At the height of its power, the Roman Empire extended the benefits of its civilization to a 60 million citizens and subjects in a swathe of territory that extended from Hadrian’s Wall to the banks of the Euphrates.
How did an insignificant cluster of Latin hill villages on the edge of the civilised world become the greatest empire the world has known?
Ancient Worlds is an illuminating and spectacular six-part odyssey tracing the development of Western civilization – from the first cities of Mesopotamia to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Bettany Hughes recalls the time that marked Rome’s symbolic break with its 1,000-year pagan past.
Bettany Hughes focuses on events leading up to and after 9th June 68AD, when Emperor Nero took his life
Beginning with the day, around 60 AD, when Roman troops invaded Boudica’s settlement, flogged her and raped her daughters ….
Presenter Bettany Hughes explores the day in 32BC when Octavian, Julius Caesar’s adopted son, stole the secret will of Mark Antony, his most dangerous political rival.
Eight Days That Made Rome is a docu-drama that leaves behind the conventional chronologies of Rome’s thousand-year history and brings razor-sharp focus to eight days that created, tested and defined its greatness.