On this page we will showcase lessons which follow the GeoHistories approach.
You can freely use these lesson materials, or adapt them, for your teaching.
The Lessons
The information given here links to pages with complete lesson materials.
The lessons are arranged in reverse chronological order.
49 BC – Lesson: Caesar on the Rubicon
It is January 8th 49 BC, General Julius Caesar is camped near the Rubicon, a stream separating Rome from the province of Cisalpine Gaul, with his legion Leio XIII Gemina. Should he defy the Senate and cross the Rubicon to march on Rome with his troops, or disband his victorious legions and return to Rome a private citizen as the law and custom (and his enemies) required?
For Caesar the Rubicon was a distinct geographical boundary – a small stream marking the boundary between Gaul and Rome and one he dare not cross with troops under his command. For us, the Rubicon is more of a boundary of the mind. In this lesson we will explore the choices which Caesar had, and consider if he made the right decision.
The Phaistos Disc
The Phaistos Disc is a disk of fired clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos on the island of Crete, possibly dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age (second millennium BC). The disk is about 15 cm in diameter and covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols which has yet to be translated. It is now on display at the archaeological museum in Heraklion.
But is it a real 3 or 4000 year old artifact or a fake? Read about the disc and decide.