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. Josephus Ben Matityahu commands the resistance from the city of Jotapata where many Jews take refuge from Vespasian’s campaign of terror. Vespasian leads a three-week Siege of Jotapata and Josephus is captured. Joesephus predicts that Vespasian is destined to be emperor.

Jerusalem prepares for a final stand under the fanatical Yohanan of Giscala who murders the more moderate Hanan and unites the rebel factions. Back in Rome the Empire is thrown into chaos when Nero is overthrown and the army turns to Vespasian to be their new Emperor. Titus accomplishes the Siege of Jerusalem by cutting off the city with an encircling wall. Yohanan ignores Joe’s pleas for surrender and leads subterranean attacks on Roman siege towers that undermine his own walls. Titus leads a bloody assault that massacres the rebels and razes the city.

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. Back in Rome, now the capital of the world, he finds the growing gap between rich and poor threatening the foundations of the republic. Urged to achieve greatness through further military exploits he sets out with reinforcements for the campaign of General Mancinus against the rebellious Numantine tribe in Spain but is defeated and forced to negotiate a peace treaty that the Senate later refuses to ratify.

His actions while repudiated in the Senate have made him a hero amongst the Roman people and his new father-in-law Senator Pulcher supports him in a successful campaign to become their Tribune. He snubs the Senate and takes his proposed land reforms directly to the People's Assembly where his old friend Octavius vetoes them. He brings the city to a standstill when he vetoes all other business in response and has Octavius deposed. Octavius and the Senate spread false rumours that he intends to make himself king and in the ensuing unrest he is murdered.

How did an insignificant cluster of Latin hill villages on the edge of the civilised world become the greatest empire the world has known? In the fifth programme of the series, archaeologist and historian Richard Miles examines the phenomenon of the Roman Republic, from its fratricidal mythical beginnings, with the legend of Romulus and Remus, to the all too real violence of its end, dragged to destruction by war lords like Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar.

Travelling to Sicily and North Africa, Richard tells the story of Rome's century-long struggle for dominance with the other great regional power, Carthage. It was a struggle that would end with the total destruction of this formidable enemy and the transformation of landlubber Rome into a seapower, and the Republic into an Empire. But with no-one left to beat, the only enemy that Rome had left was itself.

In the last of the series, archaeologist and historian Richard Miles examines the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

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. Even under the rule of mad, bad and dangerous emperors, the imperial system proved to be robust, buttressed by the support of elite families in the far-flung corners of the empire whose loyalty was ensured by a system of cultural aspiration, economic opportunity and military coercion.

But the material benefits of the ‘good order’ delivered by Roman rule provided its citizens and subjects with the security to ask profound questions about the meaning of life, questions that the pragmatic, polytheistic Roman belief system was ill-equipped to answer. Christianity grew to fill the spiritual vacuum at the heart of Roman civilization, eventually claiming an Emperor, Constantine, as its greatest prize. The City of Man would be eclipsed the City of God.

Super Siege: They outnumber the Romans 5 to 1 and hold the high ground of the hilltop city of Alesia. But ever fearless General Julius Caesar puts a startling twist on his strategy.

The story of Septimus Severus: Rome's African Emperor who fought a brutal campaign in Britain, crossing Hadrian's Wall and helping to forge the English-Scottish divide familiar to us today.

Nearly two thousand years ago most of Britain was a settled province of the Roman Empire. But the north held out against what was then the world’s only superpower – insurrection flared across Hadrian’s Wall. So, in 208AD, the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus marched into Scotland with 40,000 men - one of the largest invasion armies Rome ever mobilised. This programme brings to life one of most extraordinary conflicts in British history and the thrilling story of how and why Severus came to Britain in the first place. He was not born to be Roman Emperor. He was an African who took Rome’s throne in a murderous civil war, then expanded the Empire to the south and east. He became the most powerful man in the world - the absolute ruler of Europe’s most glittering cities and commander of a terrifying war machine. His enemy in northern Britain didn’t possess a paved street, let alone an army. Severus marched north confident that he would go down in history as the man who united the whole island under Roman rule – better than Hadrian, better than Julius Caesar. But the British gave Severus the fight of his life.

1. Hannibal’s Last Stand
2. The Spartacus Revolt
3. Crossing the Rubicon
4. Rome’s First Emperor
5. Boudica’s Revenge
6. The Downfall of Nero
7. The Colosseum’s Grand Opening
8. The Rebirth of Rome

Hadrian's Wall, as it is known, is just a tiny portion of a massive structure Hadrian had built to protect the Roman Empire, with similar, sister walls running through northern Europe and still more in north Africa. His legacy also includes the Pantheon in Rome.
Hadrian brought the Empire to an unparalleled period of peace and prosperity. At the heart of this great Empire, however, lay a mystery - Hadrian's relationship with a young man, Antinous. The friendship led to Antinous being deified by Hadrian following his death, in strange circumstances, on the Nile. Historian Dan Snow uncovers the genius and the dark side of Hadrian: peace-maker, frontier-builder, star-crossed lover, architect - and ruthless oppressor of the Jews. But still, Dan concludes, Hadrian was one of the greatest Roman emperors.

The General who took on the might of Rome in a legendary campaign; marching his forces over the Alps. Roman armies sent against him were out-manoeuvred and cut to pieces. Dramatic reconstructions tell Hannibal's remarkable tale.

