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THE AGE OF ROMEHistory, brought closer

Rome, 15 March 44 BC

The Ides of March

Senators close around Julius Caesar in Pompey’s meeting hall. His murder sets off a new struggle for Caesar’s armies, his name and his power.

Watch the assassinationRead what happened
Dramatized Julius Caesar in a Republican portico as senators wait to approach him.
Julius Caesar in Rome, early 44 BC. AI-generated reconstruction.

25 turning points in Roman history, from 218 BC to AD 1453.

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Turning points on film

Short dramatized scenes of the moments people remember, each placed inside its full episode.

  1. Early 44 BCCaesar accepts power without an end dateFilm, 0:44
  2. 15 March 44 BCThe assassination in Pompey’s meeting hallFilm, 0:40
  3. 31 BCAntony and Cleopatra after ActiumFilm, 0:37
  4. August 30 BCThe death of CleopatraFilm, 0:40

From the Alps to Constantinople

Every episode in historical order, each with a written guide and its sources. Most also have a short film and a narration.

Rome and Carthage

218–146 BC

  1. 218 BCHannibal crossing the Alps: how an army and its elephants reached ItalyHow Hannibal crossed the Alps in 218 BC: why he avoided the sea, the Rhône elephant rafts, the snowbound descent, his losses and the debate over the pass.
  2. 216 BCThe Battle of Cannae: how Hannibal surrounded a Roman armyExplore the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC: Hannibal’s tactics in diagrams, the battlefield’s location today, casualties, and why Rome kept fighting.
  3. 202 BCThe Battle of Zama: why Hannibal lost to ScipioThe Battle of Zama explained: Scipio, Hannibal, Masinissa, elephant tactics, the infantry battle, and the peace that ended the Second Punic War.
  4. 146 BCThe fall of Carthage: the siege and destruction of 146 BCWhy Rome destroyed Carthage in 146 BC: the causes of the Third Punic War, Scipio’s siege, the final assault, civilian fate, and the salt myth.

The Republic under pressure

73–44 BC

  1. 73–71 BCThe Spartacus revolt: escape, rebellion and Roman reprisalThe Spartacus revolt of 73–71 BC: who Spartacus was, the escape from Capua, the Alps, Crassus’s campaign, how he died, and the myths that followed.
  2. 63 BCThe Catiline conspiracy: rebellion, evidence and emergency powerWhat happened in the Catiline conspiracy of 63 BC: debt and rebellion, Cicero’s evidence, Caesar and Cato’s debate, and executions without trial.
  3. 52 BCThe Siege of Alesia: Caesar’s army between two enemiesA complete guide to Alesia: its location, Caesar’s double siege lines, Vercingetorix’s relief army, the final attacks, surrender and civilian consequences.
  4. 49 BCCrossing the Rubicon: Caesar’s march on Rome in 49 BCWhy Caesar crossed the Rubicon in January 49 BC, whether he said “the die is cast”, why Pompey abandoned Italy, and what Caesar did back in Rome.
  5. 48 BCThe Battle of Pharsalus: Caesar’s reserve and Pompey’s defeatHow Caesar won at Pharsalus in 48 BC: Pompey’s cavalry plan, the fourth infantry line, battle sequence, casualties, and the flight to Egypt.
  6. 48 BCCleopatra VII: the queen who returned to AlexandriaWho was Cleopatra VII? Follow her struggle for Egypt’s throne, her meeting with Julius Caesar in 48 BC, and the evidence behind the famous carpet story.
  7. 48–47 BCThe Alexandrian War: Caesar and Cleopatra under siegeWhy did Caesar fight in Alexandria? Follow the siege, water crisis, harbor battles, Nile campaign and Cleopatra’s restoration, with evidence on the Library fire.
  8. 44 BCCaesar as dictator for life: power without an end dateWhen and why did Julius Caesar become dictator for life? Understand his earlier appointments, reforms, powers and the political crisis before the Ides of March.
  9. 44 BCThe Ides of March: the assassination of Julius CaesarJulius Caesar was assassinated on 15 March 44 BC. Learn who Brutus and Cassius were, where the killing happened, why it happened and what followed.

From civil war to imperial rule

31–27 BC

  1. 31 BCThe Battle of Actium: the naval defeat of Antony and CleopatraThe Battle of Actium explained with diagrams: Agrippa’s campaign, Cleopatra’s breakout, and how the naval battle fits the wider War of Actium, 32–30 BC.
  2. 30 BCThe death of Cleopatra and the fall of Ptolemaic EgyptHow did Cleopatra die, and why did Egypt fall to Rome? Explore Octavian’s conquest, Antony’s death, the uncertain snakebite story and Egypt’s new government.
  3. 27 BCOctavian becomes Augustus: how Rome’s first emperor ruledHow did Augustus become Rome’s first emperor? Follow Caesar’s heir through civil war, Actium and the settlement of 27 BC, and learn how his power worked.

An empire tested

AD 9–410

  1. AD 9The Battle of Teutoburg Forest, AD 9Why Arminius defeated Varus in AD 9: the ambush, three lost legions, Kalkriese archaeology, Roman retaliation and the limits of the surviving evidence.
  2. AD 60–61Boudica’s revolt in Roman Britain, AD 60 or 61Why Boudica, queen of the Iceni, rose against Rome in AD 60 or 61: the burning of Colchester, London and St Albans, the final battle, her death and her legend.
  3. AD 64The Great Fire of Rome in AD 64How the Great Fire spread through Rome in AD 64, what Nero did, why the arson claim is uncertain, and how rebuilding and persecution shaped its aftermath.
  4. AD 79Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79A guide to Vesuvius’s AD 79 eruption: Pompeii’s destruction, Pliny’s eyewitness letters, escape, volcanic hazards, the casts and the disputed eruption date.
  5. AD 80The Colosseum and its opening games in AD 80When and why the Colosseum was built, how it may have been funded, Titus’s 100 days of opening games, the flooding debate, gladiator myths and visiting today.
  6. AD 172Marcus Aurelius: the philosopher emperor at warMarcus Aurelius’s reign explained: the Danube wars, Carnuntum, the Antonine plague, Meditations, the rain miracle and the succession of Commodus.
  7. AD 312The Battle of the Milvian Bridge, AD 312Why Constantine defeated Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge on 28 October 312, how the river mattered, and what the victory changed for Christianity.
  8. AD 410The sack of Rome by Alaric in AD 410Why Alaric sacked Rome in AD 410, how failed negotiations and food shortages led to the crisis, what happened to residents, and why the empire continued.

The eastern Roman world

AD 1453

  1. AD 1453The fall of Constantinople on 29 May 1453How Mehmed II captured Constantinople on 29 May 1453: the walls, Ottoman cannon, Golden Horn, Constantine XI, the final assault and the city’s aftermath.

Where the stories come from

Films and narration help us picture the past. The written guides explain what we know, where ancient accounts disagree, and how to follow the evidence yourself.

Our sources and approach