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[crowd cheering]
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- At its height, Rome was
the greatest superpower
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the world had ever seen.
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[crowd chanting "Caesar"]
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[dramatic music]
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For nearly a thousand years,
Rome rules
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everything it touches.
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- Advance!
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♪
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[choir singing]
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- The Romans were masters
of law, architecture, culture.
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- I will show you
what we can do together!
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- But they were also capable
of staggering brutality.
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- [screaming]
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- When they see a few of their
high priests eaten by lions,
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they'll turn to our gods.
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- [screaming]
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- They wanted an empire
that stretched
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to the very limits of the
known world and even beyond.
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- Let the dice fly high!
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[all grunting]
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[horse whinnies]
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- But no empire lasts forever.
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♪
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- Once Rome's emperors
gained absolute power,
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it was inevitable that some
highly destructive individuals
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would rise into that role.
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- Commodus, this is madness.
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- As it turns out,
Rome's greatest enemy
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was not an invader.
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It was itself.
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♪
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- The rise and fall of Rome
is a thousand different stories
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of the quest for power.
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People like Caesar,
Attila, and Spartacus.
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♪
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- It's all there--
the blood, the glory,
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the magnificence,
and the flaws.
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- Rome is ultimately
a cautionary tale to us.
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You are never too big to fail.
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- The story of Rome is
ultimately the story of us.
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- Let the games begin!
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♪
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- According to tradition,
Rome was founded
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in the 8th century BC
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by a series of villages
unifying together
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under the auspices
of an elected monarchy.
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♪
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Now, this monarchy lasted
until about 509 BC,
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when the last Roman king
was driven off
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by the Roman people,
who decided to instead create
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a power-sharing system,
which they
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referred to as the Republic.
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- The Roman Republic
was largely
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controlled by its aristocracy.
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This was a powerful
group of families
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who competed with one another
for the offices
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that the Republic
had to offer.
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But to achieve those offices,
they had to go out and fight.
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War was the way that Roman
aristocrats made their name.
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And before long,
this led to Rome becoming
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the largest and most powerful
city in central Italy.
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- The young Roman Republic
is ambitious and aggressive.
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Over centuries, thanks to its
disciplined citizen army
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and a network of alliances,
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it gradually takes over Italy.
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To keep growing,
it must confront
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its first major rival,
Carthage, the richest state
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in the western Mediterranean.
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♪
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- By the 3rd century,
Rome has
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essentially run out of space.
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They have no place
else to go now
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but into the wider
Mediterranean,
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where they are going to now
run into the next largest
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regional superpower.
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[warriors yelling,
weapons clashing]
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- Rome's wars with Carthage
are the tipping point.
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This is the gateway to empire
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and the foundations upon which
the great Roman Empire
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will be set.
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♪
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- The first war with Carthage
ended in a Roman victory.
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And for a while,
they thought they
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had crippled Carthage's
ability to make war.
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[wind whistling]
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But Carthage found
a new leader.
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This is the general Hannibal.
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Hannibal wanted
to strike the first blow
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in a second war with Rome.
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- He takes tens of thousands
of men and 38 war elephants,
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and he marches them
up overland
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from Spain across the Alps
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and down through
northern Italy.
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- The Carthaginians win
battle after battle.
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Eventually, the armies meet
again at a place called
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Cannae in southern Italy.
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Its future on the line,
Rome has gathered its forces.
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♪
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Its army of 80,000
is the largest it has
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assembled in history so far.
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Facing them are
50,000 Carthaginian warriors
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and their allies from across
the western Mediterranean.
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[all yelling]
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♪
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- The Romans have
every reason to expect
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success against Hannibal.
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They have a much larger force.
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But Hannibal has
something they don't,
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and that is
extraordinary talent
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and quality as a general.
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[all yelling]
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♪
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- Hannibal's strategy
is to essentially allow
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the Romans to charge
directly at his forces
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and actually commands
the center of his line
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to fall back
before the Roman onslaught.
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[all yelling]
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Then as soon as Hannibal sees
that the Romans
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have driven
as far forward as they can...
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♪
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[horn blows]
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He gives a signal.
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♪
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And the Carthaginian cavalry
engages the Roman line
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in the rear, completely
surrounding them,
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destroying the entire Roman army.
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- [grunts]
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- And he does so
in a single maneuver
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on a single battlefield
in a single day.
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♪
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- Rome loses
a staggering 70,000 men,
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more than 80% of its troops.
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- The battle at Cannae
was a bloodbath.
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And there are more people
killed in one battle
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than all the Americans
killed in the Vietnam War.
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- The horrific nature
of this battle
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matches anything
in human history.
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Imagine thousands
and thousands of men
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clawing, scratching, cutting.
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It would be something straight
out of a modern horror movie,
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except on a much,
much larger scale.
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♪
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- Such a defeat
on the battlefield
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should lead
to the Romans seeking terms
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and the Carthaginians
imposing them.
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♪
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- If you count up all the
Romans who are lost in these
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various battles
leading up to Cannae,
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as well as Cannae itself,
they've lost about 150,000 men.
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That's 1/5 of the entire
population of men in Rome.
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The Roman historian Livy
wrote, "There is
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"no other nation that could
have survived
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such a calamity."
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♪
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- But Rome is different.
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One of the officers who
survives the battle of Cannae
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is Publius Cornelius Scipio.
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He comes from a noble family,
and he is determined to fight.
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♪
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- Why are we talking of peace?
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- We lost.
And now we await their terms.
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- You dare--dare
speak of surrendering?
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It need not be over yet.
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♪
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- Scipio is an embodiment
of this kind
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of Roman spirit of carrying on,
of aggression
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and the lust to win.
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And so he rallies
the troops around him.
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He emphasizes Roman values
like honor and discipline
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to try to bring
everybody together.
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And these are
qualities that will
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turn Rome into the phenomenon
that it becomes.
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[all yelling]
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- For the next 15 years,
Hannibal and Scipio
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battle for control of Italy.
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The rival powers fight
themselves into a stalemate.
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And Hannibal never
reaches the city of Rome.
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- The Romans are very
fast learners when
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it comes to their military.
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They are very adept
at taking the best bits
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from their enemies,
of analyzing their tactics
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and their formations
and their troops
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and assimilating those
into their own tactics
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and to turn
the enemy's strengths
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into Roman strengths as well.
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♪
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- Scipio breaks
the standoff in 204 BCE.
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He invades North Africa,
forcing Hannibal
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to leave Italy and defend
the capital city, Carthage.
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Their final showdown
takes place at Zama,
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where Scipio defeats
Hannibal using
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the same maneuver
Hannibal unleashed on him
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at Cannae 14 years earlier.
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- One of the sad ironies
of Hannibal is that in the end,
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he ends up being Rome's
military school master.
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♪
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- Hannibal
is eventually exiled,
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reduced to fighting
as a mercenary
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in the armies
of other countries,
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and Rome is free
to expand at will.
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♪
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In the century
following Cannae,
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Rome annexes Carthage
and much of North Africa.
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Greece also becomes
a Roman province.
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By 75 BCE, the Roman Republic
is roughly the size of Alaska,
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00:10:29,940 --> 00:10:32,140
controlling half a million square miles
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00:10:32,180 --> 00:10:34,660
from Spain to Libya.
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- There are no rivals left.
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This is a unipolar system,
much like the United States
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00:10:39,260 --> 00:10:42,780
after the Cold War, where
there's nobody left to fight.
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00:10:42,820 --> 00:10:45,580
This created an enormous
amount of opportunities
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00:10:45,620 --> 00:10:48,220
to exploit the conquered
territories.
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00:10:48,260 --> 00:10:51,820
[indistinct chatter]
215
00:10:51,860 --> 00:10:54,500
- They're bringing in
the olive oil, the grain,
216
00:10:54,540 --> 00:10:56,420
the minerals,
all these things.
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00:10:56,460 --> 00:10:59,020
And one of the most
important things
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00:10:59,060 --> 00:11:02,220
that they're also bringing in
at this time are slaves.
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00:11:02,260 --> 00:11:05,580
They're primarily drawn
from prisoners of war,
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00:11:05,620 --> 00:11:09,940
and they're all brought in to
serve this growing population.
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00:11:09,980 --> 00:11:12,980
♪
222
00:11:13,020 --> 00:11:17,220
- An estimated 20%
of the population of Italy,
223
00:11:17,260 --> 00:11:21,580
as many as 1 million people,
are now foreign slaves.
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00:11:21,620 --> 00:11:24,500
♪
225
00:11:24,540 --> 00:11:26,980
- Slavery is nothing new
to the ancient world.
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00:11:27,020 --> 00:11:30,340
What's different is
the scale of Roman slavery.
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00:11:30,380 --> 00:11:32,700
This is slavery
on a massive scale.
228
00:11:32,740 --> 00:11:35,060
- The fiercest men are forced
to become gladiators,
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00:11:35,100 --> 00:11:39,220
trained fighters whose low
status is dangerously at odds
230
00:11:39,260 --> 00:11:40,660
with their lethal skills.
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00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:42,420
♪
232
00:11:42,460 --> 00:11:44,340
[all yelling]
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00:11:44,380 --> 00:11:49,460
♪
234
00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:51,940
- While ownership of thousands
or tens of thousands
235
00:11:51,980 --> 00:11:53,900
of enslaved people
makes the Roman elite
236
00:11:53,940 --> 00:11:56,180
extraordinarily wealthy,
this also
237
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creates a ticking time bomb.
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They're making them work
in incredibly harsh conditions.
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00:12:00,940 --> 00:12:03,260
Death rates are
extraordinarily high.
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00:12:03,300 --> 00:12:05,780
At a certain point, people
placed under those conditions
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00:12:05,820 --> 00:12:07,180
are going to rebel.
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00:12:07,220 --> 00:12:10,340
♪
243
00:12:10,380 --> 00:12:14,060
- And in 73 BCE,
one enslaved gladiator
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00:12:14,100 --> 00:12:17,220
starts an uprising that will
transform the Republic.
245
00:12:17,260 --> 00:12:19,380
- Spartacus.
246
00:12:19,420 --> 00:12:21,540
My name is Spartacus.
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♪
248
00:12:24,700 --> 00:12:28,140
- Rome will expand
to take on the known world...
249
00:12:28,180 --> 00:12:30,420
- For victory!
- [yells]
250
00:12:30,460 --> 00:12:33,860
- And build a civilization
for the ages.
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00:12:33,900 --> 00:12:37,060
[crowd chanting "Caesar,"
lion roars]
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00:12:37,100 --> 00:12:40,020
The obstacles along the way
bring out the best
253
00:12:40,060 --> 00:12:42,420
of Rome's strengths...
254
00:12:42,460 --> 00:12:46,500
- The conquest of Gaul stands
as one of the most impressive
255
00:12:46,540 --> 00:12:49,180
achievements in human history.
256
00:12:49,220 --> 00:12:51,140
- And reveal its weaknesses.
257
00:12:51,180 --> 00:12:56,820
- This is an amazing
power grab by Cleopatra.
258
00:12:56,860 --> 00:13:01,420
But it's also a challenge
to Rome and the Romans.
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00:13:01,460 --> 00:13:03,860
♪
260
00:13:08,540 --> 00:13:11,500
- By the 1st century BCE,
the Roman Republic
261
00:13:11,540 --> 00:13:13,660
is on its way
to becoming an empire
262
00:13:13,700 --> 00:13:16,860
when its ambitions
are nearly derailed.
263
00:13:16,900 --> 00:13:19,100
- After the conquest
of Carthage,
264
00:13:19,140 --> 00:13:21,700
the Romans have North Africa
and all its revenues
265
00:13:21,740 --> 00:13:24,620
and its food sources
and new slaves,
266
00:13:24,660 --> 00:13:26,700
more than they even know
what to do with.
267
00:13:26,740 --> 00:13:28,700
It was exploitation,
pure and simple.
268
00:13:28,740 --> 00:13:31,020
And this created
vast inequalities
269
00:13:31,060 --> 00:13:33,260
and, as a result, rebellion.
270
00:13:33,300 --> 00:13:35,500
- Spartacus.
271
00:13:35,540 --> 00:13:38,340
My name is Spartacus.
272
00:13:38,380 --> 00:13:40,660
- Spartacus is a bit
of an enigma to us.
273
00:13:40,700 --> 00:13:44,100
It seems that he came
from Thrace.
274
00:13:44,140 --> 00:13:46,940
- It's a place known
for great fighters,
275
00:13:46,980 --> 00:13:50,260
so much so that the Romans
incorporate those fighters
276
00:13:50,300 --> 00:13:51,660
into their military.
277
00:13:51,700 --> 00:13:55,020
But ultimately,
he is sold into slavery.
278
00:13:55,060 --> 00:13:58,660
And he ends up in
a gladiatorial school in Capua.
279
00:13:58,700 --> 00:13:59,860
[crowd yelling]
280
00:13:59,900 --> 00:14:02,980
- [grunting]
281
00:14:03,020 --> 00:14:05,140
♪
282
00:14:05,180 --> 00:14:09,260
[crowd chanting "Spartacus"]
283
00:14:09,300 --> 00:14:16,580
♪
284
00:14:18,020 --> 00:14:20,060
- No man would want to be
in that situation.
285
00:14:20,100 --> 00:14:22,540
And if there was any
opportunity to get out of it,
286
00:14:22,580 --> 00:14:24,020
you would.
287
00:14:24,060 --> 00:14:25,780
- It's unclear how it starts,
288
00:14:25,820 --> 00:14:28,980
but something prompts
the gladiators to rise up.
289
00:14:29,020 --> 00:14:31,740
[keys rattling]
290
00:14:31,780 --> 00:14:38,700
♪
291
00:14:38,740 --> 00:14:40,940
- [gasping]
292
00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:43,620
- [grunting]
293
00:14:43,660 --> 00:14:50,980
♪
294
00:14:59,260 --> 00:15:02,140
- Spartacus and about
70 slaves break out
295
00:15:02,180 --> 00:15:04,260
and escape
into the countryside
296
00:15:04,300 --> 00:15:06,820
armed with stolen weapons.
297
00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:08,780
And soon their numbers
begin to grow.
298
00:15:08,820 --> 00:15:14,820
♪
299
00:15:14,860 --> 00:15:17,500
Rome responds by dispatching
a small militia
300
00:15:17,540 --> 00:15:20,380
to put down
the burgeoning threat.
301
00:15:20,420 --> 00:15:23,580
♪
302
00:15:23,620 --> 00:15:26,260
But instead of running,
Spartacus and his band
303
00:15:26,300 --> 00:15:31,180
make a stand on the slopes
of Mount Vesuvius.
304
00:15:31,220 --> 00:15:35,620
♪
305
00:15:35,660 --> 00:15:38,500
- Spartacus has his men
fashion ropes out of vines
306
00:15:38,540 --> 00:15:40,660
that they find growing
on Mount Vesuvius
307
00:15:40,700 --> 00:15:44,220
and launch a surprise attack
on the Romans.
308
00:15:44,260 --> 00:15:47,060
- His men attack
the Romans from the rear.
309
00:15:47,100 --> 00:15:49,180
And it quickly
becomes a massacre.
310
00:15:49,220 --> 00:15:52,260
- [groans]
311
00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:55,260
[all yelling,
weapons clashing]
312
00:15:55,300 --> 00:16:01,300
♪
313
00:16:01,340 --> 00:16:04,260
- The defeat at Vesuvius
was a complete surprise
314
00:16:04,300 --> 00:16:05,500
to the Romans.
315
00:16:05,540 --> 00:16:07,020
They weren't expecting
to be ambushed.
316
00:16:07,060 --> 00:16:09,060
They thought they were
dealing with fugitives
317
00:16:09,100 --> 00:16:12,220
and the fugitives would run
rather than that the fugitives
318
00:16:12,260 --> 00:16:13,780
would take the fight to them.
319
00:16:13,820 --> 00:16:15,260
♪
320
00:16:15,300 --> 00:16:17,620
- It begins, after all,
as a prison break,
321
00:16:17,660 --> 00:16:19,580
a relatively routine matter.
322
00:16:19,620 --> 00:16:22,980
And suddenly, it leads
to a military defeat
323
00:16:23,020 --> 00:16:24,220
in the heart of Italy.
324
00:16:24,260 --> 00:16:25,860
This is something
that the Romans
325
00:16:25,900 --> 00:16:29,260
can't afford to ignore.
326
00:16:29,300 --> 00:16:32,340
- In a society that is based
at an economic level
327
00:16:32,380 --> 00:16:36,260
around slavery, a slave revolt
is not just a threat.
328
00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:38,180
It's an existential threat.
