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[dramatic music]
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- This day will decide everything!
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[all chanting]
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I order you now.
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Advance!
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- Over the centuries,
Rome grew from a tiny kingdom
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to an empire
driven by conquest.
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- The fact is,
it was the sword.
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It was fear.
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It was blood that
conquered the Roman Empire.
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- And the ambition
of its leaders.
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- Let the dice fly high!
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- Now the old republic
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has been replaced
by a dictatorship.
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- Now!
[whip cracks]
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[lion roars]
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[crowd cheering]
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- Its emperors
are out of control.
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♪
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- You have put Rome
in more danger.
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♪
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- The empire is faced
with disaster and change.
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- The city is plagued
by famine, fires, earthquakes.
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♪
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The empire's nearly broke.
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♪
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- Its enemies close in.
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- This Attila,
is he the devil?
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- No. Much worse.
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♪
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- The people of Rome
are starting to think
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perhaps this city
is not eternal after all.
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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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- It's all there:
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the blood, the glory,
the magnificence,
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and the flaws that made Rome
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the greatest empire
that Europe has ever seen.
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- The story of Rome is
ultimately the story of us.
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♪
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- 107 C.E., Rome.
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[horn fanfare]
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[crowd cheering]
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The great emperor Trajan
has been on the throne
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for seven years.
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His empire thrives
as he celebrates
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one of his many triumphs.
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- [grunting]
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[crowd cheering]
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♪
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- When Trajan succeeds
the Roman Empire,
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Rome is at its greatest.
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It's vast, it's successful,
it's rich,
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and Trajan really
personifies that,
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the energy, the success,
and the sophistication
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of this extraordinary
institution.
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♪
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- Trajan had
an interesting self-image.
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Best emperor.
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That was his self-image--
the best.
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And he saw himself as Rome's
emperor par excellence.
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He took all the best qualities
of his predecessors,
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but also expanded Rome's empire
to an unprecedented level.
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- During his 19-year reign,
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Trajan pushes the boundaries
of the empire
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to encompass more territory
than ever before,
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adding Arabia,
Armenia, Mesopotamia,
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and Dacia in Eastern Europe.
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It now covers
2 million square miles,
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over half the size
of the United States today.
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- The conquest of Dacia was
one of the Roman Empire's
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very last major conquests,
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one of the very last
extensions of the border.
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♪
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- Trajan is all about
investing as much money
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into the public as possible.
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This is through the creation
of aqueducts, of roads,
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of public edifices.
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He believes in that ideology.
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You know, being Roman
is almost like, today,
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you could say it's the
American dream of its time.
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They believed that Rome
truly was the light.
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- Trajan's conquests
meant that
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there was a massive delivery
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to the Roman people of slaves,
of spoils, of new buildings,
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of new baths, of new temples.
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♪
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He puts up this massive column
showing his conquest,
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showing his conquests
of Dacia,
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and basically
advertising himself
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as an amazing conqueror.
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♪
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- To complete
the celebrations,
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Trajan gives the Roman people
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123 days of games
with over 9,000 gladiators,
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including a fight to the death
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between a free Roman woman
and Dacian prisoners.
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♪
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- Women are fairly low
on the social strata
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of the Roman citizenry.
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A woman's role was
primarily constricted
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to the domestic sphere.
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She was expected to be
a wife and mother,
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to be loyal, frugal,
and obedient.
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[both grunting]
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[crowd shouting]
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- Trajan might have looked
at a female gladiator
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as yet another sign of his
greatness, and his ability
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to bring ever-new
and more exotic spectacle
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to the people of Rome.
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♪
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[crowd cheering]
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- But the games also feature
more typical entertainment
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for this period
in Rome's history--
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the slaughter of criminals
and Christians.
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♪
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- The number of Christians
is growing.
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And what started
as a very small movement
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based around Jerusalem has now
spread across the empire.
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[crowd chanting]
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- Christians.
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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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♪
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- In 107 C.E., Ignatius,
a prominent Christian leader,
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is accused of disrupting
the Roman order.
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♪
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- Ignatius of Antioch,
he is clearly
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the target of Trajan's anger,
because he is arrested,
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brought to Rome to be executed
by being fed to lions.
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[crowd cheering]
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[lion roars]
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- So we have
the expression in English,
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"being thrown to the lions."
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We use it sort of
metaphorically, right?
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But it was very literal
in the Roman Empire.
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People actually were
thrown to the lions.
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♪
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- However much we talk about
civilization and baths
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and all the things that we
think of as rather Roman,
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the fact is, it was the sword,
it was fear,
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it was blood
that conquered the Roman Empire
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and kept it under control.
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♪
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- At this time, most Romans
are polytheistic,
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worshipping multiple gods.
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Christianity is a small
but growing faith,
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especially among Rome's poor,
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and the elites are growing
suspicious of it.
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♪
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- The Romans were beginning
to see the Christians
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as troublemakers.
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Why?
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Because when groups start
to assemble together,
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they start to grow.
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They start to spread new ideas.
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And Rome doesn't
want any new ideas.
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They don't want
anybody challenging
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the Roman power structure,
the Roman ethic.
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♪
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- Under Trajan,
the Christians are among those
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getting hit with the violence.
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But those harsh tactics
can backfire.
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- While Ignatius is
on his way to Rome,
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he's able to write
seven letters,
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and it's because of these
letters that we know who he is.
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- These are
first-person accounts
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of what happened to him
and how he feels about it,
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why he thinks it matters
or might make a difference.
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♪
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- Ignatius would have traveled
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along a major
east-west thoroughfare,
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which is known now
as the Via Egnatia,
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and that connected the cities
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in the eastern half
of the empire with Rome.
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♪
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- The Via Egnatia is one
of 372 major roads,
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a network totaling
a quarter of a million miles
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that connect the empire's
40 provinces to Rome,
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allowing armies and trade
to move.
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♪
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- Ironically, it was
this very system of roads
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that allowed Ignatius
to write letters ahead
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that actually helped
the spread of Christianity.
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[lion roars]
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[crowd cheering]
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- Ignatius's execution
is supposed to send
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a message to Christians.
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[lion growls]
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But Ignatius uses it to send
a message to the Romans.
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♪
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- Ignatius is convinced that
he's going to die violently.
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And this is okay with him
because Ignatius wants
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to follow the model of Christ.
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♪
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- There's no touching him.
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- There are great stories
of Christians
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being thrown before the beast,
before the lions,
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and instead of the lions
devouring them,
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the lions lie down
at their feet.
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[lion roars]
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- Our Lord is protecting him.
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- Who doesn't like that
idea of a lion,
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who's supposed to
tear you apart, instead
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rolling over to get a belly
rub instead of eating you?
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[lion growls]
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♪
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[lion roaring]
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♪
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- He held to his beliefs.
