Tales of the Dead: Ancient Rome

The book titled Ancient Rome in the Tales of the Dead Series has a subtitle on the cover which reads, "A gripping graphic novel which tells a tale of faith and justice in the Colosseum." Although this subtitle elicits some intrigue from the reader, it does not accurately reflect the course of events which transpire in the story. Essentially, this text follows a brother and sister, Publius and Sabina, who are sold into slavery after they are separated from their father during a battle. However, their father is a Roman citizen. Despite this, a corrupt slave dealer sells them anyway, and the story progresses until eventually they are all reunited in the Colosseum. This story is an excellent look at slavery in Rome as well as the tense relationship between the provinces (where the main characters are from) and the Italian peninsula (where they work as slaves).

The drama is so compelling that a 6th grade audience could easily latch onto it before they realize that they will be learning something along the way. In addition to the compelling drama that unfolds, the book also provides historical background for each turn of the story from facts about the Roman armies to a layout of a Roman villa. This is a wonderful method of providing the expository background needed to fully understand the story without burdening the pace of the drama. This also provides instant fodder for lesson plans while simultaneously answering potential questions students might have while reading this text.

Potential Lesson Plan:

Standard: Standard 6-2, Indicator 6-2.3

Objective: The student will analyze the power of citizenship in the Roman world

Materials: Crayons, Markers, 11 1/2 by 16 in. sheets of paper, rulers, pencils, and a photocopy of the last page of the text.

Outline: Students will be broken into groups of two and told to create an alternate ending for the book. The alternate ending must be in the same format of the graphic novel and address the following hypothetical: What would have happened if it was never revealed that Sabina and Publius were Roman citizens? How would the story have been different? For the expository information, students must write and illustrate a passage to justify their ending with historical facts.