329
00:16:38,220 --> 00:16:41,460
And having a charismatic
leader like Spartacus,
330
00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:43,500
to whom all those thousands
and thousands
331
00:16:43,540 --> 00:16:46,020
of enslaved people
can look for leadership,
332
00:16:46,060 --> 00:16:48,500
creates a situation
where Rome's very existence
333
00:16:48,540 --> 00:16:49,940
is at stake.
334
00:16:49,980 --> 00:16:51,780
- Every slave
owner is thinking,
335
00:16:51,820 --> 00:16:53,780
will my slaves be next?
336
00:16:53,820 --> 00:16:55,260
Will they join Spartacus?
337
00:16:55,300 --> 00:16:57,060
Just how far is
this going to go?
338
00:16:57,100 --> 00:17:01,380
♪
339
00:17:01,420 --> 00:17:05,660
- By the autumn of 73 BCE,
Spartacus' army is growing
340
00:17:05,700 --> 00:17:07,580
at the rate of hundreds a day,
341
00:17:07,620 --> 00:17:12,340
25,000 and counting, bolstered
by working-class Romans,
342
00:17:12,380 --> 00:17:15,300
who have also been left
out of Rome's booming
343
00:17:15,340 --> 00:17:17,740
post-Carthage economy.
344
00:17:17,780 --> 00:17:19,660
♪
345
00:17:19,700 --> 00:17:22,620
- Spartacus knows
that the Romans will
346
00:17:22,660 --> 00:17:24,940
be bent on his destruction.
347
00:17:24,980 --> 00:17:28,100
He has no choice
but to not only lead
348
00:17:28,140 --> 00:17:30,260
but to train an army.
349
00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:32,460
- [grunting]
350
00:17:32,500 --> 00:17:34,540
- They had this
great mass of people
351
00:17:34,580 --> 00:17:37,380
that could be slaughtered
if they fought as individuals.
352
00:17:37,420 --> 00:17:40,460
So he took that time
that he had during the winter
353
00:17:40,500 --> 00:17:42,860
to train his forces
and to turn them
354
00:17:42,900 --> 00:17:44,740
into an army themselves
355
00:17:44,780 --> 00:17:47,420
that could meet the Romans
on the field of battle
356
00:17:47,460 --> 00:17:48,900
with a good chance of success.
357
00:17:48,940 --> 00:17:54,260
♪
358
00:17:54,300 --> 00:17:57,060
- As the rebels prepare,
the Roman Senate dispatches
359
00:17:57,100 --> 00:18:00,460
two legions to crush them.
360
00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:04,060
- Spartacus reportedly
has a massive following
361
00:18:04,100 --> 00:18:06,620
across the entire
Italian peninsula.
362
00:18:06,660 --> 00:18:11,140
So much so, in fact, that he
is able to potentially threaten
363
00:18:11,180 --> 00:18:12,940
the city of Rome itself.
364
00:18:12,980 --> 00:18:15,580
[all yelling]
365
00:18:15,620 --> 00:18:17,260
- When the two sides meet,
366
00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:19,820
it's the Romans
who are crushed.
367
00:18:19,860 --> 00:18:24,100
♪
368
00:18:24,140 --> 00:18:26,660
They flee back
to Rome in disarray,
369
00:18:26,700 --> 00:18:29,940
leaving Spartacus to threaten
neighboring Sicily,
370
00:18:29,980 --> 00:18:32,980
which grows
much of Rome's food.
371
00:18:33,020 --> 00:18:38,500
♪
372
00:18:38,540 --> 00:18:42,220
Panicked, the Senate turns
to Marcus Licinius Crassus,
373
00:18:42,260 --> 00:18:45,060
a general known less
for battlefield victories
374
00:18:45,100 --> 00:18:47,700
and more for being
the richest man in Rome,
375
00:18:47,740 --> 00:18:50,820
having made a fortune
in property speculation.
376
00:18:50,860 --> 00:18:53,540
- Crassus is the type
of politician
377
00:18:53,580 --> 00:18:56,220
who will lead
to the destabilization
378
00:18:56,260 --> 00:18:57,820
of the Roman Republic.
379
00:18:57,860 --> 00:19:01,300
When you have very powerful,
very wealthy,
380
00:19:01,340 --> 00:19:04,820
very influential Romans
working as individuals,
381
00:19:04,860 --> 00:19:07,100
you start to upset
that power balance.
382
00:19:07,140 --> 00:19:08,860
[soldiers chanting "Pompey"]
383
00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:10,660
- Crassus' main
political rival
384
00:19:10,700 --> 00:19:13,140
is the great general Pompey,
who at this point
385
00:19:13,180 --> 00:19:15,620
has won a dozen
military victories.
386
00:19:15,660 --> 00:19:18,220
And what Crassus hopes
to do is to
387
00:19:18,260 --> 00:19:20,580
put down the Spartacus revolt
before Pompey
388
00:19:20,620 --> 00:19:22,620
has a chance
to rally his forces,
389
00:19:22,660 --> 00:19:26,140
thus robbing Pompey
of the glory.
390
00:19:26,180 --> 00:19:30,020
This desire for glory
and unrestrained competition
391
00:19:30,060 --> 00:19:32,460
is part of what
helps Rome's rise.
392
00:19:32,500 --> 00:19:35,500
But it's also gonna store up
trouble for Rome to come.
393
00:19:35,540 --> 00:19:37,660
♪
394
00:19:37,700 --> 00:19:40,580
[all yelling,
weapons clashing]
395
00:19:40,620 --> 00:19:47,940
♪
396
00:19:58,340 --> 00:20:02,620
- In April 71 BCE,
Crassus' Roman legions
397
00:20:02,660 --> 00:20:07,180
finally kill Spartacus
and defeat his army.
398
00:20:07,220 --> 00:20:10,820
40,000 rebels die
in the fighting.
399
00:20:10,860 --> 00:20:14,220
♪
400
00:20:14,260 --> 00:20:16,780
[hammer banging]
- [screaming]
401
00:20:16,820 --> 00:20:19,820
- Others suffer a worse fate.
402
00:20:19,860 --> 00:20:22,220
- [screams]
403
00:20:22,260 --> 00:20:25,020
- When Crassus
crucifies all 6,000
404
00:20:25,060 --> 00:20:27,740
captured rebels
along the Appian Way,
405
00:20:27,780 --> 00:20:32,180
Rome's warning is clear.
406
00:20:32,220 --> 00:20:34,780
But the conditions
that created the uprising
407
00:20:34,820 --> 00:20:38,340
aren't going away.
408
00:20:38,380 --> 00:20:41,500
- It was now not so much
citizens versus noncitizens,
409
00:20:41,540 --> 00:20:43,140
but it was haves
and have-nots.
410
00:20:43,180 --> 00:20:45,300
And it's, in fact, part
of a pattern that plays out
411
00:20:45,340 --> 00:20:48,140
many times in human history,
certainly into the 20th century
412
00:20:48,180 --> 00:20:50,020
with czarist Russia,
into the 21st,
413
00:20:50,060 --> 00:20:51,900
which is that
massive inequality
414
00:20:51,940 --> 00:20:55,500
is going to lead to violence
and sometimes revolution.
415
00:20:55,540 --> 00:20:58,020
♪
416
00:20:58,060 --> 00:21:00,900
- As Pompey and Crassus
compete for glory...
417
00:21:00,940 --> 00:21:02,340
- Pompey the Great.
418
00:21:02,380 --> 00:21:06,540
Great at stealing credit
for other men's victories.
419
00:21:06,580 --> 00:21:08,900
- They make a deal
with a young man who will
420
00:21:08,940 --> 00:21:12,420
transform Rome itself.
421
00:21:12,460 --> 00:21:15,980
- The three of us,
we'd be invincible.
422
00:21:16,020 --> 00:21:21,420
- With Caesar, we have all of
the elements of family power,
423
00:21:21,460 --> 00:21:24,940
political power, economic power
all coming together
424
00:21:24,980 --> 00:21:27,380
in a single individual
425
00:21:27,420 --> 00:21:29,620
at the very end
of the Republic.
426
00:21:33,660 --> 00:21:35,940
♪
427
00:21:35,980 --> 00:21:37,980
- After putting down
Spartacus' rebellion,
428
00:21:38,020 --> 00:21:41,660
Pompey and Crassus return
to Rome, their rivalry
429
00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:44,420
setting the stage for one
of the most consequential
430
00:21:44,460 --> 00:21:46,660
Romans in history.
431
00:21:46,700 --> 00:21:50,940
- The slave army is defeated!
432
00:21:50,980 --> 00:21:54,380
[crowd cheering]
433
00:21:54,420 --> 00:21:58,860
The gladiator rebellion
has been crushed!
434
00:21:58,900 --> 00:22:01,860
[applause]
435
00:22:01,900 --> 00:22:05,700
♪
436
00:22:05,740 --> 00:22:07,540
- Pompey the Great.
437
00:22:07,580 --> 00:22:11,020
Great at stealing credit
for other men's victories.
438
00:22:11,060 --> 00:22:15,380
- Glory is for generals,
Crassus, not moneylenders.
439
00:22:15,420 --> 00:22:17,460
- Pompey and Crassus
had hated each other
440
00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:19,100
from the moment
they first met.
441
00:22:19,140 --> 00:22:22,860
Crassus saw Pompey
as someone who was
442
00:22:22,900 --> 00:22:26,420
undeserving of the glory
and credit he had received,
443
00:22:26,460 --> 00:22:30,220
while Crassus had been
denied those same honors.
444
00:22:30,260 --> 00:22:34,540
Pompey saw in Crassus
really the only major threat
445
00:22:34,580 --> 00:22:36,420
to Pompey's exaltation.
446
00:22:36,460 --> 00:22:38,900
- It's in this world
that a junior officer
447
00:22:38,940 --> 00:22:42,220
by the name of Julius Caesar
takes his first steps
448
00:22:42,260 --> 00:22:43,940
in Roman politics.
449
00:22:43,980 --> 00:22:48,500
♪
450
00:22:48,540 --> 00:22:52,380
Caesar was born into
an ancient family, the Julii,
451
00:22:52,420 --> 00:22:56,620
which claims a divine origin.
452
00:22:56,660 --> 00:22:58,460
- Julius Caesar believed
that he was descended
453
00:22:58,500 --> 00:23:01,380
from Venus, the god of love.
454
00:23:01,420 --> 00:23:04,260
Most Roman families,
patrician families,
455
00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:05,940
believed that they had
a descent
456
00:23:05,980 --> 00:23:07,620
from one of the gods.
457
00:23:07,660 --> 00:23:11,180
- All Roman citizens belonged
to a complex class system
458
00:23:11,220 --> 00:23:13,180
based on birth and wealth.
459
00:23:13,220 --> 00:23:16,100
They could be patricians,
the old aristocracy;
460
00:23:16,140 --> 00:23:18,780
equestrians,
who were once the cavalry
461
00:23:18,820 --> 00:23:21,340
and are now
wealthy businessmen;
462
00:23:21,380 --> 00:23:25,260
or plebeians, the commoners.
463
00:23:25,300 --> 00:23:28,780
Although a patrician family,
the Julii have by this point
464
00:23:28,820 --> 00:23:32,580
lost much of their wealth
and prestige.
465
00:23:32,620 --> 00:23:36,900
Still, it hasn't dented
Caesar's personal ambition.
466
00:23:36,940 --> 00:23:38,860
- In terms of Rome's
rise and fall,
467
00:23:38,900 --> 00:23:41,940
well, Caesar is
the pivotal figure.
468
00:23:41,980 --> 00:23:44,980
Rome's Republic
was not quite a democracy,
469
00:23:45,020 --> 00:23:46,940
but Caesar really
took advantage
470
00:23:46,980 --> 00:23:48,780
of all the cracks
in the system
471
00:23:48,820 --> 00:23:50,820
and inserted himself
into them.
472
00:23:50,860 --> 00:23:52,500
And this really paved the way
473
00:23:52,540 --> 00:23:54,020
for the creation
of Rome's empire.
474
00:23:54,060 --> 00:23:56,220
♪
475
00:23:56,260 --> 00:23:58,940
- For two years,
Caesar builds his reputation
476
00:23:58,980 --> 00:24:00,580
for political office.
477
00:24:00,620 --> 00:24:04,980
He's intent on being a
populist, a man of the people.
478
00:24:05,020 --> 00:24:08,100
And soon he turns
a genuine personal tragedy
479
00:24:08,140 --> 00:24:11,340
into an opportunity
to advance.
480
00:24:11,380 --> 00:24:16,940
♪
481
00:24:16,980 --> 00:24:21,140
- In the summer of 69 BC, two
years after Spartacus' revolt,
482
00:24:21,180 --> 00:24:23,300
his wife, Cornelia, dies.
483
00:24:23,340 --> 00:24:26,140
We can't be sure exactly how,
but there's a very good theory
484
00:24:26,180 --> 00:24:27,900
that it may have been
childbirth,
485
00:24:27,940 --> 00:24:29,700
which did kill
up to 1/3 of women.
486
00:24:29,740 --> 00:24:33,740
♪
487
00:24:33,780 --> 00:24:37,820
- Caesar decides
to give her a public funeral.
488
00:24:37,860 --> 00:24:39,540
Now, this is something
that generally
489
00:24:39,580 --> 00:24:43,420
was not done for Roman women.
490
00:24:43,460 --> 00:24:46,540
In Roman tradition,
funerals were a way
491
00:24:46,580 --> 00:24:50,020
of displaying everything
that your family had done
492
00:24:50,060 --> 00:24:52,220
on behalf of the Roman state.
493
00:24:52,260 --> 00:24:58,180
♪
494
00:24:58,220 --> 00:25:02,460
- My name
is Gaius Julius Caesar.
495
00:25:02,500 --> 00:25:06,020
I've come here
to honor my wife.
496
00:25:06,060 --> 00:25:11,620
I've also come here to make
a promise to you all.
497
00:25:11,660 --> 00:25:14,380
- For Caesar,
this funeral oration
498
00:25:14,420 --> 00:25:16,780
is a political awakening.
499
00:25:16,820 --> 00:25:20,540
- My family has
the sanctity of kings.
500
00:25:20,580 --> 00:25:24,700
But more than this,
I am one of you...
501
00:25:24,740 --> 00:25:26,260
[crowd cheering]
502
00:25:26,300 --> 00:25:29,220
A Roman!
503
00:25:29,260 --> 00:25:32,380
- He announces
that he is going to
504
00:25:32,420 --> 00:25:33,940
try to move forward,
505
00:25:33,980 --> 00:25:36,940
to make things better for
the ordinary people of Rome.
506
00:25:36,980 --> 00:25:38,300
- Join me!
507
00:25:38,340 --> 00:25:39,740
- Yes!
- Yes!
508
00:25:39,780 --> 00:25:44,300
- And I will show you
what we can do together!
509
00:25:44,340 --> 00:25:47,140
[crowd cheering]
510
00:25:47,180 --> 00:25:49,340
- And he doesn't care
who stands in his way.
511
00:25:49,380 --> 00:25:51,660
His political aspirations
have never become clearer.
512
00:25:51,700 --> 00:25:57,820
♪
513
00:25:57,860 --> 00:26:00,740
- With financial
backing from Crassus,
514
00:26:00,780 --> 00:26:03,740
Caesar enters the Senate,
the lawmaking assembly
515
00:26:03,780 --> 00:26:07,940
of the 600 richest and most
influential men in Rome.
516
00:26:07,980 --> 00:26:11,300
- Julius Caesar.
517
00:26:11,340 --> 00:26:14,020
- Senators.
518
00:26:14,060 --> 00:26:16,900
- For the next several years,
Caesar and Crassus
519
00:26:16,940 --> 00:26:20,940
are both political allies
and economic partners.
520
00:26:20,980 --> 00:26:23,620
Caesar has to rise
for Crassus to be paid back.
521
00:26:23,660 --> 00:26:26,980
And now only one office
remains for Caesar
522
00:26:27,020 --> 00:26:30,900
to take, the consulship.
523
00:26:30,940 --> 00:26:34,500
- So the consuls acted
as the commander in chief
524
00:26:34,540 --> 00:26:37,740
of the Roman military.
525
00:26:37,780 --> 00:26:40,660
They were proposing
all bills to the Senate.
526
00:26:40,700 --> 00:26:44,140
The consuls also acted
as the chief judicial officer.
527
00:26:44,180 --> 00:26:46,220
They were the ones
who passed judgments
528
00:26:46,260 --> 00:26:49,700
and who executed punishment.
529
00:26:49,740 --> 00:26:52,220
- As Crassus buys
influence in Rome,
530
00:26:52,260 --> 00:26:57,020
Pompey's conquests expand
the Republic's territory.
531
00:26:57,060 --> 00:27:00,660
It's now larger
than it's ever been.
532
00:27:00,700 --> 00:27:03,460
And with the two men
perpetually at odds,
533
00:27:03,500 --> 00:27:07,540
Caesar seized an opportunity
to continue his own rise.