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And died for it.
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Why?
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For something he believed in.
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And that must have been
astounding to the Romans.
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♪
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- Well, I think our point
was made clear enough.
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- I'm not sure.
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♪
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I'm not sure at all.
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♪
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- At the time that
Ignatius dies,
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nobody would
expect Christianity
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to become what it is today.
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Little by little,
these figures like Ignatius
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were the pieces that were
building a mighty wall.
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Because it was his belief
system that would prevail.
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It was his belief system
that was
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going to take over the empire.
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♪
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- By the end
of Trajan's reign,
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there are an estimated 40,000
Christians in the empire.
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♪
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But in the years to come,
that number skyrockets,
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upending ancient Roman values
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00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:03,480
and remaking Roman society.
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♪
237
00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,880
- Romans believed that the
greatness of Rome was founded
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on the old gods,
and that that was threatened
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by the conversion to this
new-fangled sect, Christianity.
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♪
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00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:26,840
- Under Trajan's heirs,
Rome will soar to new heights.
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Until its rivals
go on the attack.
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- The northern frontier
was crumbling.
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There were very
serious incursions.
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- And an invisible enemy
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brings the empire
to its knees.
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- Panic spreads,
and it paralyzes Roman power.
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- As despots seize
the imperial throne,
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betrayal and backstabbing follow.
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- Do you wish power
for yourself?
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- Setting in motion
Rome's decline...
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00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:52,120
- [grunts]
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- And fall.
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♪
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[dramatic music]
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00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:04,640
- The 2nd century C.E.,
Rome's Golden Age.
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For decades, the imperial
throne passes peacefully
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00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,680
from one emperor to the next.
259
00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,680
The Roman Empire flourishes,
and its population
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00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:17,200
is hitting its peak--
around 75 million people,
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00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:21,400
double that
of California today.
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♪
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00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:25,520
The empire stops expanding
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00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:28,440
and focuses on securing
its borders:
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00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:30,800
Hadrian's Wall in Britain,
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00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:34,040
the Rhine
and Danube Frontiers,
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00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,720
and the deserts
of Africa and Arabia,
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00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:40,560
all protecting
its beating heart,
269
00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,680
the city of Rome itself.
270
00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,400
♪
271
00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:49,800
- Rome is really the cultural
center of the universe
272
00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:51,600
in this moment.
273
00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:57,040
Authors, doctors, architects,
philosophers flock to the city
274
00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:01,080
because they are enticed
by Rome itself.
275
00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,200
- Among the new arrivals
is Galen of Pergamon,
276
00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:06,440
a brilliant medical scientist.
277
00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,840
The first to describe heart
valves and cranial nerves,
278
00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:15,120
he's a symbol of the empire's
sophistication at this time.
279
00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,760
- Galen is probably the single
most influential figure
280
00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:20,720
in the history of medicine.
281
00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:24,080
[both grunting]
282
00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,480
- He was an author,
philosopher,
283
00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:27,720
a scientist, a doctor,
284
00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,040
and an incredibly
ambitious man.
285
00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,960
[both grunting]
286
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,240
[crowd cheering]
287
00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,680
- For Galen and others,
the capital city
288
00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:43,160
is the place to be, in part
because of its emperor.
289
00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,480
- Marcus Aurelius
comes at the tail end
290
00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:48,000
of the Five Good Emperors.
291
00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:50,240
These were the emperors who
ruled during what's known
292
00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,160
as the Pax Romana,
during the very height
293
00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:54,760
of the Roman Empire
in the 2nd century A.D.
294
00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,120
♪
295
00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:01,200
- He was
an extraordinary character.
296
00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,320
He'd been chosen
as a very young man
297
00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,760
and trained to be emperor.
298
00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,480
And for once,
they got it absolutely right.
299
00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:10,000
♪
300
00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,120
- But Marcus Aurelius
does not rule alone.
301
00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:15,160
For the first time
in Roman history,
302
00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:17,920
two emperors govern
side by side.
303
00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,000
♪
304
00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,720
- Marcus Aurelius's adopted
brother, Lucius Verus,
305
00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:25,440
they were almost opposites.
306
00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:27,280
They reigned together
perfectly because
307
00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:28,680
they were two sides of a coin.
308
00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,920
♪
309
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:33,840
- Under their
enlightened rule,
310
00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,400
the city of Rome,
on its seven hills,
311
00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,560
has grown into the world's
first megacity.
312
00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,360
♪
313
00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:45,360
- Rome had a population
of a million people.
314
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,120
That is the largest population
in any city
315
00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:51,240
anywhere in the world
for 1,500 years.
316
00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,800
The next city to be that size
population is Victorian London.
317
00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,800
♪
318
00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:02,520
- But as the Romans reap
the rewards of empire,
319
00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:04,200
others are stirring.
320
00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,240
♪
321
00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:11,560
In the 160 C.E.,
entire nations are on the move
322
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,360
in the uncharted lands
to the empire's north,
323
00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:18,600
pushing against
the Danube frontier.
324
00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,880
For once, Rome's army
can't drive them back.
325
00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:24,880
- The northern frontier
was crumbling.
326
00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,080
There were very serious
incursions
327
00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:30,040
threatening Roman interests,
especially by a very dangerous
328
00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:32,200
tribe called the Marcomanni.
329
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:36,320
- What starts as what might
seem a fairly small invasion
330
00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,080
turns into what are known
as the Marcomannic Wars,
331
00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,200
and they occupy Marcus
for the rest of his reign.
332
00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:44,400
♪
333
00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,520
- The Marcomannic Wars
on the northern frontier
334
00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,680
may be seen as the first
of the barbarian invasions
335
00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,080
from the north
that will chip away
336
00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:55,080
at the very foundations
of the Roman Empire.
337
00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,480
- In response,
Rome's two emperors
338
00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:00,480
travel 350 miles north
339
00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,520
to reach their military
headquarters at Aquileia,
340
00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:08,120
on the border of Italy
and modern-day Slovenia.
341
00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:11,280
- Marcus Aurelius had
a very strong sense of duty.
342
00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:13,880
And also, he was
a political realist.
343
00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,840
And as much as he
would have preferred
344
00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:18,480
to leave the fighting
to his subordinates,
345
00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,600
or even to his
co-emperor, Verus,
346
00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,160
he realized that this required
his personal intervention.
347
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,440
♪
348
00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,240
- But when they
arrive at the camp,
349
00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:30,600
an even bigger threat
to Rome's empire
350
00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:34,080
is running rampant through
the cramped legions:
351
00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:36,480
a new disease that
the men in Aquileia
352
00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:38,520
haven't experienced before.
353
00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:40,880
♪
354
00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:43,600
- By all accounts,
the plague was
355
00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:45,360
a horrible, horrible disease.
