‘Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire’, a BBC One docudrama series, based on true facts and extensive historical research, reveals how the greed, lust and ambition of men like Caesar, Nero and Constantine shaped the Roman Empire.
It comprises of six parts, with each episode looking at a different significant point in the history of the Roman Empire.
Caesar: This episode shows how at the close of the Gallic wars, Caesar, despite finding his army encircled by a massive force of Gauls, wins a decisive victory with a brilliant counterattack at the Battle of Alesia. An inspiring speech to his troops promising to rescue Rome from its corrupt rulers and restore it to its people raises opposition from Senators Cato and Marcellus.
Nero: In this episode, Nero witnesses the Great Fire of Rome from his villa in Antium and hurries back to the capital to try to control the fire and save lives, where he is told by Seneca to rule like the gods, and he vows to build an inspirational city of marble and stone on the ruins.
Rebellion: The third part of the series shows how the first Jewish-Roman War begins when the Jews rise up against their corrupt governor, drive the Romans out of Judea and defeat a counter-attack at the Battle of Beth Horon. The future Emperor Titus is sent to recall his father Vespasian from exile in Greece to lead the legions against the rebels in Galilee.
Revolution: In the fourth part, Tiberius Gracchus first makes a mark on history winning the golden crown from General Scipio Aemilianus by being first over the wall at the victorious Battle of Carthage.
Constantine: The fifth episode shows the tyrannical Maxentius consulting the old gods Jupiter, Apollo and Mars to be told that, the enemy of Rome will be defeated, while outside the city Lactantius tries to convince Constantine to convert to the one true faith of Christianity.
The Fall of Rome: The last and final episode of this astounding series shows The Roman Empire under a barbarian assault from Huns and Vandals and Emperor Honorius’s chief advisor Flavius Stilicho negotiating a treaty with the Goth leaders Alaric and Athaulf but eventually getting executed for conspiracy.