534
00:27:07,580 --> 00:27:14,260
♪
535
00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:18,780
- Caesar is an incredibly
savvy political operator.
536
00:27:18,820 --> 00:27:21,500
Roman politics is a snake pit,
537
00:27:21,540 --> 00:27:24,620
and Caesar navigates it
with incredible dexterity.
538
00:27:24,660 --> 00:27:27,060
♪
539
00:27:27,100 --> 00:27:29,980
- You two should be the most
powerful men in Rome,
540
00:27:30,020 --> 00:27:34,220
but you put all of your energy
into fighting each other.
541
00:27:34,260 --> 00:27:41,180
What if instead,
you worked for each other?
542
00:27:41,220 --> 00:27:43,540
- Why would we?
543
00:27:43,580 --> 00:27:46,060
- Back me to become consul,
and I'll make sure
544
00:27:46,100 --> 00:27:49,900
the Senate works for you.
545
00:27:49,940 --> 00:27:52,820
The three of us...
546
00:27:52,860 --> 00:27:55,660
[laughs] We'd be invincible.
547
00:27:55,700 --> 00:27:59,220
[thunder booming]
548
00:27:59,260 --> 00:28:01,660
- The secret deal
that Caesar persuades
549
00:28:01,700 --> 00:28:05,740
Pompey and Crassus to agree to
is called the triumvirate.
550
00:28:05,780 --> 00:28:08,620
It literally means
"rule of three."
551
00:28:08,660 --> 00:28:11,460
Individually,
they've all been able to get
552
00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:15,660
some of what they want
but never all of it.
553
00:28:15,700 --> 00:28:21,620
Together they can dominate
Roman politics
554
00:28:21,660 --> 00:28:23,340
for years to come.
555
00:28:23,380 --> 00:28:24,660
- With the alliance's backing,
556
00:28:24,700 --> 00:28:27,220
Caesar sets his sights
on conquest...
557
00:28:27,260 --> 00:28:31,340
- It becomes an opportunity for
Caesar to engage militarily.
558
00:28:31,380 --> 00:28:34,060
- As a route to seizing
supreme authority.
559
00:28:34,100 --> 00:28:37,300
- For Caesar, Gaul is
a powder keg of warring tribes
560
00:28:37,340 --> 00:28:39,860
ready to explode.
561
00:28:39,900 --> 00:28:42,300
If he's able to conquer
this territory,
562
00:28:42,340 --> 00:28:45,220
he could become the wealthiest,
most powerful man in Rome.
563
00:28:45,260 --> 00:28:45,980
♪
564
00:28:50,060 --> 00:28:51,340
♪
565
00:28:51,380 --> 00:28:54,060
- 450 years
into Rome's Republic,
566
00:28:54,100 --> 00:28:57,260
three rivals come together
to rise to share power.
567
00:28:57,300 --> 00:29:01,620
But one, Julius Caesar,
has bigger plans.
568
00:29:01,660 --> 00:29:04,980
- Caesar immediately
leans on his deal
569
00:29:05,020 --> 00:29:07,900
with his fellow members
of the triumvirate,
570
00:29:07,940 --> 00:29:12,820
Crassus and Pompey, to make
sure he's elected consul.
571
00:29:12,860 --> 00:29:15,180
♪
572
00:29:15,220 --> 00:29:18,060
- Caesar knows he only
has one year as consul.
573
00:29:18,100 --> 00:29:21,380
From day one, he sets out
to pay back his allies
574
00:29:21,420 --> 00:29:24,620
and build a power base
for the future.
575
00:29:24,660 --> 00:29:27,740
- The first law Caesar
has to pass as consul
576
00:29:27,780 --> 00:29:32,460
is a land bill that gives
land to Pompey's veterans.
577
00:29:32,500 --> 00:29:35,580
- The land is there
to be farmed.
578
00:29:35,620 --> 00:29:37,780
- The former soldiers
of Pompey risked
579
00:29:37,820 --> 00:29:39,500
their lives
for the Roman Republic
580
00:29:39,540 --> 00:29:40,940
but are now reduced to poverty.
581
00:29:40,980 --> 00:29:44,460
Pompey wants to give them
farms as a reward.
582
00:29:44,500 --> 00:29:48,620
- Should it not be
given to destitute men
583
00:29:48,660 --> 00:29:52,500
who once fought for us all?
584
00:29:52,540 --> 00:29:54,540
- [clears throat]
585
00:29:54,580 --> 00:29:58,580
- Cato, you wish
to support my bill?
586
00:29:58,620 --> 00:30:03,340
- Cato is one of the leading
members of the optimates,
587
00:30:03,380 --> 00:30:04,900
the conservative.
588
00:30:04,940 --> 00:30:08,940
He is perhaps the most
conservative man in Rome.
589
00:30:08,980 --> 00:30:12,060
- Cato has a kind
of personality cult going on.
590
00:30:12,100 --> 00:30:14,940
He has a very distinctive
way of dress,
591
00:30:14,980 --> 00:30:18,700
what he imagines was
the attire
592
00:30:18,740 --> 00:30:20,660
of the earliest leaders
of Rome.
593
00:30:20,700 --> 00:30:23,780
He goes barefoot
and even commando.
594
00:30:23,820 --> 00:30:26,460
And he does this
to style himself as a man
595
00:30:26,500 --> 00:30:29,060
who is returning
to simpler days.
596
00:30:29,100 --> 00:30:31,300
But really, what he's doing
is representing the aims
597
00:30:31,340 --> 00:30:34,100
of a very small group
of aristocrats.
598
00:30:34,140 --> 00:30:37,660
- Cato's faction wants
to maintain the status quo
599
00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:40,100
and the policies
that favor the rich,
600
00:30:40,140 --> 00:30:41,940
while Caesar's land reform
601
00:30:41,980 --> 00:30:44,700
promises to redistribute
the wealth.
602
00:30:44,740 --> 00:30:50,540
- Consul, there is much
to admire in this land bill.
603
00:30:50,580 --> 00:30:53,580
Your hand is elegant.
604
00:30:53,620 --> 00:30:56,500
The papyrus
is of the finest quality.
605
00:30:56,540 --> 00:30:59,180
[laughter]
606
00:30:59,220 --> 00:31:02,620
But it would be
a very grave mistake
607
00:31:02,660 --> 00:31:05,820
to set such a precedent
at this point in time.
608
00:31:05,860 --> 00:31:08,620
- Like senators
in the United States today,
609
00:31:08,660 --> 00:31:12,460
Roman senators could
effectively stop legislation
610
00:31:12,500 --> 00:31:13,700
simply by talking...
611
00:31:13,740 --> 00:31:15,660
- There are points aplenty
612
00:31:15,700 --> 00:31:17,620
that are wrong with this text.
613
00:31:17,660 --> 00:31:18,740
- And talking.
614
00:31:18,780 --> 00:31:21,820
Cato is a master
at the filibuster.
615
00:31:21,860 --> 00:31:24,620
- That's enough, Cato.
616
00:31:24,660 --> 00:31:26,820
♪
617
00:31:26,860 --> 00:31:29,220
- Maybe one that--what is this?
What is this?
618
00:31:29,260 --> 00:31:31,740
[all clamoring]
619
00:31:31,780 --> 00:31:34,860
- Let us give
the honorable senator
620
00:31:34,900 --> 00:31:38,100
some time alone
to think about the land bill.
621
00:31:38,140 --> 00:31:41,420
- Caesar sends attendants
to manhandle Cato
622
00:31:41,460 --> 00:31:45,980
and lead him off
towards the prison,
623
00:31:46,020 --> 00:31:49,700
hoping that this will simply
stop Cato in his tracks.
624
00:31:49,740 --> 00:31:52,740
- Before I was
so rudely interrupted...
625
00:31:52,780 --> 00:31:55,900
[laughter]
626
00:31:55,940 --> 00:31:58,020
- Caesar doesn't have
the power to keep Cato there
627
00:31:58,060 --> 00:32:01,620
for very long, but he's
broadcasting a message.
628
00:32:01,660 --> 00:32:04,100
♪
629
00:32:04,140 --> 00:32:06,340
He is not above
using violence
630
00:32:06,380 --> 00:32:07,820
to get what it is
that he wants.
631
00:32:07,860 --> 00:32:10,220
So he wields
a very heavy stick.
632
00:32:10,260 --> 00:32:12,900
And the optimates
hate him for it.
633
00:32:12,940 --> 00:32:15,660
♪
634
00:32:15,700 --> 00:32:18,900
- Over the next year,
Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus
635
00:32:18,940 --> 00:32:22,700
resort to any means necessary,
legal and illegal,
636
00:32:22,740 --> 00:32:25,300
to push through their agenda.
637
00:32:25,340 --> 00:32:28,060
But Caesar's term
as consul is just
638
00:32:28,100 --> 00:32:32,300
step one in his pursuit of
a new kind of power in Rome.
639
00:32:32,340 --> 00:32:35,340
And he's already
eyeing the next level.
640
00:32:35,380 --> 00:32:38,020
♪
641
00:32:38,060 --> 00:32:41,580
- We don't have much more
time with you as consul.
642
00:32:41,620 --> 00:32:42,940
What comes next?
643
00:32:42,980 --> 00:32:45,460
- I need a border province,
644
00:32:45,500 --> 00:32:48,380
one with a military command.
645
00:32:48,420 --> 00:32:51,260
- Caesar's plan
is to get a governorship.
646
00:32:51,300 --> 00:32:53,780
He would be immune
from prosecution.
647
00:32:53,820 --> 00:32:55,700
Perhaps more importantly
for Caesar is,
648
00:32:55,740 --> 00:32:59,300
he doesn't have military glory
at a larger scale,
649
00:32:59,340 --> 00:33:01,580
and that's what he would get
if he became a governor.
650
00:33:01,620 --> 00:33:03,900
- Where do you propose?
651
00:33:03,940 --> 00:33:10,900
♪
652
00:33:10,940 --> 00:33:13,060
- With help
from Pompey and Crassus,
653
00:33:13,100 --> 00:33:16,620
Caesar becomes governor
of Italian Gaul.
654
00:33:16,660 --> 00:33:18,900
At this time,
Rome's territories
655
00:33:18,940 --> 00:33:21,900
surround the Mediterranean,
with Italian Gaul
656
00:33:21,940 --> 00:33:24,420
the northernmost province.
657
00:33:24,460 --> 00:33:27,740
- So while Italian Gaul
is under Roman control,
658
00:33:27,780 --> 00:33:30,780
the rest of Gaul is a wild,
independent area
659
00:33:30,820 --> 00:33:34,260
that covers France, Belgium,
the Netherlands,
660
00:33:34,300 --> 00:33:38,260
even up to the Rhine River
in Germany.
661
00:33:38,300 --> 00:33:40,980
- For Caesar,
Gaul is not only a vast,
662
00:33:41,020 --> 00:33:43,180
untapped reserve of wealth.
663
00:33:43,220 --> 00:33:47,660
It's a powder keg of warring
tribes ready to explode.
664
00:33:47,700 --> 00:33:49,540
If he's able to conquer
this territory,
665
00:33:49,580 --> 00:33:52,860
he could become the wealthiest,
most powerful man in Rome.
666
00:33:52,900 --> 00:33:55,940
♪
667
00:33:55,980 --> 00:33:57,620
- It's also
the Roman Republic's
668
00:33:57,660 --> 00:33:59,900
best opportunity
to enrich itself
669
00:33:59,940 --> 00:34:01,700
since it plundered Carthage.
670
00:34:01,740 --> 00:34:04,620
And a few weeks after
Caesar takes command,
671
00:34:04,660 --> 00:34:07,100
an opportunity
presents itself.
672
00:34:07,140 --> 00:34:09,180
♪
673
00:34:09,220 --> 00:34:11,300
- Speak.
674
00:34:11,340 --> 00:34:13,420
- The Helvetii
are a tribe living
675
00:34:13,460 --> 00:34:15,020
in modern-day Switzerland,
676
00:34:15,060 --> 00:34:18,300
but they're looking
for somewhere else to go.
677
00:34:18,340 --> 00:34:22,900
- As the Helvetii migrate,
they clash with other tribes.
678
00:34:22,940 --> 00:34:24,700
There's violence,
and there's death.
679
00:34:24,740 --> 00:34:26,860
Some of these tribes
are allied to Rome.
680
00:34:26,900 --> 00:34:29,780
- Those loyal tribes will
come to Caesar seeking help.
681
00:34:29,820 --> 00:34:31,860
And it becomes an opportunity
682
00:34:31,900 --> 00:34:33,460
for Caesar
to engage militarily.
683
00:34:33,500 --> 00:34:39,420
♪
684
00:34:39,460 --> 00:34:43,740
[all yelling]
685
00:34:43,780 --> 00:34:46,740
- As the Helvetii
continue their migration,
686
00:34:46,780 --> 00:34:49,100
Caesar intercepts.
687
00:34:49,140 --> 00:34:52,100
[all yelling,
weapons clashing]
688
00:34:52,140 --> 00:34:54,420
[fire crackling]
689
00:34:54,460 --> 00:34:57,340
- This really isn't
a great military conquest
690
00:34:57,380 --> 00:35:00,340
on Caesar's part so much
as it is an atrocity.
691
00:35:00,380 --> 00:35:02,860
♪
692
00:35:02,900 --> 00:35:06,020
But Caesar is able
to turn this into a story
693
00:35:06,060 --> 00:35:09,700
of a military victory that
helps make him popular in Rome.
694
00:35:09,740 --> 00:35:11,380
[horns blow]
695
00:35:11,420 --> 00:35:12,580
- Defeating the Helvetii
696
00:35:12,620 --> 00:35:14,900
supercharges Caesar's fortunes...
697
00:35:14,940 --> 00:35:17,060
- For victory!
- [yells]
698
00:35:17,100 --> 00:35:18,500
- For victory!
699
00:35:18,540 --> 00:35:21,660
- Caesar's cavalry forces
slam into the rear
700
00:35:21,700 --> 00:35:25,780
of the Gallic army, taking them
completely by surprise.
701
00:35:25,820 --> 00:35:29,660
- And puts Rome's fate
in his hands.
702
00:35:29,700 --> 00:35:33,060
- Now he begins to lose
his mind with hubris.
703
00:35:33,100 --> 00:35:36,740
This was a man
who used to be a reformer,
704
00:35:36,780 --> 00:35:39,940
and now he just wants
absolute power.
705
00:35:39,980 --> 00:35:41,860
- [grunting]
706
00:35:41,900 --> 00:35:43,980
- That hunger for power
sets the stage
707
00:35:44,020 --> 00:35:45,740
for the empire to come
708
00:35:45,780 --> 00:35:49,580
and for tyranny to replace
the centuries-old Republic.
709
00:35:55,420 --> 00:35:57,420
- By the 1st century BCE,
710
00:35:57,460 --> 00:35:59,620
the Romans have extended
their rule
711
00:35:59,660 --> 00:36:01,620
all around the Mediterranean,
712
00:36:01,660 --> 00:36:03,940
transforming the conquered lands
713
00:36:03,980 --> 00:36:09,660
with paved roads, aqueducts,
and dozens of new cities.
714
00:36:09,700 --> 00:36:13,580
But they have no intention
of stopping there.
715
00:36:13,620 --> 00:36:19,020
Now Caesar turns
Rome's armies north.
716
00:36:19,060 --> 00:36:21,940
- Just months after
defeating the Helvetii,
717
00:36:21,980 --> 00:36:23,860
Caesar decides to go for broke.
718
00:36:23,900 --> 00:36:25,900
He wants all of Gaul.
719
00:36:25,940 --> 00:36:27,820
♪
720
00:36:27,860 --> 00:36:30,060
- It's a huge gamble
for Caesar.
721
00:36:30,100 --> 00:36:31,420
He's miles from home.
722
00:36:31,460 --> 00:36:34,700
The tribes outnumber
his troops.
723
00:36:34,740 --> 00:36:38,140
And he doesn't have proper
supply lines for his army.
724
00:36:38,180 --> 00:36:41,340
And yet for him,
it's worth the gamble.
725
00:36:41,380 --> 00:36:43,620
♪
726
00:36:43,660 --> 00:36:45,900
- Over the next years,
his troops venture
727
00:36:45,940 --> 00:36:47,220
deeper into Gaul.
728
00:36:47,260 --> 00:36:49,540
He even takes his men
over the Rhine
729
00:36:49,580 --> 00:36:53,220
into Germany and across
the channel to Britain,
730
00:36:53,260 --> 00:36:56,940
going where no Roman
has ever been before.
731
00:36:56,980 --> 00:37:00,060
In some ways,
this is a publicity stunt.