356
00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:48,680
I mean, in addition to the
expected diarrhea and vomiting
357
00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,600
and fevers, scabs would form
and then fall off,
358
00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:53,480
leaving horrible lesions.
359
00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,000
- It was devastating
in its effects
360
00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,480
and killed a large percentage
of the people that it infected.
361
00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:01,920
♪
362
00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,840
- The emperors summon
the physician Galen,
363
00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:08,400
the only man they believe
can tackle this.
364
00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:11,960
What we know about the plague
comes from his writings.
365
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,720
He arrives at Rome's
military headquarters
366
00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:18,560
to find an army in crisis.
367
00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:20,680
- The situation
that Galen found
368
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,520
when he reached Aquileia was
more severe than anything
369
00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:24,920
he could have imagined.
370
00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:26,840
♪
371
00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,440
- Galen gives us some
pretty detailed description
372
00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:31,880
of symptoms, and based
on those symptoms,
373
00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:34,720
we think it was
likely smallpox.
374
00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,760
It might have been the first
appearance of smallpox
375
00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:40,280
in the Mediterranean world.
376
00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:44,280
♪
377
00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:48,080
- This crisis becomes,
in many ways for the empire,
378
00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:49,880
the defining challenge.
379
00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:55,160
More than perhaps at any
point in human memory,
380
00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,760
disease had become
an existential threat
381
00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:00,880
to Rome itself.
382
00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,400
♪
383
00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,000
- The Roman Empire has
never been free of disease,
384
00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:08,920
but epidemics like the one
385
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,760
that's running rampant through
his army, that's something new.
386
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,280
This is the first
of a whole series of diseases
387
00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:15,840
that are going to strike
the Roman Empire
388
00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:17,280
over the next
couple of centuries.
389
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:19,200
♪
390
00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,200
- As the plague continues
to wipe out their troops,
391
00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,440
the two emperors
return to Rome
392
00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,520
to replenish their
diminished legions.
393
00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,080
They leave the army
under Galen's care.
394
00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:35,400
♪
395
00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,640
But during the emperor's
journey home,
396
00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:40,880
Lucius Verus dies.
397
00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,440
♪
398
00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:45,920
- Verus didn't
make it very far--
399
00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:49,120
only 50 miles from Aquileia.
400
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:52,160
For Marcus Aurelius,
he is left on his own
401
00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,640
to rule an empire
that's stricken by plague,
402
00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,800
has enemies at the borders,
an army that's been
403
00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:58,800
devastated by this disease.
404
00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,560
He knows that the
responsibility is his
405
00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:04,200
to rule the Roman Empire
by himself.
406
00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,760
♪
407
00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:10,520
- It doesn't take very long
for the plague
408
00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:15,480
to ravage all of Italy,
and to spread from the legions
409
00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:17,080
to the civilian
population itself.
410
00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:20,200
♪
411
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:21,840
- There was nowhere
in the world
412
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:23,640
that was more conducive
to the spread
413
00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:25,960
of a highly transmissible
and lethal disease
414
00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,640
than the city of Rome.
415
00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:30,360
You have tons of people
who are living
416
00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:31,720
in cramped quarters.
417
00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:33,640
Sanitary conditions
are often poor.
418
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:37,120
This is a population that
is going to drop like flies
419
00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:39,320
as smallpox
starts to spread among them.
420
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:41,960
♪
421
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,120
Perhaps as much as 10% of
the Roman Empire's population,
422
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,760
or even more, dies in this one plague
423
00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:50,400
over the course
of the next several years.
424
00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:52,840
- And, of course,
panic spreads.
425
00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:55,000
And it's actually--
for a moment,
426
00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:56,840
it paralyzes Roman power.
427
00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,640
The plague is a huge crisis
for the Roman state.
428
00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:01,280
♪
429
00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:03,720
- With enemies at the border
and a depleted army,
430
00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:07,360
the emperor turns
to an unlikely group for help.
431
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,960
- Help me to protect
the citizens of Rome,
432
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,120
and you will win your freedom!
433
00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:14,680
[all cheering]
434
00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:18,160
- But Rome's worst enemy
is much closer to him.
435
00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,920
♪
436
00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,760
- If you're looking
for a dividing line
437
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:28,360
between the glory that was
Rome and its long decline,
438
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:29,480
Commodus is it.
439
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,240
♪
440
00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:42,080
- In 169, the Roman Empire's
Golden Age faces two threats--
441
00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:46,200
invasion and a deadly plague.
442
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:47,720
- Galen returns to Rome,
443
00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:50,280
and he finds
a transformed city.
444
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,520
And, in fact, Galen's family
itself is not spared.
445
00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:55,520
♪
446
00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:59,360
Almost everyone
in his own household dies.
447
00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,880
And it's the scale of this
plague, of this disease,
448
00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:05,520
is just overwhelming.
449
00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,720
And of course, no one knew
for how long it would go on.
450
00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:12,040
♪
451
00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,480
- His observations
of an understanding
452
00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,680
of what was happening were
ahead of many other doctors.
453
00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,000
And of course, that brings him
close to Marcus Aurelius, who,
454
00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,240
first of all, doesn't want
to become a victim
455
00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:26,160
of the plague himself,
but is also desperate
456
00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:27,560
to understand how to stop it.
457
00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:32,600
♪
458
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:36,400
- Galen's mission is to keep
Marcus Aurelius alive.
459
00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,320
♪
460
00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:41,720
- Added cinnamon this time.
461
00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:45,760
♪
462
00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,240
- While on one hand,
the reign of Marcus Aurelius
463
00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:51,120
marks something of a high
point in the Roman Empire...
464
00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:52,720
- It didn't help.
465
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,400
- It also marks the point
when the seeds were planted
466
00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:58,000
that were going to define
the next couple of centuries
467
00:21:58,040 --> 00:21:59,080
of Rome's existence.
468
00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:02,640
♪
469
00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:05,200
- To face down the invaders,
470
00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:07,000
Rome needs fresh fighters
to replenish
471
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,600
its plague-ravaged army.
472
00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,960
So Marcus Aurelius
makes a daring move
473
00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,680
to recruit the fittest men
in Rome...
474
00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:17,440
♪
475
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,160
Whoever they may be.
476
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,640
- The gladiators live
in a sheltered community.
477
00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,360
They don't have any connection
to the outside world.
478
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:26,720
They're exceptionally healthy.
479
00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:28,040
They're getting
three square meals a day.
480
00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:29,480
They've got great medical care.
481
00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:31,640
So, they're probably
the fittest people
482
00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,280
in Rome at that moment.
483
00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:35,880
- We have to remember,
of course,
484
00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:38,600
that what the gladiators
were trained to do was fight.
485
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,640
That is what
Marcus Aurelius needed.
486
00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:43,480
♪
487
00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,960
- But gladiators are
convicts and slaves.
