Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire episode 6: How did a weak emperor turn on his allies and bring about the collapse of the empire? In AD 410, the Goth hordes sacked the city. This event symbolised Rome’s collapse, but it should never have happened at all. Dramatic reconstructions …
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Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire episode 5: Retelling the story of how Emperor Constantine brought Christianity to the western world. In AD 312, Rome was in crisis. The empire had been divided into four parts, each with its own emperor who fought one another. Constantine intervened and united Rome, using military might …
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Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire episode 4: The Roman Republic survived for half a millennium, but when Tiberius Gracchus arrived on the scene, he unleashed the mob. Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (c. 163 BC–133 BC) was a Roman politician best known for his agrarian reform law entailing the transfer of land from …
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Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire episode 3: The Jewish Revolt, which swept through Judea in AD 66, was the biggest rebellion by a province in Roman history. For a while it threatened to destabilize the whole empire. Who was behind this rebellion and what happened? Dramatic reconstructions and …
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Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire episode 2: This programme focuses on Nero, charting his obsession with becoming a god, how his plans to turn Rome into a glorious city bankrupted the Empire, how he married his slaveboy and killed his beloved wife in a frenzy, and how he was finally overthrown. …
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Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire episode 1 – This programme focuses on Julius Caesar, charming, savage, power-crazed, opportunistic and brilliant, he overthrew a 500-year-old Republic and began the age of the emperors. What Caesar achieved, overthrowing a 500-year-old Republic and seizing power, is perhaps the single greatest turning point in the …
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Secrets of Pompeii’s Greatest Treasures episode 2: Bettany Hughes unearths some fascinating stories from the devastated city, from its famous villas to tragic human casts. The streets and houses of Pompeii offer a mesmerising window into the life and times of the ancient Romans. Bettany Hughes heads to the Ancient Roman City of …
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Secrets of Pompeii’s Greatest Treasures episode 1: Bettany Hughes heads to the Ancient Roman City of Pompeii. Once compounded by volcanic ash, now a treasure trove of history. Almost 2,000 years on, Bettany explores the city to find remnants of the Roman empire, revealing the secrets of those who lived there, and really how different …
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