732
00:37:00,100 --> 00:37:01,620
♪
733
00:37:01,660 --> 00:37:04,980
- Caesar encouraged
the men personally,
734
00:37:05,020 --> 00:37:07,940
ordering the men
to open ranks
735
00:37:07,980 --> 00:37:10,780
so they might use
their swords more easily.
736
00:37:10,820 --> 00:37:13,700
- Caesar manages the narrative
of the Gallic War
737
00:37:13,740 --> 00:37:16,740
back in Rome in a way
that's absolutely classic.
738
00:37:16,780 --> 00:37:20,620
- Every man was eager
to do well
739
00:37:20,660 --> 00:37:23,860
in his commander's... sight.
740
00:37:23,900 --> 00:37:27,180
- He does so by writing
his own history.
741
00:37:27,220 --> 00:37:29,300
But Caesar turns it
into something new,
742
00:37:29,340 --> 00:37:32,780
exciting, even cinematic.
743
00:37:32,820 --> 00:37:36,020
- He snatched a shield
744
00:37:36,060 --> 00:37:39,620
from a soldier at the rear
745
00:37:39,660 --> 00:37:41,900
and walked straight
to the front line.
746
00:37:41,940 --> 00:37:44,580
- And his reports are read
to the people of Italy
747
00:37:44,620 --> 00:37:46,540
in public year after year,
748
00:37:46,580 --> 00:37:48,900
glorifying Caesar's
achievements in Gaul.
749
00:37:48,940 --> 00:37:52,140
- "So he snatched a shield
from a soldier at the rear,
750
00:37:52,180 --> 00:37:54,540
made his way
to the front line."
751
00:37:54,580 --> 00:37:56,180
♪
752
00:37:56,220 --> 00:37:59,180
- Caesar's popularity
with ordinary Romans grows
753
00:37:59,220 --> 00:38:01,060
with every report
that he sends back.
754
00:38:01,100 --> 00:38:05,100
To them, he is the hero
defending the glory of Rome.
755
00:38:05,140 --> 00:38:08,140
- While Rome's power grows,
senators like Cato
756
00:38:08,180 --> 00:38:11,260
see Caesar's appeal
as a growing threat.
757
00:38:11,300 --> 00:38:14,100
- Senators,
what he is doing in Gaul
758
00:38:14,140 --> 00:38:16,860
is completely against the law.
759
00:38:16,900 --> 00:38:20,060
- Cato is already making
the argument
760
00:38:20,100 --> 00:38:22,140
that Caesar
has violated Roman law.
761
00:38:22,180 --> 00:38:23,940
- This is not war.
762
00:38:23,980 --> 00:38:25,140
This is crime.
763
00:38:25,180 --> 00:38:27,380
- Cato can't
actually do anything
764
00:38:27,420 --> 00:38:29,380
as long as Caesar is governor
765
00:38:29,420 --> 00:38:33,180
and as long as he has the
support of Crassus and Pompey.
766
00:38:33,220 --> 00:38:35,660
But if that situation
should change,
767
00:38:35,700 --> 00:38:37,660
then Cato can strike.
768
00:38:37,700 --> 00:38:39,740
♪
769
00:38:39,780 --> 00:38:41,740
- By the mid-50s BCE,
770
00:38:41,780 --> 00:38:44,580
the triumvirate
starts to come apart.
771
00:38:44,620 --> 00:38:48,020
It begins with a hammer blow
for Caesar--
772
00:38:48,060 --> 00:38:50,460
the death
of his daughter Julia,
773
00:38:50,500 --> 00:38:55,380
whom he had given in marriage
to Pompey five years before.
774
00:38:55,420 --> 00:38:57,460
- Not only is this
a personal tragedy.
775
00:38:57,500 --> 00:38:59,700
It's also politically
very dangerous
776
00:38:59,740 --> 00:39:01,980
because she had cemented
the alliance with Pompey,
777
00:39:02,020 --> 00:39:03,580
and that was part of the gel
778
00:39:03,620 --> 00:39:05,860
joining the triumvirate
together.
779
00:39:05,900 --> 00:39:09,180
But all that
has suddenly gone.
780
00:39:09,220 --> 00:39:11,740
- To make matters
worse for Caesar,
781
00:39:11,780 --> 00:39:14,140
not long after Julia's death,
Crassus is killed
782
00:39:14,180 --> 00:39:17,460
on a military expedition
in modern-day Iran.
783
00:39:17,500 --> 00:39:19,420
The legend has it
that he was killed
784
00:39:19,460 --> 00:39:22,060
by having molten gold
poured down his throat
785
00:39:22,100 --> 00:39:25,460
by an enemy who had heard
of his love of money.
786
00:39:25,500 --> 00:39:32,500
♪
787
00:39:32,540 --> 00:39:36,100
- In 52 BC,
a new threat emerges,
788
00:39:36,140 --> 00:39:38,780
Vercingetorix,
son of a chieftain
789
00:39:38,820 --> 00:39:40,380
who is very charismatic.
790
00:39:40,420 --> 00:39:45,820
He is intent on liberating
his people from Roman rule.
791
00:39:45,860 --> 00:39:47,740
- The entire population of Gaul
792
00:39:47,780 --> 00:39:50,380
is estimated to be
around 5 million.
793
00:39:50,420 --> 00:39:52,380
[crowd chanting]
794
00:39:52,420 --> 00:39:56,140
This is a population
that far outstrips
795
00:39:56,180 --> 00:39:59,180
the army that Caesar
has deployed and, in fact,
796
00:39:59,220 --> 00:40:02,180
would present
a direct threat...
797
00:40:02,220 --> 00:40:04,260
- Who is with me?
798
00:40:04,300 --> 00:40:07,180
- To the Roman Empire itself.
799
00:40:07,220 --> 00:40:10,340
[crowd chanting]
800
00:40:10,380 --> 00:40:13,260
- Vercingetorix fights
Caesar for six months
801
00:40:13,300 --> 00:40:16,220
until finally,
he brings things to a head
802
00:40:16,260 --> 00:40:17,900
at a place called Alesia.
803
00:40:17,940 --> 00:40:19,980
♪
804
00:40:20,020 --> 00:40:23,340
- The Battle of Alesia
will either end or secure
805
00:40:23,380 --> 00:40:25,780
the Roman control over Gaul.
806
00:40:25,820 --> 00:40:27,900
With Caesar's men
heavily outnumbered,
807
00:40:27,940 --> 00:40:32,540
it's the latest test
of Rome's military power.
808
00:40:32,580 --> 00:40:37,420
- Comrades, everything
we've been fighting for
809
00:40:37,460 --> 00:40:42,620
for the past seven years
is now on the line.
810
00:40:42,660 --> 00:40:44,700
We must fight!
811
00:40:44,740 --> 00:40:46,580
And we must win!
812
00:40:46,620 --> 00:40:49,420
Victory or death!
813
00:40:49,460 --> 00:40:51,740
Which will you choose?
814
00:40:51,780 --> 00:40:54,580
- For victory!
- [yells]
815
00:40:54,620 --> 00:40:56,740
[all yelling,
weapons clashing]
816
00:40:56,780 --> 00:40:59,980
- [grunting]
817
00:41:00,020 --> 00:41:02,620
- [yells]
818
00:41:02,660 --> 00:41:04,060
♪
819
00:41:04,100 --> 00:41:06,540
- Caesar's cavalry forces slam
820
00:41:06,580 --> 00:41:08,340
into the rear
of the Gallic army,
821
00:41:08,380 --> 00:41:11,540
taking them
completely by surprise,
822
00:41:11,580 --> 00:41:15,700
spreading panic throughout
their entire ranks.
823
00:41:15,740 --> 00:41:17,300
- They think that they're
completely surrounded
824
00:41:17,340 --> 00:41:19,620
by the Roman army,
and they start fleeing.
825
00:41:19,660 --> 00:41:21,980
[all yelling]
826
00:41:22,020 --> 00:41:24,660
♪
827
00:41:24,700 --> 00:41:26,420
- As men start to run
for their lives
828
00:41:26,460 --> 00:41:27,980
rather than fight
for their lives,
829
00:41:28,020 --> 00:41:29,940
Roman cavalry
will ride them down,
830
00:41:29,980 --> 00:41:32,540
and it becomes a bloodbath.
831
00:41:32,580 --> 00:41:39,660
♪
832
00:41:39,700 --> 00:41:42,740
[horns blow]
833
00:41:42,780 --> 00:41:44,540
♪
834
00:41:44,580 --> 00:41:46,300
- After seven years of war,
835
00:41:46,340 --> 00:41:49,660
Caesar crushes Gallic
resistance once and for all
836
00:41:49,700 --> 00:41:52,500
and accepts
his enemy's surrender.
837
00:41:52,540 --> 00:41:55,340
- Caesar's conquest
of Gaul stands as one
838
00:41:55,380 --> 00:41:59,740
of the most impressive
achievements in human history,
839
00:41:59,780 --> 00:42:02,620
the fact that he has
really a minimal amount
840
00:42:02,660 --> 00:42:06,060
of manpower to pull off
this huge campaign.
841
00:42:06,100 --> 00:42:12,980
♪
842
00:42:16,860 --> 00:42:21,140
- Caesar's conquest of Gaul
adds more than 300,000 miles
843
00:42:21,180 --> 00:42:23,380
to Roman territory.
844
00:42:23,420 --> 00:42:27,900
Rome now extends from
the Atlantic Ocean in the west
845
00:42:27,940 --> 00:42:31,940
to the River Rhine
in the east.
846
00:42:31,980 --> 00:42:35,860
♪
847
00:42:35,900 --> 00:42:40,140
- He himself claimed
to kill 1 million people
848
00:42:40,180 --> 00:42:41,500
in the conquest of Gaul
849
00:42:41,540 --> 00:42:46,260
and to have enslaved
1.1 million people.
850
00:42:46,300 --> 00:42:47,940
He killed or enslaved, what,
851
00:42:47,980 --> 00:42:50,900
20% of the entire population
of northern Europe.
852
00:42:50,940 --> 00:42:52,220
And we have to be
reminded of that
853
00:42:52,260 --> 00:42:54,700
because we're
so preconditioned
854
00:42:54,740 --> 00:42:56,020
by the shape of history
855
00:42:56,060 --> 00:42:58,380
to think of Caesar
as a remarkable figure.
856
00:42:58,420 --> 00:42:59,380
It's absolutely incredible.
857
00:42:59,420 --> 00:43:01,380
- Our great Caesar
858
00:43:01,420 --> 00:43:03,020
hurried to join into the...
859
00:43:03,060 --> 00:43:05,140
- After his total victory
at Gaul,
860
00:43:05,180 --> 00:43:07,380
Caesar's popularity
with ordinary Romans
861
00:43:07,420 --> 00:43:08,740
goes higher and higher.
862
00:43:08,780 --> 00:43:11,980
- They regard him now
as the very definition
863
00:43:12,020 --> 00:43:14,620
of a successful Roman warlord.
864
00:43:14,660 --> 00:43:16,700
- The conspicuous
color of the cloak
865
00:43:16,740 --> 00:43:19,900
he always wore into battle
proclaimed his arrival.
866
00:43:19,940 --> 00:43:20,980
[crowd cheering]
867
00:43:21,020 --> 00:43:23,100
Massive slaughter followed.
868
00:43:23,140 --> 00:43:26,340
- Caesar wants to return
to Rome in triumph.
869
00:43:26,380 --> 00:43:28,740
He wants to win
a second term as consul
870
00:43:28,780 --> 00:43:32,300
and be Rome's
undisputed first man.
871
00:43:32,340 --> 00:43:35,140
But Caesar has a problem.
872
00:43:35,180 --> 00:43:40,860
♪
873
00:43:40,900 --> 00:43:44,860
Cato has different plans
for how Caesar's life
874
00:43:44,900 --> 00:43:46,660
will turn out.
875
00:43:46,700 --> 00:43:53,140
- This is too much power
for any man, let alone Caesar.
876
00:43:53,180 --> 00:43:57,740
Can we forget how he behaved
when he was consul?
877
00:43:57,780 --> 00:44:00,300
♪
878
00:44:00,340 --> 00:44:05,060
I move that Caesar
be stripped of his command.
879
00:44:05,100 --> 00:44:07,180
[all yelling]
880
00:44:07,220 --> 00:44:09,620
- The Roman Senate
backs Cato and Pompey
881
00:44:09,660 --> 00:44:11,860
and declares Caesar
a public enemy...
882
00:44:11,900 --> 00:44:13,860
- Who is in favor?
883
00:44:13,900 --> 00:44:15,660
[all yelling]
884
00:44:15,700 --> 00:44:17,660
- Leaving Caesar to face
the most consequential
885
00:44:17,700 --> 00:44:20,700
decision of his life.
886
00:44:20,740 --> 00:44:25,700
♪
887
00:44:25,740 --> 00:44:28,780
- The Rubicon was a river,
so small at the time,
888
00:44:28,820 --> 00:44:33,900
it was more like a stream,
about 200 miles north of Rome.
889
00:44:33,940 --> 00:44:37,420
And the reason this stream was
so important was, it marked
890
00:44:37,460 --> 00:44:39,740
the boundary
between Italian Gaul
891
00:44:39,780 --> 00:44:44,300
and territory directly
controlled by Rome itself.
892
00:44:44,340 --> 00:44:48,380
- Caesar can either surrender
or march on the capital.
893
00:44:48,420 --> 00:44:50,860
What he decides
will mark a turning point
894
00:44:50,900 --> 00:44:52,580
in Rome's rise...
895
00:44:52,620 --> 00:44:55,580
- Let the dice fly high!
896
00:44:55,620 --> 00:44:56,700
[all cheering]
897
00:44:56,740 --> 00:44:59,260
- And Caesar's fall.
898
00:44:59,300 --> 00:44:59,780
- [groans]
899
00:45:03,780 --> 00:45:06,380
[water rushing]
900
00:45:06,420 --> 00:45:11,820
♪
901
00:45:13,980 --> 00:45:16,300
- It isn't too late.
902
00:45:16,340 --> 00:45:19,580
Any man who wishes
to turn back,
903
00:45:19,620 --> 00:45:23,780
go now with no dishonor.
904
00:45:23,820 --> 00:45:28,940
But cross this stream,
905
00:45:28,980 --> 00:45:32,140
and we are fighting
all the way to Rome.
906
00:45:32,180 --> 00:45:33,900
Are you with me?
907
00:45:33,940 --> 00:45:35,980
all: We are with you, Caesar!
908
00:45:36,020 --> 00:45:38,340
- According to one source,
909
00:45:38,380 --> 00:45:41,460
Caesar quotes a line
from Greek drama
910
00:45:41,500 --> 00:45:43,980
as he prepares
to cross the Rubicon...
911
00:45:44,020 --> 00:45:46,980
- Let the dice fly high!
912
00:45:47,020 --> 00:45:50,540
[all cheering]
913
00:45:50,580 --> 00:45:53,260
- "Let the dice fly high."
914
00:45:53,300 --> 00:45:56,540
In other words, let's take
a risk and come what may.
915
00:45:56,580 --> 00:45:59,420
[soldiers chanting]
916
00:45:59,460 --> 00:46:01,060
♪
917
00:46:01,100 --> 00:46:03,580
- Crossing the Rubicon
is treason.
918
00:46:03,620 --> 00:46:05,900
Caesar is putting
his dignitas,
919
00:46:05,940 --> 00:46:10,580
or personal prestige,
above all else.
920
00:46:10,620 --> 00:46:13,340
He drives his legions
deeper into Italy,
921
00:46:13,380 --> 00:46:18,340
toward the capital city
of Rome itself.
922
00:46:18,380 --> 00:46:20,260
- Caesar makes one
final offer to Pompey.
923
00:46:20,300 --> 00:46:22,100
They'll both leave Italy,
and they'll
924
00:46:22,140 --> 00:46:24,140
leave things for the Senate
and the other bodies
925
00:46:24,180 --> 00:46:26,980
of Roman political society
to figure out.
926
00:46:27,020 --> 00:46:28,500
We don't know how Pompey
reacts to this,
927
00:46:28,540 --> 00:46:30,540
but we know
how the Senate does.
928
00:46:30,580 --> 00:46:34,300
- No, his offer
will not be accepted.
929
00:46:34,340 --> 00:46:35,980
Caesar needs
to face punishment.
930
00:46:36,020 --> 00:46:39,260
And that means you
crushing him in battle.
931
00:46:39,300 --> 00:46:41,300
- Then we need
to leave the city.
932
00:46:41,340 --> 00:46:42,980
- I will not run.
933
00:46:43,020 --> 00:46:47,220
- He is approaching right now
with his entire army.
934
00:46:47,260 --> 00:46:49,620
We don't have enough
loyal soldiers in Italy
935
00:46:49,660 --> 00:46:51,100
to defend Rome.