488
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,200
♪
489
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,880
- How could these
degenerates and criminals
490
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:53,680
defend the honor of Rome?
491
00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:55,480
Could they be trusted
on the battlefield?
492
00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:57,880
♪
493
00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:02,600
- The gladiators were often
drawn from, in the Roman view,
494
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,280
the lowest-born peoples
of the empire
495
00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:09,560
and engaged in
a sordid occupation.
496
00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,880
To have them vaulted
into a kind of prestige role
497
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,280
of soldiers
on behalf of the empire itself
498
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,040
was a startling transformation.
499
00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:21,040
♪
500
00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:22,840
- This obviously
causes a great amount
501
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,480
of furor throughout the city,
mainly because
502
00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:26,960
gladiators are entertainers.
503
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:28,360
They are people
who fight for money,
504
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:29,640
they're mercenaries,
505
00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:31,280
and they're
the lowest of the low.
506
00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:33,080
♪
507
00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:34,120
- Line up for the emperor!
508
00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,680
♪
509
00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,400
- Take up these arms.
510
00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:44,160
You are now Roman soldiers.
511
00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:46,280
♪
512
00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:50,320
When I look at you,
I don't see prisoners.
513
00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:52,320
I don't see criminals.
514
00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:53,960
Or slaves.
515
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,200
I don't even see gladiators.
516
00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,560
I see legionaries
517
00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:05,760
dedicated to protecting
this great empire.
518
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,840
Help me to protect
the citizens of Rome,
519
00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,560
and you will win your freedom!
520
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:12,840
[all cheering]
521
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,400
- History often
throws up these moments
522
00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:16,800
where those who are
on the fringes of society
523
00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:18,800
ultimately come
to save that society,
524
00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:20,960
and this is certainly
the case here.
525
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:22,840
The gladiators make sense.
526
00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:24,680
They're trained combatants,
527
00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:26,120
and so they know
the art of war.
528
00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,880
♪
529
00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,840
- Marcus Aurelius
goes north once again...
530
00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:33,560
♪
531
00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,760
And his new legions clash
with the barbarian armies.
532
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,240
♪
533
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:41,280
After months
of fierce fighting,
534
00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,520
Rome's ad hoc army
turns back the invasion.
535
00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:48,040
It's a triumphant moment,
but the war continues,
536
00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,720
and the threat on the empire's
border never really goes away.
537
00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:53,520
♪
538
00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:57,920
- This marks a turning point
in Roman imperial history.
539
00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:00,720
What Marcus Aurelius
was seeing was really
540
00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:02,800
the future of the Roman Empire.
541
00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:04,560
There's going to be
waves of incursions
542
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,000
from Goths and Vandals
and many northern tribes
543
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:10,080
all out to vanquish Italy.
544
00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:12,000
♪
545
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,040
- As a buffer
against its enemies,
546
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,040
the empire creates
new provinces on the frontier
547
00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:19,960
and allows friendlier Germanic
tribes to settle there
548
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,160
in return for a promise
to defend the land,
549
00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,000
a decision with
far-reaching consequences.
550
00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:28,760
♪
551
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:31,600
As for Marcus Aurelius,
he knows he needs to plan
552
00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:33,680
his succession carefully.
553
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:38,720
But his son, Commodus,
is far from the ideal heir.
554
00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,840
[swords clanging]
555
00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,720
[crowd shouting]
556
00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:50,880
♪
557
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:52,760
[crowd cheering]
558
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,080
- Marcus Aurelius
can't have been unaware
559
00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:56,480
of the character defects
560
00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:59,920
that were going to plague
Commodus later in life.
561
00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:01,720
- Halt!
562
00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:03,960
♪
563
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,480
- The apple really did fall
pretty far from the tree,
564
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,960
because Commodus went in
exactly the opposite direction
565
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:11,840
as his father.
566
00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:18,680
♪
567
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:22,000
- In 177,
Marcus Aurelius decides
568
00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:25,920
to name his son as co-emperor
and the heir to the throne.
569
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,840
You know, one of the questions
that historians ask is that,
570
00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:33,800
how could someone as wise as
Marcus Aurelius choose his son?
571
00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:35,760
- One of the things that
makes the high point
572
00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:37,440
of the Roman Empire
so remarkable
573
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,120
is the fact that the emperors
chose their successors.
574
00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:44,560
They adopted sons to serve as
their successors, as emperors.
575
00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,960
So really, this is a fairly
meritocratic process.
576
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,880
Marcus Aurelius
departed from this.
577
00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:55,280
♪
578
00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:57,400
- Three years after
naming Commodus
579
00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,200
his co-emperor
and heir apparent,
580
00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,800
Marcus Aurelius falls ill.
581
00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:04,840
♪
582
00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:06,200
- Caesar.
583
00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:07,320
Caesar?
584
00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:09,600
- What?
- It's your father.
585
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:10,640
It's time.
586
00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:16,040
♪
587
00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:18,960
[somber music]
588
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:24,560
♪
589
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,880
- It's the 17th of March, 180.
590
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,840
And Marcus Aurelius dies.
591
00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:34,200
Very possibly of the plague
that had dogged his army.
592
00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:36,520
♪
593
00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:38,400
- Commodus becomes
the most powerful man
594
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,040
in all the Roman Empire.
595
00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:41,960
And it doesn't take
very long for Commodus
596
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,040
to show that this is going
to be a very different reign
597
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,000
from the one of his father.
598
00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,880
[dramatic music]
599
00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:51,680
♪
600
00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:55,160
- Commodus turns out
to be one of the worst emperors
601
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,200
in the history
of the Roman Empire.
602
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:00,880
If you're looking
for a dividing line
603
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:05,360
between the glory that was
Rome and its long decline,
604
00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,280
Commodus is it.
605
00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,720
♪
606
00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,320
- Commodus grabs
the reins of power...
607
00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:14,280
- Bring me his head.
608
00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,680
- And drives Rome
down a dangerous course.
609
00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:19,880
- How dare you?
610
00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:25,880
♪
611
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,800
- 180 C.E., Commodus,
the new emperor,
612
00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:31,880
is in command
of the Roman army
613
00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:35,880
as it fights German tribes
on its north.
614
00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,320
200 years after Augustus,
the first emperor,
615
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:40,560
the Roman Empire is still
616
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:42,880
the ancient world's
superpower.
617
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:44,400
♪
618
00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:46,200
Then Commodus makes
the first in a series
619
00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:51,400
of decisions that sets Rome
on a downward trajectory.
620
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,160
- Caesar, where are you going?
621
00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:56,520
- I'm going to Rome.
622
00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:59,040
- Commodus does not want
to be out in the freezing mud,
623
00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:02,440
fighting, living in a camp
or in a tent.
