Fall of the Western Roman Empire

CONCEPTUAL

History›Ancient Greece & Rome|Ages 9—11|ID: mt_H4bLNkDrGJ

Describe how the Western Roman Empire gradually declined due to a combination of factors — military pressure from invading peoples, political instability, economic problems, and an overstretched empire — and finally fell in AD 476, while the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire continued for nearly a thousand more years

Mastery Evidence

Name at least two reasons why the Western Roman Empire declined and fell
State the date AD 476 as when the last Western Roman emperor was removed
Explain that the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire survived for nearly 1,000 years after the West fell

Assessment Prompt

“Could [child] explain why the Roman Empire fell apart and tell you that while the western half collapsed, the eastern half kept going for centuries?”

Prerequisites1

Roman Republic and Empire
hardAges 9—11

Show full prerequisite tree

Roman Republic and Empire hard
Must understand the Empire before understanding its fall
- Daily Life in a Roman Town hard
  Republic-to-Empire needs Roman society context from 7-9
  - Roman Army and Conquest of Britain hard
    Roman towns and engineering build on Roman army and invasion context
    - Roman soldiers & builders hard
      Deepens basic Roman soldiers/builders from 5-7
      - Ancient Greece and Rome on the Map hard
        Roman builders need geographic context
        
        Egypt, the Nile, and the Desert soft
        Greece & Rome geography builds on Ancient Egypt geography — both Mediterranean civilisations, Egypt came first chronologically
      - Romulus & Remus soft
        Roman soldiers build on knowing Rome exists as a civilisation
        
        Ancient Greece and Rome on the Map hard
        Romulus & Remus needs geographic context of Italy/Rome
        
        Egypt, the Nile, and the Desert soft
        Greece & Rome geography builds on Ancient Egypt geography — both Mediterranean civilisations, Egypt came first chronologically
- Athenian Democracy hard
  Comparing Republic and Empire requires understanding Athenian democracy first
  - Athens Versus Sparta hard
    Democracy is introduced as an Athenian invention within the Athens vs Sparta contrast
    - Ancient life vs today soft
      Comparing city-states builds on comparing ancient vs modern life
      - Ancient Greece and Rome on the Map hard
        Comparing ancient life needs knowing where/when these civilisations were
        
        Egypt, the Nile, and the Desert soft
        Greece & Rome geography builds on Ancient Egypt geography — both Mediterranean civilisations, Egypt came first chronologically
      - Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt soft
        Comparing ancient lives benefits from prior exposure to Egyptian daily life comparison
        
        Egypt, the Nile, and the Desert soft
        Daily life context benefits from knowing Egypt is on the Nile in a desert
    - Ancient Greece and Rome on the Map hard
      Athens vs Sparta needs geographic/civilisation context from 5-7
      - Egypt, the Nile, and the Desert soft
        Greece & Rome geography builds on Ancient Egypt geography — both Mediterranean civilisations, Egypt came first chronologically

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