936
00:46:51,140 --> 00:46:53,220
We must leave the city.
937
00:46:53,260 --> 00:46:55,780
Anyone who stays
to welcome Caesar
938
00:46:55,820 --> 00:46:57,740
is a traitor to the Republic.
939
00:46:57,780 --> 00:47:04,100
♪
940
00:47:05,460 --> 00:47:08,780
- When Caesar hears Pompey
and the Senate have fled Rome,
941
00:47:08,820 --> 00:47:11,260
he pursues them
through southern Italy
942
00:47:11,300 --> 00:47:13,500
and on to Pharsalus
in Greece,
943
00:47:13,540 --> 00:47:16,380
where his veteran legions
face down
944
00:47:16,420 --> 00:47:19,660
Pompey's
hastily assembled army.
945
00:47:19,700 --> 00:47:24,100
- This day
will decide everything.
946
00:47:24,140 --> 00:47:27,020
I order you now, advance!
947
00:47:27,060 --> 00:47:28,460
[all yelling]
948
00:47:28,500 --> 00:47:29,900
[all chanting "Caesar"]
949
00:47:29,940 --> 00:47:32,380
- Pompey's men have not
fought together before,
950
00:47:32,420 --> 00:47:35,500
whereas Caesar's men
have tasted victory before.
951
00:47:35,540 --> 00:47:36,940
They have greater confidence.
952
00:47:36,980 --> 00:47:39,300
They smash through
Pompey's line.
953
00:47:39,340 --> 00:47:41,340
[all yelling]
954
00:47:41,380 --> 00:47:44,540
♪
955
00:47:44,580 --> 00:47:47,620
- Realizing that he
has lost the battle,
956
00:47:47,660 --> 00:47:49,220
Pompey decides to flee.
957
00:47:49,260 --> 00:47:51,740
It's his only chance to live
and fight again another day.
958
00:47:51,780 --> 00:47:55,860
♪
959
00:47:55,900 --> 00:47:59,260
- Caesar stays on Pompey's
heels, following him
960
00:47:59,300 --> 00:48:03,260
through Greece and Cyprus to
the ancient kingdom of Egypt,
961
00:48:03,300 --> 00:48:06,140
where both men hope
to find support.
962
00:48:06,180 --> 00:48:12,340
♪
963
00:48:13,500 --> 00:48:15,540
- When Caesar arrives
in Egypt,
964
00:48:15,580 --> 00:48:17,980
the country
is tearing itself apart.
965
00:48:18,020 --> 00:48:20,180
The boy king, Ptolemy Theos,
966
00:48:20,220 --> 00:48:24,140
is at war with his
older sister, Cleopatra.
967
00:48:24,180 --> 00:48:26,620
With the help of his regent,
the eunuch Pothinus,
968
00:48:26,660 --> 00:48:31,140
Theos manages to oust
Cleopatra from power for now.
969
00:48:31,180 --> 00:48:38,060
♪
970
00:48:38,100 --> 00:48:40,700
- Majesty, I understand
971
00:48:40,740 --> 00:48:43,580
my countryman Pompey
is here in Egypt.
972
00:48:43,620 --> 00:48:46,900
I only wish to speak with him.
973
00:48:46,940 --> 00:48:49,980
- Caesar, please, join us.
974
00:48:50,020 --> 00:48:52,180
We have a gift for you.
975
00:48:52,220 --> 00:48:59,540
♪
976
00:49:15,740 --> 00:49:19,420
- Pompey is stabbed
to death and beheaded.
977
00:49:19,460 --> 00:49:22,140
The Egyptian rulers at the time
saw the Battle of Pharsalus
978
00:49:22,180 --> 00:49:24,580
as decisive in the civil war.
979
00:49:24,620 --> 00:49:27,100
And they wanted to curry favor
with the new overlord
980
00:49:27,140 --> 00:49:29,140
of the Roman world.
981
00:49:29,180 --> 00:49:32,220
♪
982
00:49:32,260 --> 00:49:37,100
- Caesar has his rival buried
with proper Roman rites.
983
00:49:37,140 --> 00:49:40,540
And with that,
his victory is complete.
984
00:49:40,580 --> 00:49:42,260
♪
985
00:49:42,300 --> 00:49:45,620
His bitter enemy Cato
takes his own life.
986
00:49:45,660 --> 00:49:51,620
♪
987
00:49:51,660 --> 00:49:54,220
Finally, after more
than ten years,
988
00:49:54,260 --> 00:49:57,020
Caesar returns to Rome,
989
00:49:57,060 --> 00:50:00,700
not as a rebel
but as its ruler.
990
00:50:00,740 --> 00:50:03,820
[crowd cheering]
991
00:50:03,860 --> 00:50:07,780
♪
992
00:50:07,820 --> 00:50:10,340
Rome's empire under Caesar
now stretches
993
00:50:10,380 --> 00:50:12,900
more than 2,500 miles,
994
00:50:12,940 --> 00:50:15,100
from the Atlantic Coast
995
00:50:15,140 --> 00:50:18,980
to the River Euphrates
in Syria.
996
00:50:19,020 --> 00:50:22,900
And Rome's rise
seems unstoppable.
997
00:50:22,940 --> 00:50:25,420
- Julius Caesar is bestowed
with the highest honor
998
00:50:25,460 --> 00:50:28,460
that a Roman official
could receive, a triumph.
999
00:50:28,500 --> 00:50:31,060
It's an extensive
military parade
1000
00:50:31,100 --> 00:50:33,780
that welcomes him
back into the city.
1001
00:50:33,820 --> 00:50:36,460
- Caesar has his
face painted red
1002
00:50:36,500 --> 00:50:38,700
because for
one afternoon only,
1003
00:50:38,740 --> 00:50:41,500
the triumph symbolizes
that this one man
1004
00:50:41,540 --> 00:50:44,460
is being given the privilege
of becoming a god.
1005
00:50:44,500 --> 00:50:47,260
♪
1006
00:50:47,300 --> 00:50:49,580
- It's a very clever way
of saying,
1007
00:50:49,620 --> 00:50:51,500
there's something
godlike about me,
1008
00:50:51,540 --> 00:50:53,780
and that could certainly be
a comment
1009
00:50:53,820 --> 00:50:56,820
on what the Romans
thought of themselves.
1010
00:50:56,860 --> 00:50:59,420
- Part of it also
is religious.
1011
00:50:59,460 --> 00:51:01,740
By this time,
Romans believed that it was
1012
00:51:01,780 --> 00:51:04,460
the gods' will that Rome
should rule the world.
1013
00:51:04,500 --> 00:51:06,540
[crowd cheering]
1014
00:51:06,580 --> 00:51:09,940
- Caesar has the Senate
declare him dictator.
1015
00:51:09,980 --> 00:51:11,940
At this point, the Senate
has no fight left in it.
1016
00:51:11,980 --> 00:51:13,300
Caesar has won.
1017
00:51:13,340 --> 00:51:16,620
- Dictator is a form
of exceptional power
1018
00:51:16,660 --> 00:51:18,700
that was supposed
to be temporary.
1019
00:51:18,740 --> 00:51:22,140
Caesar is using this
as a fig leaf
1020
00:51:22,180 --> 00:51:24,140
to hide the fact
that there are no limits
1021
00:51:24,180 --> 00:51:26,900
to his influence and power.
1022
00:51:26,940 --> 00:51:30,500
- For Caesar, the only
place he has left to go
1023
00:51:30,540 --> 00:51:32,500
is to become
an outright king
1024
00:51:32,540 --> 00:51:34,860
and fulfill
that political mission
1025
00:51:34,900 --> 00:51:38,260
that he had set for himself
years previously.
1026
00:51:38,300 --> 00:51:40,740
- At a public festival,
he has Mark Antony
1027
00:51:40,780 --> 00:51:44,100
try to crown him to see
how the crowd will react.
1028
00:51:44,140 --> 00:51:48,940
- The people ask me
to give Caesar this crown.
1029
00:51:48,980 --> 00:51:51,940
♪
1030
00:51:51,980 --> 00:51:53,780
- Caesar is gambling
that the Roman people
1031
00:51:53,820 --> 00:51:56,660
will accept him
as their first king
1032
00:51:56,700 --> 00:51:58,580
in nearly five centuries.
1033
00:51:58,620 --> 00:52:01,580
[crowd booing]
1034
00:52:01,620 --> 00:52:04,820
It's a wager that backfires.
1035
00:52:04,860 --> 00:52:06,900
♪
1036
00:52:06,940 --> 00:52:13,900
- Jupiter alone
is king of the Romans.
1037
00:52:13,940 --> 00:52:15,900
I'm no king
1038
00:52:15,940 --> 00:52:18,500
but only Caesar.
1039
00:52:18,540 --> 00:52:21,580
[applause]
1040
00:52:21,620 --> 00:52:23,740
- Senators could never
accept the possibility
1041
00:52:23,780 --> 00:52:25,060
of a king in Rome.
1042
00:52:25,100 --> 00:52:26,580
That would be the death
of the Republic,
1043
00:52:26,620 --> 00:52:28,900
the death of everything
that they held sacred.
1044
00:52:28,940 --> 00:52:30,460
For them, this would be
a line that they would
1045
00:52:30,500 --> 00:52:31,780
never be willing to cross.
1046
00:52:31,820 --> 00:52:33,780
♪
1047
00:52:33,820 --> 00:52:36,060
- One month after
the failed crowning,
1048
00:52:36,100 --> 00:52:37,540
on March 15th...
1049
00:52:37,580 --> 00:52:38,460
[thunder booming]
1050
00:52:38,500 --> 00:52:40,100
The ides of March,
1051
00:52:40,140 --> 00:52:44,100
Caesar is invited to meet
a group of senators.
1052
00:52:44,140 --> 00:52:51,140
♪
1053
00:52:51,180 --> 00:52:54,020
- One of the leaders of
the conspiracy against Caesar
1054
00:52:54,060 --> 00:52:56,340
is a man named Marcus Brutus.
1055
00:52:56,380 --> 00:52:58,540
♪
1056
00:52:58,580 --> 00:53:02,980
- Caesar, please, petition.
1057
00:53:03,020 --> 00:53:04,780
- [groans]
1058
00:53:04,820 --> 00:53:06,860
- [grunting]
1059
00:53:06,900 --> 00:53:09,740
- [groaning]
1060
00:53:09,780 --> 00:53:17,100
♪
1061
00:53:18,820 --> 00:53:21,620
Even you, my son?
1062
00:53:21,660 --> 00:53:23,260
[dagger clatters]
1063
00:53:23,300 --> 00:53:25,500
- The words that are known
throughout the world
1064
00:53:25,540 --> 00:53:28,500
as being Caesar's final words
are, "Et tu, Brute?"
1065
00:53:28,540 --> 00:53:29,780
"And you, Brutus?"
1066
00:53:29,820 --> 00:53:31,420
But these words don't originate
1067
00:53:31,460 --> 00:53:32,900
in the ancient sources.
1068
00:53:32,940 --> 00:53:37,300
They actually originate
with Shakespeare.
1069
00:53:37,340 --> 00:53:39,860
- Every gambler will tell you
that eventually,
1070
00:53:39,900 --> 00:53:42,660
their luck
is going to run out.
1071
00:53:42,700 --> 00:53:45,740
Caesar gambled and gambled
and gambled until eventually,
1072
00:53:45,780 --> 00:53:46,580
he lost.
1073
00:53:46,620 --> 00:53:49,460
♪
1074
00:53:49,500 --> 00:53:52,140
- As the Republic dissolves,
the struggle between
1075
00:53:52,180 --> 00:53:56,540
Caesar's heirs is about
to descend into civil war.
1076
00:53:56,580 --> 00:54:00,820
- Octavian and Antony
split the empire between them.
1077
00:54:00,860 --> 00:54:03,260
- Now dangerous power plays...
1078
00:54:03,300 --> 00:54:07,940
- Octavian recognizes
that Cleopatra is now a threat.
1079
00:54:07,980 --> 00:54:10,580
- Culminate
in a decisive battle
1080
00:54:10,620 --> 00:54:12,740
that ushers
in an age of emperors.
1081
00:54:12,780 --> 00:54:15,700
- It really reshapes
what the world will look like
1082
00:54:15,740 --> 00:54:17,780
for centuries
and millennia to come.
1083
00:54:22,660 --> 00:54:26,260
♪
1084
00:54:26,300 --> 00:54:28,660
- Caesar's assassins
are hoping to kill him
1085
00:54:28,700 --> 00:54:31,300
and to bring
the old Republic back.
1086
00:54:31,340 --> 00:54:33,700
In practice,
the result is a disaster.
1087
00:54:33,740 --> 00:54:35,220
The assassins do not
1088
00:54:35,260 --> 00:54:38,500
successfully restore
democracy.
1089
00:54:38,540 --> 00:54:41,020
- When Caesar dies,
there are just
1090
00:54:41,060 --> 00:54:44,420
too many ambitious,
powerful men around him.
1091
00:54:44,460 --> 00:54:47,540
There's Mark Antony,
who thinks of himself
1092
00:54:47,580 --> 00:54:49,820
as his protégé.
1093
00:54:49,860 --> 00:54:52,660
- Mark Antony
is a relative of Caesar's
1094
00:54:52,700 --> 00:54:54,500
and had been
his most trusted general
1095
00:54:54,540 --> 00:54:56,540
from the conquest of Gaul
1096
00:54:56,580 --> 00:54:59,980
all the way through
to the recent civil war.
1097
00:55:00,020 --> 00:55:02,700
♪
1098
00:55:02,740 --> 00:55:04,940
Soon after Caesar's
assassination,
1099
00:55:04,980 --> 00:55:09,020
Mark Antony presents Caesar's
will to the Roman public.
1100
00:55:09,060 --> 00:55:15,500
- "To the people of Rome,
I leave 75 denarii each.
1101
00:55:15,540 --> 00:55:18,740
"The rest of my estate
will fall to my pr"--
1102
00:55:18,780 --> 00:55:21,220
♪
1103
00:55:21,260 --> 00:55:26,500
"To my principal heir,
Gaius Octavius.
1104
00:55:26,540 --> 00:55:28,340
- The big winner
in Caesar's will
1105
00:55:28,380 --> 00:55:33,420
is his grandnephew,
Gaius Octavius.
1106
00:55:33,460 --> 00:55:36,300
He is named as Caesar's heir,
1107
00:55:36,340 --> 00:55:38,380
heir to most
of Caesar's fortune,
1108
00:55:38,420 --> 00:55:43,260
and Caesar offers him
posthumous adoption.
1109
00:55:43,300 --> 00:55:46,300
- Octavian is just 19
by this point
1110
00:55:46,340 --> 00:55:48,780
and completely inexperienced.
1111
00:55:48,820 --> 00:55:51,620
But he and Mark Antony
join forces
1112
00:55:51,660 --> 00:55:55,940
and hunt down
Caesar's assassins.
1113
00:55:55,980 --> 00:56:00,500
- After the defeat of Caesar's
assassins on the battlefield,
1114
00:56:00,540 --> 00:56:03,420
Octavian and Antony
split the empire between them.
1115
00:56:03,460 --> 00:56:06,660
- So Mark Antony controls
the eastern part
1116
00:56:06,700 --> 00:56:09,260
of the empire,
which includes Greece
1117
00:56:09,300 --> 00:56:11,580
and Syria and Turkey
and Libya.
1118
00:56:11,620 --> 00:56:15,220
Octavian rules
the territories to the west,
1119
00:56:15,260 --> 00:56:17,100
like Gaul and Spain.
1120
00:56:17,140 --> 00:56:19,540
And he's basically
close to Rome,
1121
00:56:19,580 --> 00:56:21,820
where he can
cultivate his image.
1122
00:56:21,860 --> 00:56:23,580
♪
1123
00:56:23,620 --> 00:56:25,860
- But the unnatural alliance
between the two men
1124
00:56:25,900 --> 00:56:27,420
is short-lived.
1125
00:56:27,460 --> 00:56:33,180
Both want to be the sole ruler
of all Roman lands.
1126
00:56:33,220 --> 00:56:34,420
[gull calling]
1127
00:56:34,460 --> 00:56:37,140
- In order to shore up
his position
1128
00:56:37,180 --> 00:56:39,140
against Octavian,
1129
00:56:39,180 --> 00:56:43,460
Antony decides to engage
in military campaigning.
1130
00:56:43,500 --> 00:56:48,460
This, for the Romans, is the
classical way of getting ahead.
1131
00:56:48,500 --> 00:56:52,180
This is a way for Antony
to stay in the forefront
1132
00:56:52,220 --> 00:56:53,900
of Roman politics.
1133
00:56:53,940 --> 00:56:55,660
♪
1134
00:56:55,700 --> 00:56:57,980
To do this, though,
he needs resources.