624
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:04,840
He wants to be back
in Rome, in the luxury,
625
00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:06,400
enjoy the fruits
of being an emperor.
626
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:08,000
♪
627
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,200
- Rather than pursuing
the war with the Germani
628
00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:13,240
to its conclusion,
which, in Roman eyes,
629
00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:15,240
would have to be a victory,
Commodus decided
630
00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:16,360
to make peace with them.
631
00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:18,320
This was a huge departure
because
632
00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,720
in the Roman imagination,
Romans didn't make peace.
633
00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:22,880
They won.
634
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,320
♪
635
00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:27,600
- Almost immediately,
the relationship
636
00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:31,200
between Commodus and the
Senate is off to a bad start.
637
00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:33,040
There's a wedge
driven between them
638
00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:34,520
right from the very beginning.
639
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:36,000
♪
640
00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:38,360
- We were at war!
641
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:40,880
- And now we're not, Cassius.
642
00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:44,040
- You have put Rome
in more danger.
643
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:50,160
- Tell me, how is peace
more dangerous than war?
644
00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:51,720
- From the Senate's position,
645
00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:54,120
it's just storing up
trouble ahead,
646
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:57,080
that they know these tribes
will come back in the future
647
00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:59,240
where they'll probably
pose an even bigger threat.
648
00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:04,040
♪
649
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:09,760
- Cassius Dio is privy to the
inner workings of the empire.
650
00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:13,360
He's in close proximity
to the emperor himself.
651
00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:17,760
And so his studies,
his observations, his writings
652
00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:22,960
are the incredible source to go
to the knowledge of Commodus.
653
00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:24,880
- Even under the emperors,
the Senate
654
00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:26,800
counted for a great deal.
655
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,360
They were an important
go-between the emperor
656
00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:31,800
and the Roman people.
657
00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:33,360
It was very important
for the emperor to have
658
00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:34,760
the senators on his side.
659
00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,360
♪
660
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,920
- The history of Rome's emperor
shows that
661
00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:43,200
it's pretty dangerous
to cross the Senate.
662
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:45,480
But Commodus had a plan,
663
00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,960
and it really was
to ignore the Senate
664
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,680
and to appeal directly
to the people.
665
00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:53,560
- To win the people over,
Commodus has
666
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:55,800
an incredible tool
at his disposal.
667
00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:58,360
He has the games.
668
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:00,920
- Appealing to the people
is a strategy that goes
669
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,640
all the way back
to Julius Caesar.
670
00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:05,960
Commodus throws lavish games
671
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:07,840
to celebrate
the end of the war,
672
00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:10,640
which means free food
and entertainment...
673
00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:12,280
[crowd chanting]
674
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,720
Even though years of conflict
and plague
675
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:16,800
have drained
the empire's finances.
676
00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,040
♪
677
00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:20,880
[grunting]
678
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,560
[cheers and boos]
679
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:24,840
- For the Senate,
they understand
680
00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:26,880
that this is an absolute joke.
681
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:28,880
Triumphal games were
put on at the end
682
00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,560
of great wars fought
for many years,
683
00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:33,960
wars that established
the power of Rome.
684
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,720
This was the opposite of that,
and yet here he was,
685
00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,320
parading himself as some sort
of triumphant general.
686
00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:47,440
♪
687
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,280
[crowd chanting]
688
00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:55,280
♪
689
00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:57,880
[crowd cheering]
690
00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:02,280
♪
691
00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:04,440
- Do you hear that, Cassius?
692
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:05,920
People love it.
693
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:10,960
- But the treasury
can only stretch so far.
694
00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,600
- I'll find the money.
695
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,120
- Every single day of games
696
00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:18,800
costs an enormous amount
of money.
697
00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,320
You have to fund the import
of sometimes
698
00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:25,760
tens of thousands
of wild animals.
699
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:27,920
You have to hire gladiators,
some of whom
700
00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:30,560
are extremely
high-priced help.
701
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,320
- In today's terms,
we'd be talking about an event
702
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:35,800
that would cost millions
of dollars per day,
703
00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:38,000
and these games
could last for months.
704
00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:41,080
The cost of the games
were unbelievable.
705
00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:43,360
- Throughout history,
taxes have been a way
706
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:46,000
to generate more revenue
for the state,
707
00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:49,280
and Commodus sees them
as a way to pay for the games,
708
00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:52,680
curry favor with the people,
and stick it to the rich.
709
00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:54,840
- Commodus directs
his attention
710
00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:57,320
toward the 1%,
the senatorial class,
711
00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:00,400
and he imposes
a new tax on them
712
00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,040
to finance his games
in the Colosseum.
713
00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,120
♪
714
00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:08,320
- The Senate were never going
to just lie down and take this.
715
00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:10,000
♪
716
00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:11,640
- From the Senate's
perspective,
717
00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:14,120
Commodus was becoming
a real threat.
718
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:17,320
It was enough
to prompt them to act.
719
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:19,440
Commodus had to be dealt with.
720
00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:26,760
♪
721
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,160
- Within the first years
of Commodus's reign,
722
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:43,560
there's an attempt on his life.
723
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:45,440
- Who sent you?
724
00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:47,640
Who sent you?
725
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:49,760
- He later finds out
that it's his own sister,
726
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,880
Lucilla, who's involved,
and a handful of senators.
727
00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,720
- The idea, apparently,
was that she
728
00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:58,240
would substitute
her own husband
729
00:33:58,280 --> 00:33:59,960
and eliminate her brother
in order
730
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:01,560
to make room for her husband.
731
00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:03,040
♪
732
00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:04,680
- Bring me his head.
733
00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:06,600
- There is no possible way
that a plot
734
00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:08,400
on the emperor's life
did not include the Senate.
735
00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:10,400
They viewed him as dangerous,
they viewed him as somebody
736
00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:12,680
that should have been
gotten rid of a long time ago,
737
00:34:12,720 --> 00:34:14,520
and they were going
to try their best to do it.
738
00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:17,400
♪
739
00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:18,760
- His relations
with the Senate
740
00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:20,000
have always been tense.
741
00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:21,360
Now they've become intolerable.
742
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,680
♪
743
00:34:24,720 --> 00:34:28,600
- It's fair to say that any
semblance of a normal person
744
00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:31,360
that remained in Commodus left
745
00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:34,640
the moment that the
assassination plot took place.
746
00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:37,360
♪
747
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:39,320
- How dare you?
748
00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:45,720
♪
749
00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,400
[grunts]
750
00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:53,320
♪
751
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:56,360
- He was already a very
unstable and violent
752
00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:59,160
and cruel person, and I think
this, in many ways,
753
00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:02,560
validated his behavior
and sent him
754
00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,120
on a complete mental
downward spiral.
755
00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:09,680
♪
756
00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:13,680
Commodus unleashes nothing
short of pure bloody vengeance
757
00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:15,240
on the Senate.
