   • Weak: card B says scholars disagree whether women and children were counted
   • Weak: a ruler's own record cannot be used for numbers of any kind
   • Strong: Augustus counted the people living in the empire, citizen or not
   • Strong: 4,937,000 is close to five million, so the count must include women and children
4. 3.

   Augustus wrote card B himself. What should a historian ask first about his figures, Jun asks?

   • Nothing yet, since an emperor's own record is the most accurate account of his reign
   • What the emperor wanted readers to see, and whether he counted the same way each time
   • Whether to throw it out, since an emperor's record is made up from start to finish
   • Which modern book repeats the numbers, since a book is more trustworthy than a record
5. 4.

   Cassius Dio says Caracalla extended citizenship to raise money. How should that claim be used, Kira asks?

   • As proof that Rome was ending, since taxes mean the empire was in decline
   • As the settled reason, since a senator knew the emperor's mind
   • As one writer's explanation, weighed against other possible reasons
   • As useless, since a senator would invent a reason for any decision
6. 5.

   How might an Italian ally in 91 BCE and a Roman senator have viewed citizenship for the allies, Luz asks?

   • Both would agree it was fair, since the allies helped Rome in its wars
   • Both would oppose it, since card D says the allies refused citizenship
   • The ally might fear losing power; the senator might see a fair claim to a share of rights
   • The ally might see a fair claim to a share of rights; a senator might fear losing power
7. 6.

   Compare card A with cards C and D. How did citizenship rules change in the two cities, Milo asks?

   • Athens narrowed citizenship to two Athenian parents, while Rome widened it over time
   • Both cities narrowed citizenship by requiring two citizen parents
   • Athens widened citizenship over time, while Rome narrowed it to two Roman parents
   • Both cities gave citizenship to residents, free or enslaved, by the end
8. 7.

   Cards C and D each widen citizenship. How do they differ in who received it, Noah asks?

   • Card D reached nearly all free people in the empire; card C reached most free people in Italy
   • Card D reached most free people in Italy; card C reached nearly all free people in the empire
   • Card D included enslaved people in Italy; card C left enslaved people out
   • Card D gave citizenship to the allies' leaders; card C gave it to Caracalla's friends
9. 8.

   Which find would best settle whether Augustus's counts included women and children, Ren asks?

   • A census instruction from the time saying who had to be counted
   • A tax list from the 300s CE that counts the empire's people
   • A new textbook that repeats the counts with a bar chart
   • A copy of Caracalla's edict of 212 CE giving citizenship to free people
10. 9.

    A student says, "After 212 CE everyone in the Roman Empire was a citizen." How does card C answer, Tala asks?

    • Strong: the edict made enslaved people citizens too, since it covered the empire
    • Strong: card C says Caracalla gave citizenship to all people in the empire
    • Weak: card C leaves out enslaved people and says nearly all free people
    • Weak: Dio says Caracalla acted for money, so the edict did not happen
11. 10.

    Card A was written about a century after Pericles's law. How should a historian use it, Zee asks?

    • As a record made in 451 BCE, so it needs no checking against other sources
    • As a later report of the law, drawn from sources closer to 451 BCE
    • As worthless, since a book written a century later cannot describe the law
    • As proof of why Pericles made the law, since the book gives his reasons