1135
00:56:58,020 --> 00:57:00,500
And so, as many Roman generals
have in the past,
1136
00:57:00,540 --> 00:57:02,540
he turns to Egypt.
1137
00:57:02,580 --> 00:57:04,940
♪
1138
00:57:04,980 --> 00:57:07,260
- Since Egypt's
not a Roman province,
1139
00:57:07,300 --> 00:57:09,700
it's open territory
for either man.
1140
00:57:09,740 --> 00:57:11,700
♪
1141
00:57:11,740 --> 00:57:15,220
Its ruler, Cleopatra,
came back to power
1142
00:57:15,260 --> 00:57:17,860
after an affair with Caesar.
1143
00:57:17,900 --> 00:57:21,780
Their son, Caesarion,
shares her throne.
1144
00:57:21,820 --> 00:57:24,420
♪
1145
00:57:24,460 --> 00:57:26,660
For Antony,
Egypt and its wealth
1146
00:57:26,700 --> 00:57:30,420
can fund armies
and tip the balance.
1147
00:57:30,460 --> 00:57:33,980
And Cleopatra, looking
to secure her position,
1148
00:57:34,020 --> 00:57:35,380
aims to impress.
1149
00:57:35,420 --> 00:57:42,180
♪
1150
00:57:43,580 --> 00:57:45,620
- Cleopatra has
to charm Antony.
1151
00:57:45,660 --> 00:57:48,380
She has to form
an alliance with him.
1152
00:57:48,420 --> 00:57:50,420
And she knows that
the best form of alliance
1153
00:57:50,460 --> 00:57:51,980
is a personal one.
1154
00:57:52,020 --> 00:57:57,500
♪
1155
00:57:57,540 --> 00:58:00,020
- Please.
1156
00:58:00,060 --> 00:58:01,980
- Antony was a partier.
1157
00:58:02,020 --> 00:58:03,460
He was a ladies' man.
1158
00:58:03,500 --> 00:58:05,340
He liked to drink.
He liked to gamble.
1159
00:58:05,380 --> 00:58:07,660
He liked pleasure.
1160
00:58:07,700 --> 00:58:10,220
And so she's really speaking
right to Antony's soul.
1161
00:58:10,260 --> 00:58:12,460
♪
1162
00:58:12,500 --> 00:58:15,620
- Antony falls in love
with Cleopatra.
1163
00:58:15,660 --> 00:58:18,820
And what emerges
is one of the most passionate
1164
00:58:18,860 --> 00:58:23,860
love affairs ever recorded
in the ancient world.
1165
00:58:23,900 --> 00:58:25,620
♪
1166
00:58:25,660 --> 00:58:28,140
- But their alliance
is also military.
1167
00:58:28,180 --> 00:58:32,060
In 36 BCE,
backed by Cleopatra's gold,
1168
00:58:32,100 --> 00:58:34,900
Antony invades
neighboring Parthia,
1169
00:58:34,940 --> 00:58:38,220
aiming to expand his lands
and assert his position
1170
00:58:38,260 --> 00:58:40,700
as Rome's first man.
1171
00:58:40,740 --> 00:58:45,260
[all yelling,
horses whinnying]
1172
00:58:45,300 --> 00:58:48,580
[weapons clashing]
1173
00:58:48,620 --> 00:58:51,700
Parthia is a formidable empire
in its own right,
1174
00:58:51,740 --> 00:58:55,100
which had crushed Crassus'
legions 17 years before.
1175
00:58:55,140 --> 00:58:56,100
- Keep formation!
1176
00:58:56,140 --> 00:58:57,980
- Antony is forced to retreat
1177
00:58:58,020 --> 00:59:00,020
after suffering
heavy casualties.
1178
00:59:00,060 --> 00:59:02,580
♪
1179
00:59:02,620 --> 00:59:06,180
But he still returns to Egypt
to celebrate a triumph
1180
00:59:06,220 --> 00:59:08,820
by Cleopatra's side
1181
00:59:08,860 --> 00:59:11,740
and openly defy Octavian
in Rome.
1182
00:59:11,780 --> 00:59:16,860
♪
1183
00:59:16,900 --> 00:59:20,300
- They are claiming rule
over a kingdom
1184
00:59:20,340 --> 00:59:23,220
that stretches
from the Nubian Desert
1185
00:59:23,260 --> 00:59:25,540
to southwest Asia
1186
00:59:25,580 --> 00:59:29,060
to eastern Mediterranean
to Europe.
1187
00:59:29,100 --> 00:59:32,580
I mean, they were claiming
lands, namely Parthia,
1188
00:59:32,620 --> 00:59:35,140
that they hadn't even
conquered yet.
1189
00:59:35,180 --> 00:59:37,300
♪
1190
00:59:37,340 --> 00:59:41,900
- This is an amazing
power grab by Cleopatra,
1191
00:59:41,940 --> 00:59:47,620
but it's also a challenge
to Rome and the Romans.
1192
00:59:47,660 --> 00:59:52,660
♪
1193
00:59:52,700 --> 00:59:54,940
- When news of their claim
reaches Rome,
1194
00:59:54,980 --> 00:59:57,180
it's one statement
in particular
1195
00:59:57,220 --> 00:59:59,020
from Antony and Cleopatra
1196
00:59:59,060 --> 01:00:03,460
that pushes Octavian
to his breaking point.
1197
01:00:03,500 --> 01:00:05,140
- "At the end
of the ceremony..."
1198
01:00:05,180 --> 01:00:07,220
[crowd cheering]
1199
01:00:07,260 --> 01:00:10,500
- "The royal couple
1200
01:00:10,540 --> 01:00:16,500
presented a teenage boy
to the adoring spectators."
1201
01:00:16,540 --> 01:00:19,980
- We present you,
Ptolemy Caesar...
1202
01:00:20,020 --> 01:00:22,700
- "The one and only heir..."
1203
01:00:22,740 --> 01:00:24,860
- To the late Julius Caesar.
1204
01:00:24,900 --> 01:00:28,020
♪
1205
01:00:28,060 --> 01:00:33,900
- Octavian sees himself as
the true heir of Julius Caesar.
1206
01:00:33,940 --> 01:00:40,380
So he sees Caesarion being
named as the heir of Caesar
1207
01:00:40,420 --> 01:00:44,860
as a personal insult.
1208
01:00:44,900 --> 01:00:47,740
- At the very least,
Octavian recognizes
1209
01:00:47,780 --> 01:00:52,780
that an ascendant Egyptian
empire is a potential reality.
1210
01:00:52,820 --> 01:00:56,860
He recognizes that Cleopatra
is now a threat.
1211
01:00:56,900 --> 01:00:59,820
♪
1212
01:00:59,860 --> 01:01:01,700
- He is clearly
under the spell
1213
01:01:01,740 --> 01:01:05,060
of the foreign witch,
Cleopatra!
1214
01:01:05,100 --> 01:01:07,020
- The Romans are
weary of civil war,
1215
01:01:07,060 --> 01:01:09,660
and so they might not look
too kindly upon the idea
1216
01:01:09,700 --> 01:01:12,140
that Octavian is trying
to spark another war
1217
01:01:12,180 --> 01:01:13,740
against a fellow Roman.
1218
01:01:13,780 --> 01:01:16,060
Instead, he's able
to paint Cleopatra
1219
01:01:16,100 --> 01:01:20,460
as the real enemy of state and
Antony essentially as her dupe.
1220
01:01:20,500 --> 01:01:22,340
♪
1221
01:01:22,380 --> 01:01:24,180
- The Senate backs Octavian.
1222
01:01:24,220 --> 01:01:27,700
And in 31 BCE,
the two opposing navies,
1223
01:01:27,740 --> 01:01:30,300
totaling nearly
1,000 warships,
1224
01:01:30,340 --> 01:01:33,580
meet near Actium
in western Greece.
1225
01:01:33,620 --> 01:01:37,740
It's one of the largest
naval battles in history.
1226
01:01:37,780 --> 01:01:41,700
Fighting lasts all day, until
Antony and Cleopatra's fleet
1227
01:01:41,740 --> 01:01:44,660
loses its formation.
1228
01:01:44,700 --> 01:01:50,700
Panic sets in, and they
abandon their burning ships.
1229
01:01:50,740 --> 01:01:52,340
They've lost.
1230
01:01:52,380 --> 01:01:55,900
- The impact of Actium
on Cleopatra and Mark Antony
1231
01:01:55,940 --> 01:01:58,300
is catastrophic.
1232
01:01:58,340 --> 01:02:01,380
Most of the army
defects to Octavian.
1233
01:02:01,420 --> 01:02:03,900
So they are not going
to recover from this loss.
1234
01:02:03,940 --> 01:02:07,300
And the dream of Egypt at
the center of a world empire
1235
01:02:07,340 --> 01:02:09,540
has been shattered.
1236
01:02:09,580 --> 01:02:11,100
- Like other great battles,
1237
01:02:11,140 --> 01:02:13,220
such as Waterloo
or Gettysburg,
1238
01:02:13,260 --> 01:02:16,460
it really reshapes
what the world will look like
1239
01:02:16,500 --> 01:02:18,700
for centuries
and millennia to come.
1240
01:02:18,740 --> 01:02:23,700
♪
1241
01:02:23,740 --> 01:02:26,260
- Rather than surrender
to Octavian,
1242
01:02:26,300 --> 01:02:30,980
Antony and Cleopatra
kill themselves.
1243
01:02:31,020 --> 01:02:33,260
She's the last
independent ruler
1244
01:02:33,300 --> 01:02:36,740
in Egypt's 3,000-year history.
1245
01:02:36,780 --> 01:02:38,740
Her 17-year-old son,
Caesarion,
1246
01:02:38,780 --> 01:02:41,620
is murdered
on Octavian's orders.
1247
01:02:41,660 --> 01:02:43,900
And the once mighty
kingdom of Egypt
1248
01:02:43,940 --> 01:02:46,540
becomes yet another
Roman province.
1249
01:02:46,580 --> 01:02:49,820
♪
1250
01:02:49,860 --> 01:02:54,620
Rome once more has one
undisputed ruler, Octavian.
1251
01:02:54,660 --> 01:02:56,980
♪
1252
01:02:57,020 --> 01:02:59,060
Under him,
the Republic is at an end,
1253
01:02:59,100 --> 01:03:02,340
but the stage is set
for the Roman Empire
1254
01:03:02,380 --> 01:03:05,180
and a new,
complicated era of glory.
1255
01:03:05,220 --> 01:03:07,460
- Let the games begin!
1256
01:03:12,020 --> 01:03:14,900
- Octavian, now known
as Caesar Augustus,
1257
01:03:14,940 --> 01:03:18,700
meaning "venerable,"
becomes Rome's first emperor.
1258
01:03:18,740 --> 01:03:22,300
He reigns for 40 years
and extends Rome's territories
1259
01:03:22,340 --> 01:03:24,300
in every direction.
1260
01:03:24,340 --> 01:03:28,700
[warriors yelling,
weapons clashing]
1261
01:03:28,740 --> 01:03:30,900
Eight centuries
after its founding,
1262
01:03:30,940 --> 01:03:33,900
Rome rules supreme
over most of Europe,
1263
01:03:33,940 --> 01:03:36,620
North Africa,
and western Asia.
1264
01:03:36,660 --> 01:03:39,380
It has tripled in size
in just a century
1265
01:03:39,420 --> 01:03:43,220
and is now twice
the size of Alaska.
1266
01:03:43,260 --> 01:03:45,140
- It's a colossal empire,
1267
01:03:45,180 --> 01:03:47,060
one of the largest
the world's ever known.
1268
01:03:47,100 --> 01:03:49,540
♪
1269
01:03:49,580 --> 01:03:52,100
- Augustus passes
power to his heirs,
1270
01:03:52,140 --> 01:03:55,180
known as
the Julio-Claudian dynasty--
1271
01:03:55,220 --> 01:04:01,900
Tiberius, Claudius,
Caligula, and Nero.
1272
01:04:01,940 --> 01:04:06,260
The dangers of one-man rule
become evident.
1273
01:04:06,300 --> 01:04:09,180
- Nero, of course,
has a terrible reputation.
1274
01:04:09,220 --> 01:04:12,900
He had built himself
the biggest palace
1275
01:04:12,940 --> 01:04:15,220
that had so far been built
by the emperors,
1276
01:04:15,260 --> 01:04:18,380
the Golden House.
1277
01:04:18,420 --> 01:04:22,140
- Nero's Golden House
was absolutely enormous.
1278
01:04:22,180 --> 01:04:25,540
About 200 acres, it's the size
of 40 Manhattan blocks,
1279
01:04:25,580 --> 01:04:27,660
all of it in the most valuable
real estate
1280
01:04:27,700 --> 01:04:29,180
in the Roman world.
1281
01:04:29,220 --> 01:04:31,300
The people of Rome
and the Senate of Rome
1282
01:04:31,340 --> 01:04:33,180
were not happy
about the construction
1283
01:04:33,220 --> 01:04:36,540
of the Golden House
because what had previously
1284
01:04:36,580 --> 01:04:38,580
been at least semipublic space
1285
01:04:38,620 --> 01:04:40,700
that had been open
to other Romans
1286
01:04:40,740 --> 01:04:42,300
into something
that was reserved
1287
01:04:42,340 --> 01:04:44,380
just for this one person,
1288
01:04:44,420 --> 01:04:46,660
that was deeply offensive
and deeply troubling.
1289
01:04:46,700 --> 01:04:48,900
♪
1290
01:04:48,940 --> 01:04:51,380
- In the end,
Nero's selfish extravagance
1291
01:04:51,420 --> 01:04:54,540
drives the Senate
to declare him a public enemy,
1292
01:04:54,580 --> 01:04:56,420
and he takes his own life.
1293
01:04:56,460 --> 01:04:59,700
- After Nero's death,
the Roman Empire
1294
01:04:59,740 --> 01:05:04,340
was convulsed by a series
of brief but quite violent
1295
01:05:04,380 --> 01:05:07,620
and quite disruptive
civil wars.
1296
01:05:07,660 --> 01:05:10,660
There was a year
of four emperors.
1297
01:05:10,700 --> 01:05:12,780
- And it's at this point
that everyone
1298
01:05:12,820 --> 01:05:17,140
looks to somebody reliable
and competent to take control,
1299
01:05:17,180 --> 01:05:21,660
and they naturally think of
the successful, rather boring,
1300
01:05:21,700 --> 01:05:24,220
rather unglamorous general
Vespasian,
1301
01:05:24,260 --> 01:05:25,780
who's putting down
the Jewish rebellion,
1302
01:05:25,820 --> 01:05:27,260
and hail him as emperor.
1303
01:05:27,300 --> 01:05:28,940
♪
1304
01:05:28,980 --> 01:05:31,820
- Vespasian has a plan
to stay in power--
1305
01:05:31,860 --> 01:05:34,980
use Roman engineering
to reshape the city
1306
01:05:35,020 --> 01:05:38,980
and build something
for the people.
1307
01:05:39,020 --> 01:05:42,380
- Vespasian wants to show
that he's the anti-Nero.
1308
01:05:42,420 --> 01:05:46,260
And so he's gonna build the
greatest entertainment center
1309
01:05:46,300 --> 01:05:48,020
that Rome has ever had,
1310
01:05:48,060 --> 01:05:49,940
an amphitheater, the Colosseum.
1311
01:05:49,980 --> 01:05:52,020
♪
1312
01:05:52,060 --> 01:05:53,780
- He wants
to completely destroy
1313
01:05:53,820 --> 01:05:56,860
most of the Golden House,
drain the artificial lake
1314
01:05:56,900 --> 01:05:59,380
that was one of the beauties
of the Golden House,
1315
01:05:59,420 --> 01:06:02,420
and build this Colosseum
smack on that site
1316
01:06:02,460 --> 01:06:03,420
where the lake once was.
1317
01:06:03,460 --> 01:06:05,180
♪
1318
01:06:05,220 --> 01:06:08,300
- So the place that had
belonged to the emperor
1319
01:06:08,340 --> 01:06:11,940
and that was private
will actually belong
1320
01:06:11,980 --> 01:06:13,940
to the entire Roman people.
1321
01:06:13,980 --> 01:06:17,220
♪
1322
01:06:17,260 --> 01:06:19,380
- The Roman writer Juvenal
sums up
1323
01:06:19,420 --> 01:06:21,780
how the Colosseum
could keep the people
1324
01:06:21,820 --> 01:06:23,980
loyal to their rulers.
1325
01:06:24,020 --> 01:06:25,660
♪
1326
01:06:25,700 --> 01:06:29,340
- Juvenal famously said
that bread and circuses
1327
01:06:29,380 --> 01:06:33,020
were all that an emperor needed
to do to lead the Roman people.