758
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:17,440
Anyone he suspects
that was involved,
759
00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:18,760
that will be involved,
760
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,360
that poses even
a minor threat to him,
761
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,680
in his eyes,
absolutely has to go.
762
00:35:23,720 --> 00:35:25,440
The praetorians
round up senators
763
00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:28,720
and systematically torture
each and every one of them,
764
00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:31,680
at which point, of course,
they give up more names.
765
00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:35,120
The web becomes bigger
and bigger and bigger.
766
00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:39,600
A huge amount of Rome's
political class is wiped out.
767
00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:41,440
Of course, one of
the side effects of this
768
00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:43,800
is that they,
being wealthy men,
769
00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:45,640
they have lost all their
rights to all their wealth,
770
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:47,320
their villas,
their businesses,
771
00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:49,000
and quite conveniently,
772
00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:51,600
Commodus takes it all
for himself.
773
00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:54,520
- Cassius Dio and a handful
of other senators
774
00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:58,200
escape the carnage
by fleeing the city.
775
00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:00,720
- You can understand that this
shook the Senate to its core,
776
00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,440
seeing members of the Senate
being put to death
777
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:05,720
as nothing more than
common criminals.
778
00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:07,440
They knew that Commodus
was not somebody
779
00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:09,600
who was mentally stable
or someone that you would
780
00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:11,080
want to mess with at all.
781
00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:14,000
♪
782
00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:17,120
- Commodus's sister,
Lucilla, isn't spared.
783
00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:20,000
She's exiled
to the Island of Capri,
784
00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:22,560
then murdered
by her imperial guards.
785
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:27,880
♪
786
00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:32,240
As the emperor descends
into violence and madness...
787
00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:35,520
- Power corrupts; absolute
power corrupts absolutely.
788
00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:39,120
- He drives his empire
closer to ruin.
789
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:42,040
- Rome is at a moment
of disaster.
790
00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:45,440
- Commodus, this is madness!
791
00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:47,800
- The highlight
of these new games
792
00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:49,680
is going to be something
which the Roman people
793
00:36:49,720 --> 00:36:51,360
have never seen before.
794
00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:57,520
♪
795
00:36:57,560 --> 00:37:00,520
- In the late 2nd century,
the Roman Empire is still
796
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,520
the most powerful of its time.
797
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:05,480
But cracks have formed.
798
00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:07,280
♪
799
00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:10,000
- Commodus decides that Rome
is no longer
800
00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:13,320
a safe place for him to be,
and so he leaves the city
801
00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:15,760
for his own safety.
802
00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:16,920
- Caesar--
803
00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:19,080
- I'm leaving Rome.
804
00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:20,440
- I'll have
our things packed to--
805
00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:23,040
- Not this time, Cleander.
806
00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:25,680
You're staying.
807
00:37:25,720 --> 00:37:28,720
I'm leaving you
in charge while I'm gone.
808
00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:30,360
- Really, Caesar, but I--
809
00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:34,520
- Dear Cleander,
I'm relying on you.
810
00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:37,920
- He delegates the running
of the city and the day-to-day
811
00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,680
affairs of Rome to one
of his former slaves,
812
00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:42,280
a freed man called Cleander.
813
00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:43,680
♪
814
00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:45,520
- Cleander,
being a freed slave,
815
00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:47,880
is basically from
the bottom of society.
816
00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:51,800
Now he's been imbued with
this power and responsibility
817
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:53,440
from the emperor himself.
818
00:37:53,480 --> 00:37:55,040
It's putting him above the
Senate, and that, of course,
819
00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:56,800
is going to ruffle
feathers in the Senate.
820
00:37:56,840 --> 00:38:00,160
♪
821
00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,040
- Whenever you look
at the bad emperors,
822
00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:06,440
I always think of the famous
maxim of "Power corrupts;
823
00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:08,360
absolute power
corrupts absolutely."
824
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:14,040
So many Roman emperors
fell prey to paranoia
825
00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:16,000
and increasing megalomania.
826
00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:19,160
Caligula and Nero
are two perfect examples
827
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:21,600
of emperors who simply
lost their minds,
828
00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,480
and the disintegration
of their reign
829
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:27,800
because of their own
cruel behavior,
830
00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:29,680
because of their megalomania,
831
00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:32,160
and because of their
systematic fighting
832
00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:35,400
with the other powerful figures
in Rome, the Roman Senate.
833
00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:38,160
♪
834
00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:41,200
- Commodus, at the time
of his birth, had it all.
835
00:38:41,240 --> 00:38:45,040
However, perhaps no other
human being in history
836
00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:46,360
has squandered so much.
837
00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,560
He was cruel,
he was power hungry,
838
00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:51,360
but with no sense
of responsibility.
839
00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:53,760
He had no serious
interest in governing
840
00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:55,360
or even being emperor.
841
00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:57,880
♪
842
00:38:57,920 --> 00:38:59,560
- While all of this
is going on,
843
00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:03,600
Commodus stays safely
in his villa outside Rome.
844
00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:08,280
Commodus's villa contains
its own mini-amphitheater.
845
00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:10,160
And while he's there,
he decides
846
00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:12,680
to train as a gladiator.
847
00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:15,760
- There's no record of why
Commodus decided to do this,
848
00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:16,960
but we might say that it had
849
00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:18,520
something to do
with his insecurity,
850
00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:21,200
the desire to associate
himself with a symbol
851
00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:23,040
of masculine virility.
852
00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:26,840
- He becomes even
more paranoid.
853
00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:29,720
And paradoxically,
he felt safer
854
00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:31,720
surrounded by these
trained killers
855
00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:35,240
than he did with the Senate.
856
00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:37,600
- As Commodus plays gladiator,
857
00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:40,480
Rome slips toward
financial collapse.
858
00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:42,280
♪
859
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:43,720
- The economy is failing.
860
00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:45,400
There's unrest
amongst the people.
861
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:47,200
There is death in the streets.
862
00:39:47,240 --> 00:39:49,800
Rome is at a moment
of disaster.
863
00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:52,680
And there was a very
serious threat at that point
864
00:39:52,720 --> 00:39:55,480
that Rome itself
could be finished,
865
00:39:55,520 --> 00:39:58,760
all because of the actions
of one very selfish individual.
866
00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:02,400
♪
867
00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:05,320
- There's a famine of the kind
that Rome hasn't suffered
868
00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:06,560
for hundreds of years.
869
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,720
And this is joined
by a resurgence
870
00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:11,280
of the Antonine Plague.
871
00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:13,720
So a major pestilence
strikes the city as well.
872
00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:17,880
It is mayhem in the city,
and thousands of people a day
873
00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:20,640
are dying from hunger
or from disease.