“Detailing the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, I, Caesar takes a fascinating look at the public and private lives of six key men who ruled ancient Rome: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Hadrian, Constantine and Justinian.”

In 79 CE the entire Roman city of Pompeii was buried in a huge volcanic eruption. These episodes show how new digs and revolutionary technologies are revealing the secrets hidden beneath the ash. Presented by Bettany Hughes, Raksha Dave and John Sergeant.

Examines the ancient city of Carthage, which stood on the northern coast of Africa, near modern day Tunis

The construction of Hadrian’s Wall began in 122 CE, to separate the Romans from barbarians and was built under the direct orders of Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian’s Wall took over a decade to complete and was built out of stone. The wall is over 73 miles long and marks the northern border of the Roman Province of Britain, running between the North Sea and the Irish Sea. The programme provides a glimpse of military life during the Roman occupation

A 2012 documentary written and presented by Mary Beard about the ordinary citizen of Ancient Rome.
1. All Roads Lead to Rome
2. Street life
3. Behind Closed Doors[edit]
(Use the “Other Episodes” in eTV to go to episodes 2 and 3)

With unparalleled access to Pompeii and featuring cutting-edge modern technology, Mary Beard guides us through this amazing slice of the ancient world.

Millions of people - both famous and uncelebrated - play parts in the astonishing rise of Rome. Above them all is Caesar Augustus. Born in times of crisis and raised amid civil war, Augustus comes to personify the people he leads. He is contradictory: capable of both brutal violence and tender compassion. He is influential: forging the image of Roman grandeur that endures to this day. And he is enormously popular. But those that cross Augustus - his rivals Marc Antony and Cleopatra; the love poet, Ovid; even his own daughter, Julia - face dire consequences. The story of Augustan Rome is the story of greatness at a price.

In the year 14 A.D., Caesar Augustus dies and the Empire stands at a crossroads. Will Rome continue the course set by its first emperor - or return to chaos? A reluctant new emperor confronts mutiny and intrigue. At first, Tiberius struggles to emulate his predecessor, but he soon abandons the effort. His ultimate decline from ascetic ruler to reclusive despot ushers in one of the most notorious rulers of the ancient world: Caligula. As fear and conspiracy grip Rome, crisis roils the provinces. In Judaea, a charismatic leader named Jesus challenges the religious and political establishment. The local furore barely touches Rome but the legacy of Jesus will one day engulf the empire.

In the aftermath of Caligula's madness, Claudius, the most unlikely member of the imperial family, rises to become one of the greatest emperors of the Roman Empire, only to fall victim to a brutally ambitious wife. A principled philosopher named Seneca finds himself compromised as tutor to the erratic young Emperor Nero. In Britain, a warrior queen named Boudicca battles Roman legions, and from Judaea, a revolutionary named Paul begins spreading the words of Jesus across Roman lands. Back in the capital, Nero's disastrous rule shakes the empire to its foundation. Rome nearly burns to the ground. The empire is on the edge of disaster.

With Nero's death, the dynasty of Augustus comes to an end. Once again, the Empire faces an uncertain future. Rival generals fight for supremacy in the streets of Rome. A new dynasty brings another tyrant to the throne, and Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying Pompeii and thousands of people beneath a torrent of ash and mud. A young citizen survives the disaster and records the night of terror. But the Empire weathers the traumas. As the first century draws to a close, the Emperor Trajan expands the empire to its greatest geographic extent and offers new prosperity to a greater number of citizens. He sets the course for generations to come and projects the collective voice of ancient Rome across the ages.

This programme, the first in the series, tells the exciting story of how and why the Romans invaded Britannia in the year AD 43. It shows that the invasion was rooted in two things, the emperor Claudius's desire to strengthen his grip on power by chalking up a major military conquest and the Roman state's intention to exploit the rich reserves of gold, silver, corn, timber and other natural resources the island was known to possess. The great Julius Caesar had tried and failed to conquer Britain 100 years before, and yet the Roman soldiers who carried out the invasion under the leadership of a well respected general called Aulus Plautius were confident of success. They saw the Celtic tribes who inhabited Britannia as backward barbarians who couldn't possibly stand up to Rome's awesome military might for a second time. But the programme demonstrates conclusively that this belief was wrong.

We explore one of the most vivid and crucial events in the 400 year-long history of Roman Britain, the widespread rebellion spearheaded by the famous warrior queen known as Boudicca

We examine how the Romans behaved during their 400 year-long occupation of Britannia and conclude that the benign image of Roman Britain that arose during the Victorian era needs to be radically revised.

Journey to the ancient cities, Volterra, Populonia and Cervetari and see why Etruscan civilisation was famous for its lavish wealthy, fine ceramics and bustling trade.

Take a tour of Tripopolitania, a rich Roman province on the shores of the Mediterranean and visit the famous city of Oea, best known as Tripoli.

Best known for his trek across the Alps with 40,000 men and even elephants in tow, Hannibal was a Carthaginian warrior with his sights ever set on destroying Rome. This History Channel special consults archaeologists and military historians to get to the heart of Hannibal's enduring grudge against the mighty empire.

The Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD was the single most destructive force ever encountered by the Roman Empire, lasting nine days and leaving 10 of Rome's 14 districts burnt beyond recognition.