1328
01:06:33,060 --> 01:06:38,420
The bread was a reference
to the official Roman dole,
1329
01:06:38,460 --> 01:06:40,820
or handout, of wheat.
1330
01:06:40,860 --> 01:06:43,060
Along with keeping them full,
you needed
1331
01:06:43,100 --> 01:06:45,940
to have games that keep
their attention away
1332
01:06:45,980 --> 01:06:48,700
from the problems
of daily life.
1333
01:06:48,740 --> 01:06:51,500
Karl Marx's famous
statement about religion
1334
01:06:51,540 --> 01:06:52,900
is the opiate of the masses,
1335
01:06:52,940 --> 01:06:55,660
well, circuses were the opiate
of the masses
1336
01:06:55,700 --> 01:06:57,180
in Roman times.
1337
01:06:57,220 --> 01:06:58,700
[crowd yelling]
1338
01:06:58,740 --> 01:07:00,580
- The Colosseum
will also showcase
1339
01:07:00,620 --> 01:07:03,500
the extraordinary skill
of Rome's builders,
1340
01:07:03,540 --> 01:07:07,860
who are already leaving
their mark across the empire.
1341
01:07:07,900 --> 01:07:10,180
- The Roman engineers
are really at the heart
1342
01:07:10,220 --> 01:07:12,860
of Roman power
and her ability to expand.
1343
01:07:12,900 --> 01:07:15,420
They're the ones
who design war machines,
1344
01:07:15,460 --> 01:07:17,180
but they're also
the ones who provide
1345
01:07:17,220 --> 01:07:19,700
roads, bridges, aqueducts,
1346
01:07:19,740 --> 01:07:23,180
everything that you need
to expand.
1347
01:07:23,220 --> 01:07:25,900
- The Roman Empire
was a real opportunity
1348
01:07:25,940 --> 01:07:28,580
for anyone
in the construction business
1349
01:07:28,620 --> 01:07:31,700
because Rome was essentially
one big construction zone.
1350
01:07:31,740 --> 01:07:36,740
♪
1351
01:07:36,780 --> 01:07:39,140
- The Colosseum
is their showpiece,
1352
01:07:39,180 --> 01:07:42,100
and the whole of Rome was
fascinated by this building.
1353
01:07:42,140 --> 01:07:46,060
The scale of it was bigger than
anything ever built before.
1354
01:07:46,100 --> 01:07:53,020
♪
1355
01:07:53,060 --> 01:07:54,820
- In the first year
of construction,
1356
01:07:54,860 --> 01:07:57,060
we're told that workers,
by hand,
1357
01:07:57,100 --> 01:08:00,500
dug out 220,000 tons of dirt
1358
01:08:00,540 --> 01:08:02,460
to create
30-foot-deep foundations.
1359
01:08:02,500 --> 01:08:04,140
♪
1360
01:08:04,180 --> 01:08:06,620
- The amount of material
that had to be moved around
1361
01:08:06,660 --> 01:08:09,660
to make this happen
is mind-boggling.
1362
01:08:09,700 --> 01:08:13,340
Stone that's coming in
is coming from 19 miles away,
1363
01:08:13,380 --> 01:08:15,220
from modern-day Tivoli.
1364
01:08:15,260 --> 01:08:19,940
3.5 million cubic feet
in 6-ton blocks.
1365
01:08:19,980 --> 01:08:21,860
♪
1366
01:08:21,900 --> 01:08:25,580
Now, this travertine
faced a brick structure,
1367
01:08:25,620 --> 01:08:29,500
and it's a million bricks
that went into the Colosseum.
1368
01:08:29,540 --> 01:08:32,020
And on top of this,
you need clamps
1369
01:08:32,060 --> 01:08:34,220
to hold the stones in place.
1370
01:08:34,260 --> 01:08:37,780
And that amounts to 300 tons
alone of iron clamps.
1371
01:08:37,820 --> 01:08:40,660
♪
1372
01:08:40,700 --> 01:08:43,500
- But it's another material
that makes the Colosseum
1373
01:08:43,540 --> 01:08:47,380
and other key Roman building
projects a success--
1374
01:08:47,420 --> 01:08:49,300
concrete.
1375
01:08:49,340 --> 01:08:51,100
- Something that the Romans
didn't invent, per se,
1376
01:08:51,140 --> 01:08:53,060
but they certainly
perfected it.
1377
01:08:53,100 --> 01:08:56,980
And the way they perfected this
was by mixing in volcanic ash,
1378
01:08:57,020 --> 01:09:00,180
especially from Mount Vesuvius,
near Pompeii.
1379
01:09:00,220 --> 01:09:01,900
And this created
a building material
1380
01:09:01,940 --> 01:09:03,820
that was both strong
and flexible.
1381
01:09:03,860 --> 01:09:05,380
♪
1382
01:09:05,420 --> 01:09:07,900
The fact the Colosseum
is still standing today
1383
01:09:07,940 --> 01:09:10,740
is a testament
to Roman concrete.
1384
01:09:10,780 --> 01:09:12,500
♪
1385
01:09:12,540 --> 01:09:14,220
- It's not a very
kind of glamorous substance,
1386
01:09:14,260 --> 01:09:16,260
but there is no doubt
that it
1387
01:09:16,300 --> 01:09:18,620
completely changed
the fortunes of Rome.
1388
01:09:18,660 --> 01:09:20,220
♪
1389
01:09:20,260 --> 01:09:22,020
- Beyond the concrete,
the Colosseum
1390
01:09:22,060 --> 01:09:25,020
relies on an endless supply
of slaves,
1391
01:09:25,060 --> 01:09:28,540
whose situation
has hardly improved
1392
01:09:28,580 --> 01:09:32,660
since Spartacus' rebellion
150 years earlier.
1393
01:09:32,700 --> 01:09:34,580
♪
1394
01:09:34,620 --> 01:09:38,100
- The slaves are integral to
the building of the Colosseum.
1395
01:09:38,140 --> 01:09:40,660
They ultimately
are the machine by which
1396
01:09:40,700 --> 01:09:42,380
the Colosseum is constructed.
1397
01:09:42,420 --> 01:09:44,500
Life for them
is extremely difficult.
1398
01:09:44,540 --> 01:09:47,020
♪
1399
01:09:47,060 --> 01:09:48,460
The enslaved people
1400
01:09:48,500 --> 01:09:50,900
were basically treated
as human livestock.
1401
01:09:50,940 --> 01:09:54,100
Hundreds, if not thousands,
of these enslaved persons
1402
01:09:54,140 --> 01:09:56,780
will die in the construction
of the Colosseum.
1403
01:09:56,820 --> 01:09:59,460
♪
1404
01:09:59,500 --> 01:10:03,300
- And the Colosseum is the
product of another conquest.
1405
01:10:03,340 --> 01:10:05,060
♪
1406
01:10:05,100 --> 01:10:09,060
- We know the funding source
because over the main gate
1407
01:10:09,100 --> 01:10:12,380
to the Colosseum, it said,
"Built from the spoils of war,
1408
01:10:12,420 --> 01:10:14,740
a new amphitheater."
1409
01:10:14,780 --> 01:10:16,340
- When Vespasian
becomes emperor,
1410
01:10:16,380 --> 01:10:19,820
he leaves Titus, his son,
to destroy Jerusalem.
1411
01:10:19,860 --> 01:10:24,540
And Titus does this
absolutely pitilessly.
1412
01:10:24,580 --> 01:10:27,740
He breaks into the temple,
massacres everybody,
1413
01:10:27,780 --> 01:10:30,940
enslaves everybody else,
and really destroys
1414
01:10:30,980 --> 01:10:33,100
the sort of Jewish state.
1415
01:10:33,140 --> 01:10:35,780
The building of the Colosseum
is completely connected
1416
01:10:35,820 --> 01:10:38,060
and based
on the successful crushing
1417
01:10:38,100 --> 01:10:41,300
of the Jewish revolt in Judea
in today's Israel.
1418
01:10:41,340 --> 01:10:44,020
♪
1419
01:10:44,060 --> 01:10:46,180
- The Arch of Titus
that stands just outside
1420
01:10:46,220 --> 01:10:50,500
the Colosseum memorialized
Titus' victory over Judea
1421
01:10:50,540 --> 01:10:52,460
and the sacking of Jerusalem.
1422
01:10:52,500 --> 01:10:54,500
This was the source
of the wealth
1423
01:10:54,540 --> 01:10:57,060
and many of the people
who were enslaved
1424
01:10:57,100 --> 01:11:00,180
and became the builders
of that Colosseum itself.
1425
01:11:00,220 --> 01:11:03,020
[thunder booming]
1426
01:11:03,060 --> 01:11:05,020
♪
1427
01:11:05,060 --> 01:11:09,260
- Yet when Emperor Vespasian
dies in 79 CE,
1428
01:11:09,300 --> 01:11:12,300
his bold vision
is not complete.
1429
01:11:12,340 --> 01:11:14,340
♪
1430
01:11:14,380 --> 01:11:18,660
It will fall to his heirs
to finish the project.
1431
01:11:18,700 --> 01:11:20,460
When they're done,
the Colosseum
1432
01:11:20,500 --> 01:11:24,660
will help usher in an age
of greatness and barbarity.
1433
01:11:24,700 --> 01:11:26,700
- [screaming]
1434
01:11:26,740 --> 01:11:28,620
- Roman power,
at its most brutal,
1435
01:11:28,660 --> 01:11:30,980
was continuously reenacted.
1436
01:11:31,020 --> 01:11:32,540
The play of empire,
1437
01:11:32,580 --> 01:11:35,260
the act of conquest
that brought it into being.
1438
01:11:35,300 --> 01:11:37,020
♪
1439
01:11:37,060 --> 01:11:39,860
- The Colosseum
is the Roman Empire
1440
01:11:39,900 --> 01:11:42,700
distilled to its most basic essence.
1441
01:11:46,780 --> 01:11:51,660
- 79 CE, Titus inherits
a vast and powerful empire
1442
01:11:51,700 --> 01:11:55,380
and the greatest building site
Rome has ever seen.
1443
01:11:55,420 --> 01:11:58,140
♪
1444
01:11:58,180 --> 01:12:01,580
Within a year, he brings
the project to completion.
1445
01:12:01,620 --> 01:12:03,420
[crowd cheering]
1446
01:12:03,460 --> 01:12:05,060
- The building
of the Colosseum,
1447
01:12:05,100 --> 01:12:07,620
especially the replacement
of the Golden House,
1448
01:12:07,660 --> 01:12:10,420
gave a huge statement
to the people of Rome.
1449
01:12:10,460 --> 01:12:13,620
And that is like,
this is a huge palace,
1450
01:12:13,660 --> 01:12:17,940
an extravaganza
of popular entertainment.
1451
01:12:17,980 --> 01:12:21,260
This is the glory of Rome,
and it's for you.
1452
01:12:21,300 --> 01:12:24,180
- Let the games begin!
1453
01:12:24,220 --> 01:12:27,580
[crowd chanting "Caesar"]
1454
01:12:27,620 --> 01:12:31,540
♪
1455
01:12:31,580 --> 01:12:33,220
- Although there are hundreds
of amphitheaters
1456
01:12:33,260 --> 01:12:35,100
in the Roman world
at that time,
1457
01:12:35,140 --> 01:12:36,980
in size and scale and scope,
1458
01:12:37,020 --> 01:12:40,900
the Colosseum
was the ultimate.
1459
01:12:40,940 --> 01:12:43,260
This was a magnificent
structure to behold.
1460
01:12:43,300 --> 01:12:45,460
♪
1461
01:12:45,500 --> 01:12:49,620
- As gladiators and their
contests grew in popularity,
1462
01:12:49,660 --> 01:12:52,020
they might have
reenacted historical
1463
01:12:52,060 --> 01:12:54,660
or mythological events
in Rome's history.
1464
01:12:54,700 --> 01:12:58,100
You might have reenactments
of battles
1465
01:12:58,140 --> 01:13:00,980
from the Punic Wars
against Carthage.
1466
01:13:01,020 --> 01:13:03,780
You might have reenactments
of Caesar in Gaul.
1467
01:13:03,820 --> 01:13:07,500
You have all of this
vast array of historical
1468
01:13:07,540 --> 01:13:10,820
and mythological battles
to draw upon.
1469
01:13:10,860 --> 01:13:13,020
[crowd cheering]
1470
01:13:13,060 --> 01:13:15,700
- Roman power,
at its most brutal,
1471
01:13:15,740 --> 01:13:17,980
was continuously reenacted.
1472
01:13:18,020 --> 01:13:19,580
The play of empire,
1473
01:13:19,620 --> 01:13:22,300
the act of conquest
that brought it into being.
1474
01:13:22,340 --> 01:13:25,940
♪
1475
01:13:25,980 --> 01:13:28,740
- The Colosseum
is the Roman Empire
1476
01:13:28,780 --> 01:13:31,060
distilled to its most basic essence.
1477
01:13:31,100 --> 01:13:32,500
[crowd cheering]
1478
01:13:32,540 --> 01:13:33,620
- It is a symbol of conquest.
1479
01:13:33,660 --> 01:13:34,820
It's a symbol of dominance.
1480
01:13:34,860 --> 01:13:36,540
It's a symbol
of imperial power
1481
01:13:36,580 --> 01:13:38,980
radiating throughout
the Roman world.
1482
01:13:39,020 --> 01:13:41,420
♪
1483
01:13:41,460 --> 01:13:44,260
- As a showcase for the power
of the emperors,
1484
01:13:44,300 --> 01:13:47,060
the Colosseum
also reveals the dangers
1485
01:13:47,100 --> 01:13:48,860
of a weak or unfit ruler.
1486
01:13:48,900 --> 01:13:51,220
♪
1487
01:13:51,260 --> 01:13:55,620
Weeks after the opening games,
Emperor Titus dies of a fever,
1488
01:13:55,660 --> 01:13:57,980
and his ambitious
younger brother,
1489
01:13:58,020 --> 01:13:59,820
Domitian, succeeds him.
1490
01:13:59,860 --> 01:14:02,540
- Domitian and Titus
were not close at all.
1491
01:14:02,580 --> 01:14:05,220
So when Titus fell ill
after only two years
1492
01:14:05,260 --> 01:14:09,260
of being emperor, some thought
that maybe Domitian
1493
01:14:09,300 --> 01:14:11,740
was responsible for his death.
1494
01:14:11,780 --> 01:14:13,740
- [grunting]
1495
01:14:13,780 --> 01:14:15,460
♪
1496
01:14:15,500 --> 01:14:18,460
- He certainly didn't rush
to his brother's bedside.
1497
01:14:18,500 --> 01:14:21,980
Instead, he awaited
his brother's death
1498
01:14:22,020 --> 01:14:25,100
so that he could immediately
be named emperor.
1499
01:14:25,140 --> 01:14:27,060
♪
1500
01:14:27,100 --> 01:14:29,460
- At this point in history,
the Roman emperor
1501
01:14:29,500 --> 01:14:33,140
is the single most powerful
person in the world.
1502
01:14:33,180 --> 01:14:36,380
But as that power grows,
so does the ability
1503
01:14:36,420 --> 01:14:39,660
to damage the empire
through misrule.
1504
01:14:39,700 --> 01:14:43,380
- While Titus had been
charming and suave,
1505
01:14:43,420 --> 01:14:48,900
Domitian was all harsh edges
1506
01:14:48,940 --> 01:14:50,940
and paranoid.
1507
01:14:50,980 --> 01:14:55,060
In fact, over a dozen senators
are killed by Domitian,
1508
01:14:55,100 --> 01:14:58,020
and he is extremely unpopular.
1509
01:14:58,060 --> 01:15:00,180
- The more paranoid you are,
the more people you offend,
1510
01:15:00,220 --> 01:15:01,540
the more people you execute,
1511
01:15:01,580 --> 01:15:05,220
and the less
your own circle trusts you,
1512
01:15:05,260 --> 01:15:06,940
then they begin
to fear you too.
1513
01:15:06,980 --> 01:15:09,900
♪
1514
01:15:09,940 --> 01:15:12,100
- Using the Colosseum
as his stage,
1515
01:15:12,140 --> 01:15:15,140
Domitian makes a show
of the power of life and death
1516
01:15:15,180 --> 01:15:18,020
he holds over his subjects.
1517
01:15:18,060 --> 01:15:20,380
[crowd chanting "Death"]
1518
01:15:20,420 --> 01:15:22,140
[crowd booing]
1519
01:15:22,180 --> 01:15:24,540
♪
1520
01:15:24,580 --> 01:15:26,020
- Get him out of here!
1521
01:15:26,060 --> 01:15:29,060
♪
1522
01:15:29,100 --> 01:15:30,700
- You have something to say?