874
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:22,840
♪
875
00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:25,120
- He debases the coinage,
which means that
876
00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:28,120
he lowered the silver
content in each coin,
877
00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:30,720
therefore meaning that
the same amount of silver
878
00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:32,480
could go further.
879
00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:35,720
Now, superficially, it gave
him more money to buy his food
880
00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,360
and spend it on games,
but in reality,
881
00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:40,840
it will have
generated inflation.
882
00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:44,520
It would be a disaster
for the city's finances.
883
00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:46,400
♪
884
00:40:46,440 --> 00:40:49,440
- Commodus knew, with all the
pressures on the Roman system,
885
00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:52,160
he was losing the goodwill
of the Roman people,
886
00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:53,960
and he had to do something big.
887
00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:56,120
[crowd chanting]
888
00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:58,720
- Commodus thought to himself,
889
00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:00,840
I'll just give them
more circuses.
890
00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:02,440
♪
891
00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:05,400
- This time,
Commodus has a surprise.
892
00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:07,800
♪
893
00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:09,360
- The highlight
of these new games
894
00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:11,840
is going to be something
which the Roman people
895
00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:13,280
have never seen before.
896
00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:16,200
The emperor himself is
going to take center stage
897
00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:19,480
and fight as a gladiator.
898
00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:23,560
- Commodus, this is madness!
899
00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:25,560
You are not some slave.
900
00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,040
You are the emperor of Rome.
901
00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:29,800
♪
902
00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:31,680
- One of the big draws
of becoming a gladiator is,
903
00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:35,760
we forget how much power,
how much adulation,
904
00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:37,920
how much excitement
they caused.
905
00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:40,000
♪
906
00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:42,320
But the Romans were elitists.
907
00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:45,120
So the fact that someone
born of nobility,
908
00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:46,440
one of the emperors,
909
00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,600
would degrade himself
to that degree,
910
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:50,920
that he's going
to present himself
911
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:55,480
in the same profession
of infamia, the infamous,
912
00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:58,080
the scum of the scum,
it wasn't just shocking,
913
00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:00,320
it was absolutely
disgusting to them.
914
00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:06,240
♪
915
00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:09,000
- Commodus charges
the bankrupt Roman treasury
916
00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:14,680
1 million sesterces to appear,
$10 million in today's money.
917
00:42:14,720 --> 00:42:15,920
And he's not finished.
918
00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:18,800
[both grunting]
919
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:22,120
♪
920
00:42:22,160 --> 00:42:25,000
[crowd booing]
921
00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:29,840
♪
922
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:33,000
[crowd cheering]
923
00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:39,000
♪
924
00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:41,160
- After the games,
Commodus embarks
925
00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:43,000
on a still-grander project.
926
00:42:43,040 --> 00:42:45,960
He intends to rebuild Rome
with himself at the center.
927
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:47,440
♪
928
00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:50,280
- He renames Rome
Colonia Commodiana,
929
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:52,440
the Colony of Commodus.
930
00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:55,840
And we wouldn't believe
that this was true
931
00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:57,680
if it were not
for the fact that the coins
932
00:42:57,720 --> 00:43:00,760
of Commodus's era show
that this was the case.
933
00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:04,960
He really did name it
after himself.
934
00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:06,680
- That could not be tolerated,
935
00:43:06,720 --> 00:43:11,480
even by Commodus's
world-weary contemporaries.
936
00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:13,400
♪
937
00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:16,160
- When Commodus announces
yet another set of games,
938
00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:18,600
with himself
as the star again,
939
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:21,000
the Senate know they must act.
940
00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:23,760
- [grunting, groaning]
941
00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:30,640
♪
942
00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:32,480
- Commodus meets
his end at the hands
943
00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:35,040
of his gladiatorial trainer,
at the hands of Narcissus,
944
00:43:35,080 --> 00:43:37,240
acting on the orders
of the Senate.
945
00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:38,920
♪
946
00:43:38,960 --> 00:43:41,920
- There's a sort of poetic
irony that in the end,
947
00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:46,600
it was the very figure that he
so admired, so wanted to be,
948
00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:49,480
that put an end to his life--
949
00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:52,400
the gladiator.
950
00:43:52,440 --> 00:43:57,400
- But for Rome, the Senate's
actions come too late.
951
00:43:57,440 --> 00:43:58,960
The death of Commodus
952
00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:01,560
marks a tipping point
in Roman history.
953
00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:03,280
♪
954
00:44:03,320 --> 00:44:05,920
- The barbarians he'd settled
inside the Roman Empire
955
00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:08,600
turned and invaded Italy
once again.
956
00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:10,520
And the Roman Empire,
which had been drained
957
00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:12,640
financially by
Commodus's expenditures,
958
00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:13,920
could do very little about it.
959
00:44:13,960 --> 00:44:15,680
♪
960
00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:18,400
- Commodus, after his death,
suffers what's known
961
00:44:18,440 --> 00:44:20,000
as the damnatio memoriae.
962
00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:23,240
This means that every
reference to Commodus
963
00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:25,040
was literally wiped out.
964
00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:27,120
So inscriptions
with Commodus's name
965
00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:28,280
were rubbed out.
966
00:44:28,320 --> 00:44:29,560
Documents with his name
967
00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:31,360
and about him were destroyed.
968
00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:33,400
♪
969
00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:35,720
- The reign of Commodus
is probably best summed up
970
00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:37,600
by Cassius Dio
when he says that
971
00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:40,280
Commodus was
a greater curse to the Romans
972
00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:42,760
than any pestilence
and any crime.
973
00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:46,480
♪
974
00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:48,040
[all shouting]
975
00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:51,120
- Now the Roman Empire
teeters on the edge...
976
00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:52,920
- No! Stop!
977
00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:54,600
- As new enemies close in.
978
00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:56,560
♪
979
00:44:56,600 --> 00:44:59,640
- Attila the Hun stands
as one of the most ruthless,
980
00:44:59,680 --> 00:45:04,680
if not the most ruthless,
military leaders of all time.
981
00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:10,560
♪
982
00:45:10,840 --> 00:45:14,640
- Following the death
of Commodus in 192 C.E.,
983
00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:18,480
Rome enters an extended
period of turbulence.
984
00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:20,800
- This is now a new era
of Roman history.
985
00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:23,680
Rome is no longer what it was.
Rome is in decline.
986
00:45:23,720 --> 00:45:25,200
♪
987
00:45:25,240 --> 00:45:28,400
- Over the next 200 years,
its frontiers
988
00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:30,920
are often under attack.
989
00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:33,280
- The empire was
beset on all sides
990
00:45:33,320 --> 00:45:36,040
by barbarian invaders
who sensed Rome's weakness.
991
00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:37,800
There were Saxons in the north,
992
00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:40,600
there were Goths along
the Danube frontier,
993
00:45:40,640 --> 00:45:44,120
Franks along the Rhine,
Persians in the east.