1523
01:15:30,740 --> 01:15:33,780
♪
1524
01:15:33,820 --> 01:15:37,060
- Domitian was
a tyrannical emperor.
1525
01:15:37,100 --> 01:15:41,020
He wasn't about
even pretending to believe
1526
01:15:41,060 --> 01:15:42,700
in any kind of democracy.
1527
01:15:42,740 --> 01:15:46,780
He created a cult
of personality around himself
1528
01:15:46,820 --> 01:15:48,780
and wanted no one else's input.
1529
01:15:48,820 --> 01:15:51,220
♪
1530
01:15:51,260 --> 01:15:53,420
- I see.
1531
01:15:53,460 --> 01:15:55,580
You wish to volunteer
for the next event.
1532
01:15:55,620 --> 01:15:57,540
[all clamoring]
1533
01:15:57,580 --> 01:16:01,900
♪
1534
01:16:01,940 --> 01:16:04,100
- Domitian is signaling
a break with the past,
1535
01:16:04,140 --> 01:16:06,380
that there was
a new emperor in town.
1536
01:16:06,420 --> 01:16:10,300
It's a way to mark him off
as really an autocrat,
1537
01:16:10,340 --> 01:16:12,900
as an authoritarian ruler,
1538
01:16:12,940 --> 01:16:17,180
a strict disciplinarian
to the point of cruelty.
1539
01:16:17,220 --> 01:16:19,180
- [screams]
1540
01:16:19,220 --> 01:16:25,060
♪
1541
01:16:25,100 --> 01:16:28,100
- His chilling outbursts
extend to every layer
1542
01:16:28,140 --> 01:16:29,700
of Roman society.
1543
01:16:29,740 --> 01:16:32,620
- All rise.
1544
01:16:32,660 --> 01:16:34,860
- Thanks to the writer
Cassius Dio,
1545
01:16:34,900 --> 01:16:37,580
we know Domitian held
an infamous dinner party
1546
01:16:37,620 --> 01:16:42,060
styled like a funeral
to terrify those present.
1547
01:16:42,100 --> 01:16:44,740
- When guests arrived
at the palace,
1548
01:16:44,780 --> 01:16:50,020
they were ushered into
a black room, black couches.
1549
01:16:50,060 --> 01:16:52,340
Individual guests
were presented
1550
01:16:52,380 --> 01:16:55,140
with what looked like
a tombstone
1551
01:16:55,180 --> 01:16:56,540
with their name on it.
1552
01:16:56,580 --> 01:16:58,260
♪
1553
01:16:58,300 --> 01:17:02,260
- This was a way for Domitian
to petrify his guests
1554
01:17:02,300 --> 01:17:04,340
and really to show
his autocratic powers
1555
01:17:04,380 --> 01:17:07,020
and that it was he who held
the power of life and death
1556
01:17:07,060 --> 01:17:08,140
under his regime.
1557
01:17:08,180 --> 01:17:11,380
♪
1558
01:17:11,420 --> 01:17:13,620
- Over two years,
Domitian's builders
1559
01:17:13,660 --> 01:17:16,620
equipped the Colosseum
with a hypogeum,
1560
01:17:16,660 --> 01:17:20,020
a labyrinth of structures
underneath the arena floor,
1561
01:17:20,060 --> 01:17:24,380
so emperors' spectacles
can be bigger and bloodier.
1562
01:17:24,420 --> 01:17:26,380
♪
1563
01:17:26,420 --> 01:17:30,900
- The hypogeum housed
about 2 miles of tunnels
1564
01:17:30,940 --> 01:17:34,300
on two floors that contained
all of the rooms
1565
01:17:34,340 --> 01:17:36,220
where the gladiators
would be kept
1566
01:17:36,260 --> 01:17:38,260
and the animals that were
going to be shown.
1567
01:17:38,300 --> 01:17:40,220
So it's almost like
an underground city.
1568
01:17:40,260 --> 01:17:41,700
- Julius!
1569
01:17:41,740 --> 01:17:45,500
♪
1570
01:17:45,540 --> 01:17:47,340
- Under the floor
of the Colosseum,
1571
01:17:47,380 --> 01:17:48,580
there were elevators.
1572
01:17:48,620 --> 01:17:49,980
There were ramps.
There were trapdoors.
1573
01:17:50,020 --> 01:17:51,980
There were all sorts
of things that could
1574
01:17:52,020 --> 01:17:55,900
enhance the spectacle
for the crowd up above.
1575
01:17:55,940 --> 01:17:58,940
- If you're a spectator
sitting in the Colosseum,
1576
01:17:58,980 --> 01:18:00,940
all you can see is the sand.
1577
01:18:00,980 --> 01:18:04,380
All you can see
is one flat floor.
1578
01:18:04,420 --> 01:18:08,060
You have no idea
of what's going on beneath.
1579
01:18:08,100 --> 01:18:11,860
♪
1580
01:18:11,900 --> 01:18:14,660
- Waiting under the floor
of the Colosseum
1581
01:18:14,700 --> 01:18:17,220
for the festivities to begin
1582
01:18:17,260 --> 01:18:19,980
would have been kind of a
hellish and surreal experience.
1583
01:18:20,020 --> 01:18:21,700
- [growls]
1584
01:18:21,740 --> 01:18:24,980
- You would have heard
the cries of injured people.
1585
01:18:25,020 --> 01:18:28,620
You would have heard
the growls of wild beasts.
1586
01:18:28,660 --> 01:18:31,820
You would see chained criminals
who were awaiting execution.
1587
01:18:31,860 --> 01:18:35,740
♪
1588
01:18:35,780 --> 01:18:39,100
- All of this
underneath the floor
1589
01:18:39,140 --> 01:18:40,620
of an arena that was in use.
1590
01:18:40,660 --> 01:18:42,620
So you could hear
the elephants running across.
1591
01:18:42,660 --> 01:18:43,820
[elephant trumpets]
1592
01:18:43,860 --> 01:18:45,580
You could hear
the crowd shouting
1593
01:18:45,620 --> 01:18:47,340
and cheering and chanting.
1594
01:18:47,380 --> 01:18:49,740
[crowd cheering]
1595
01:18:49,780 --> 01:18:52,580
It must have been
an intoxicating
1596
01:18:52,620 --> 01:18:54,220
but pretty horrifying
experience.
1597
01:18:54,260 --> 01:18:57,860
[horns blowing]
1598
01:18:57,900 --> 01:19:04,140
♪
1599
01:19:04,180 --> 01:19:09,140
- People of Rome,
welcome, one and all,
1600
01:19:09,180 --> 01:19:12,260
to the greatest games
ever witnessed.
1601
01:19:12,300 --> 01:19:14,380
- Nice and strong.
1602
01:19:14,420 --> 01:19:16,020
The men are ready.
1603
01:19:16,060 --> 01:19:19,900
- By order of the emperor
Domitian,
1604
01:19:19,940 --> 01:19:21,420
a spectacle...
1605
01:19:21,460 --> 01:19:25,300
[continues indistinctly]
1606
01:19:25,340 --> 01:19:29,660
- Let the games begin!
1607
01:19:29,700 --> 01:19:32,620
- As the crowds cheer on the
day of the arena's reopening,
1608
01:19:32,660 --> 01:19:37,220
Domitian shows Rome
what true power is.
1609
01:19:37,260 --> 01:19:40,060
- Domitian really wanted
to demonstrate that he,
1610
01:19:40,100 --> 01:19:41,540
in fact, was master of all.
1611
01:19:41,580 --> 01:19:43,180
♪
1612
01:19:43,220 --> 01:19:47,300
He was autocratic and despotic
and wantonly cruel.
1613
01:19:47,340 --> 01:19:50,420
This is a tried and tested
technique of tyrants.
1614
01:19:50,460 --> 01:19:53,540
But those who live
by the sword die by the sword.
1615
01:19:57,620 --> 01:20:04,460
♪
1616
01:20:04,500 --> 01:20:06,300
[crowd yelling]
1617
01:20:06,340 --> 01:20:09,580
- Welcome, one and all,
1618
01:20:09,620 --> 01:20:12,820
to the greatest games
ever witnessed.
1619
01:20:12,860 --> 01:20:14,780
♪
1620
01:20:14,820 --> 01:20:18,980
A lone warrior will fight
1621
01:20:19,020 --> 01:20:23,020
not 5 or 10
1622
01:20:23,060 --> 01:20:26,740
but 20 of the fiercest beasts.
1623
01:20:26,780 --> 01:20:32,660
♪
1624
01:20:32,700 --> 01:20:35,700
[crowd yelling]
1625
01:20:35,740 --> 01:20:40,460
- 83 CE, the opening day
of a new series of games
1626
01:20:40,500 --> 01:20:44,820
that Emperor Domitian
promises will be dazzling.
1627
01:20:44,860 --> 01:20:49,220
The headline, the most
extravagant beast hunt
1628
01:20:49,260 --> 01:20:50,700
ever staged.
1629
01:20:50,740 --> 01:20:54,460
♪
1630
01:20:54,500 --> 01:20:56,620
- The beast hunts were
much more than just
1631
01:20:56,660 --> 01:20:58,060
fighting animals.
1632
01:20:58,100 --> 01:21:00,780
It was a way to demonstrate
Roman control
1633
01:21:00,820 --> 01:21:03,020
over the entire world,
1634
01:21:03,060 --> 01:21:06,260
both the human world
and also the natural world.
1635
01:21:06,300 --> 01:21:07,740
[gears clattering]
1636
01:21:07,780 --> 01:21:09,060
[crowd yelling]
1637
01:21:09,100 --> 01:21:10,780
♪
1638
01:21:10,820 --> 01:21:13,860
Domitian really wanted
to demonstrate that he,
1639
01:21:13,900 --> 01:21:17,180
in fact, was master of all.
1640
01:21:17,220 --> 01:21:19,220
- [snarls]
1641
01:21:19,260 --> 01:21:21,420
- He decides to use
the power of the Colosseum
1642
01:21:21,460 --> 01:21:22,860
by putting on
the greatest show
1643
01:21:22,900 --> 01:21:24,780
that anyone had ever seen.
1644
01:21:24,820 --> 01:21:27,100
[crowd cheering]
1645
01:21:27,140 --> 01:21:30,980
♪
1646
01:21:31,020 --> 01:21:33,100
[crowd yelling]
1647
01:21:33,140 --> 01:21:35,420
- At the center
of this deadly spectacle
1648
01:21:35,460 --> 01:21:37,700
is a beast master,
or bestiarius,
1649
01:21:37,740 --> 01:21:42,900
charged with facing 20 wild
beasts one after the other.
1650
01:21:42,940 --> 01:21:45,460
- Beast masters
were enslaved people.
1651
01:21:45,500 --> 01:21:48,300
And so therefore,
they were also
1652
01:21:48,340 --> 01:21:50,820
a display of Roman domination
over the people
1653
01:21:50,860 --> 01:21:52,460
subjected by the Roman Empire.
1654
01:21:52,500 --> 01:21:54,220
♪
1655
01:21:54,260 --> 01:21:56,940
- The animals underscore
the empire's reach
1656
01:21:56,980 --> 01:22:00,220
at a time when it's
approaching its peak.
1657
01:22:00,260 --> 01:22:02,020
♪
1658
01:22:02,060 --> 01:22:03,420
- You had bears and wolves
1659
01:22:03,460 --> 01:22:05,020
and boars
from the north lands.
1660
01:22:05,060 --> 01:22:09,500
You had crocodiles
and ostriches from Egypt,
1661
01:22:09,540 --> 01:22:11,860
the big cats
from North Africa,
1662
01:22:11,900 --> 01:22:13,860
tigers from Asia.
1663
01:22:13,900 --> 01:22:16,140
The range of animals
that appeared in the arena
1664
01:22:16,180 --> 01:22:18,860
were, in a sense,
a showcase of the power
1665
01:22:18,900 --> 01:22:20,380
and the extent of the empire.
1666
01:22:20,420 --> 01:22:24,300
♪
1667
01:22:24,340 --> 01:22:27,620
- We can estimate
perhaps a million animals
1668
01:22:27,660 --> 01:22:31,220
were killed in the Colosseum,
many of whom
1669
01:22:31,260 --> 01:22:33,940
were slaughtered
at the hands of beast masters.
1670
01:22:33,980 --> 01:22:36,500
[crowd clamoring]
1671
01:22:36,540 --> 01:22:38,380
[lion roars]
1672
01:22:38,420 --> 01:22:41,340
The result is,
the considerable number
1673
01:22:41,380 --> 01:22:44,420
of major species of animals
were eliminated,
1674
01:22:44,460 --> 01:22:48,060
simply eliminated,
as the result of Roman appetite
1675
01:22:48,100 --> 01:22:50,220
for animals to kill for sport.
1676
01:22:50,260 --> 01:22:55,740
♪
1677
01:22:55,780 --> 01:22:57,780
[lion roars]
1678
01:22:57,820 --> 01:23:01,220
[crowd cheering]
1679
01:23:01,260 --> 01:23:03,580
- Domitian's games
were a great success.
1680
01:23:03,620 --> 01:23:05,940
The fact that they were
written about to that extent,
1681
01:23:05,980 --> 01:23:07,420
that people remembered them,
1682
01:23:07,460 --> 01:23:09,540
meant that he had been a hit
with the Roman people.
1683
01:23:09,580 --> 01:23:12,900
The games had served
their purpose.
1684
01:23:12,940 --> 01:23:15,060
Of course,
that didn't last forever.
1685
01:23:15,100 --> 01:23:18,180
In Rome, the love
of the people wasn't enough.
1686
01:23:18,220 --> 01:23:21,100
In 96 AD, an increasingly
paranoid and tyrannical
1687
01:23:21,140 --> 01:23:24,540
Domitian made enemies among
the Senate, among Rome's elite.
1688
01:23:24,580 --> 01:23:26,820
And on their orders,
he was knifed to death.
1689
01:23:26,860 --> 01:23:29,420
♪
1690
01:23:29,460 --> 01:23:32,580
- Domitian's reign ends
in bloody humiliation.
1691
01:23:32,620 --> 01:23:34,700
♪
1692
01:23:34,740 --> 01:23:36,980
But his family's legacy
remains
1693
01:23:37,020 --> 01:23:39,100
one of Rome's
greatest achievements.
1694
01:23:39,140 --> 01:23:42,020
♪
1695
01:23:42,060 --> 01:23:43,540
- [growls]
1696
01:23:43,580 --> 01:23:46,100
- The Colosseum
will come to symbolize
1697
01:23:46,140 --> 01:23:49,540
the rise and fall of Rome.
1698
01:23:49,580 --> 01:23:51,580
- It's all there--
1699
01:23:51,620 --> 01:23:54,340
the blood, the glory,
the magnificence,
1700
01:23:54,380 --> 01:23:57,420
and the flaws that made Rome
1701
01:23:57,460 --> 01:24:00,260
the greatest empire
that Europe has ever seen.
1702
01:24:00,300 --> 01:24:02,180
♪
1703
01:24:02,220 --> 01:24:03,860
- As the empire expands,
1704
01:24:03,900 --> 01:24:07,500
it becomes harder
to hold together.
1705
01:24:07,540 --> 01:24:10,860
- This was really the future
of the Roman Empire--
1706
01:24:10,900 --> 01:24:14,420
waves of incursions
from the Goths and Vandals,
1707
01:24:14,460 --> 01:24:15,980
all out to vanquish Italy.
1708
01:24:16,020 --> 01:24:17,700
♪
1709
01:24:17,740 --> 01:24:21,260
- Its strengths
turned to weaknesses.
1710
01:24:21,300 --> 01:24:22,780
- Bring me his head.
1711
01:24:22,820 --> 01:24:25,140
- Rome itself
could be finished,
1712
01:24:25,180 --> 01:24:27,860
all because of the actions
of one very selfish individual.
1713
01:24:27,900 --> 01:24:29,620
♪
1714
01:24:29,660 --> 01:24:30,860
- A religious revolution
1715
01:24:30,900 --> 01:24:33,900
upsets everything
once held dear.
1716
01:24:33,940 --> 01:24:36,980
- Don't! Stop! Stop!
1717
01:24:37,020 --> 01:24:38,860
- This was a turning point
in history.
1718
01:24:38,900 --> 01:24:40,140
Things were never
going to be the same.
1719
01:24:40,180 --> 01:24:41,900
♪
1720
01:24:41,940 --> 01:24:43,900
- And one of the greatest
civilizations
1721
01:24:43,940 --> 01:24:47,220
in human history
begins to fall.
1722
01:24:47,260 --> 01:24:49,860
- This is confrontation
on a colossal scale.
1723
01:24:49,900 --> 01:24:51,540
♪
1724
01:24:51,580 --> 01:24:54,420
- I'm Attila, the whip of God.
1725
01:24:54,460 --> 01:24:57,940
♪