994
00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:45,720
Rome was under threat.
995
00:45:45,760 --> 00:45:48,240
[horse neighs]
996
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,960
- The once-invincible
Roman army struggles
997
00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:54,400
to hold back the tide
of enemies on multiple fronts.
998
00:45:54,440 --> 00:45:57,360
♪
999
00:45:57,400 --> 00:46:02,280
The empire spends all
its resources on defense.
1000
00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:05,000
And military leadership
becomes the key quality
1001
00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:07,320
for any Roman emperor.
1002
00:46:07,360 --> 00:46:13,120
♪
1003
00:46:13,160 --> 00:46:16,640
In 330 C.E.,
Emperor Constantine the Great
1004
00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:19,480
founds a new capital,
closer to the legions
1005
00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:23,320
on the northern frontiers,
Constantinople.
1006
00:46:23,360 --> 00:46:25,360
But his rule
triggers upheavals
1007
00:46:25,400 --> 00:46:27,120
of a different order.
1008
00:46:27,160 --> 00:46:30,120
♪
1009
00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:32,280
- There's a kind
of a watershed moment
1010
00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:34,000
with the emperor Constantine.
1011
00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:37,360
So Constantine is born a pagan,
but he's the first emperor
1012
00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:39,560
to convert to Christianity.
1013
00:46:39,600 --> 00:46:42,800
And it sets the stage
for everything to change.
1014
00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:44,800
For Christianity to be legal.
1015
00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:46,960
For churches to be built.
1016
00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:50,520
For the new religion
to become legitimized,
1017
00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:52,240
to become imperialized,
1018
00:46:52,280 --> 00:46:54,600
and to grow like it
has never done before.
1019
00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:56,240
♪
1020
00:46:56,280 --> 00:46:59,040
- By the end
of the 4th century C.E.,
1021
00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:02,760
we think possibly as many
as 50% of the population
1022
00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:04,840
had become Christian.
1023
00:47:04,880 --> 00:47:07,560
- And the values that
drove Rome's expansion
1024
00:47:07,600 --> 00:47:10,080
are turned upside down.
1025
00:47:10,120 --> 00:47:11,960
- With the rise
of Christianity,
1026
00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:14,920
you have a lot of hostility
toward the ancient practices.
1027
00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:16,480
Not just toward
the ancient gods,
1028
00:47:16,520 --> 00:47:19,800
but toward the recognition
that much of Roman culture
1029
00:47:19,840 --> 00:47:22,800
is suffused with
conquest and violence,
1030
00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:25,160
and that goes against
the principles of Jesus.
1031
00:47:25,200 --> 00:47:27,040
♪
1032
00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:29,880
- We moved from a situation
in which the Christians
1033
00:47:29,920 --> 00:47:33,240
had been persecuted towards
a situation in which
1034
00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:35,200
the Christian emperors
moved with greater
1035
00:47:35,240 --> 00:47:37,960
and greater certainty
and strength against paganism.
1036
00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:40,400
- Under the emperor
Theodosius,
1037
00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:43,680
there's a whole set of
anti-pagan legislation
1038
00:47:43,720 --> 00:47:45,320
that gets set into place.
1039
00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:47,640
The shutting down of pagan
1040
00:47:47,680 --> 00:47:50,080
religious rituals
and holidays.
1041
00:47:50,120 --> 00:47:51,960
The banning of sacrifice.
1042
00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:55,240
And closure of pagan
temples and the withdrawal
1043
00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:57,040
of their funding.
1044
00:47:57,080 --> 00:47:59,720
[crowd chanting]
1045
00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:03,280
[both grunting]
1046
00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:05,120
- Such is the revolution
in values
1047
00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:07,880
that even the cornerstone
of Roman culture,
1048
00:48:07,920 --> 00:48:12,160
the gladiatorial spectacle,
finds itself under attack.
1049
00:48:12,200 --> 00:48:14,360
♪
1050
00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:18,360
- In the name
of the one true God!
1051
00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:21,720
- For Christians, what's
happening in the amphitheater
1052
00:48:21,760 --> 00:48:22,920
had to be stopped.
1053
00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:25,280
- In the name
of the one true God!
1054
00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:28,480
[crowd cheering]
1055
00:48:28,520 --> 00:48:30,160
- The Colosseum
has been standing
1056
00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:31,920
for close on 350 years.
1057
00:48:31,960 --> 00:48:35,000
It was built as an
extraordinary statement of PR
1058
00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:36,720
that Rome was succeeding.
1059
00:48:36,760 --> 00:48:39,600
♪
1060
00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:42,240
But at the end
of the Colosseum's life,
1061
00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:45,160
it really represents
the divided nature
1062
00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:47,440
of the end of the Roman world.
1063
00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:48,880
There are people
who are saying,
1064
00:48:48,920 --> 00:48:51,160
we have to have
a new way of being.
1065
00:48:51,200 --> 00:48:52,760
♪
1066
00:48:52,800 --> 00:48:55,400
- In the name
of our true God, stop!
1067
00:48:55,440 --> 00:48:57,120
♪
1068
00:48:57,160 --> 00:48:59,600
This is against
God's teachings!
1069
00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:01,120
♪
1070
00:49:01,160 --> 00:49:04,840
Leave or face his wrath!
1071
00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:10,040
♪
1072
00:49:10,080 --> 00:49:11,680
- This was a turning point
in history.
1073
00:49:11,720 --> 00:49:13,320
It sounded the death knell
of the Colosseum,
1074
00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:15,280
and things were never
going to be the same.
1075
00:49:15,320 --> 00:49:17,800
♪
1076
00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:22,520
- The deep change creates
tensions within Roman society,
1077
00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:25,200
pitting Christians
against pagans.
1078
00:49:25,240 --> 00:49:27,640
♪
1079
00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:31,200
- You'd have seen
the changes on the streets.
1080
00:49:31,240 --> 00:49:34,800
People were taking down
pagan monuments,
1081
00:49:34,840 --> 00:49:36,960
which were now regarded
as idolatrous.
1082
00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:39,880
Statues, for example, of gods
1083
00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:42,840
or men who were regarded
as gods were being taken down,
1084
00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:44,960
were being disfigured,
were being dismantled.
1085
00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:48,440
[all shouting]
1086
00:49:48,480 --> 00:49:51,680
- The city of Rome
is filled with statues,
1087
00:49:51,720 --> 00:49:55,560
and to Christians, these
statues present a huge affront
1088
00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:58,480
because they violate
two of the Commandments,
1089
00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:00,520
"Thou shalt make
no graven images,"
1090
00:50:00,560 --> 00:50:03,120
and "Thou shalt have
no gods aside from me."
1091
00:50:03,160 --> 00:50:07,360
♪
1092
00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:08,720
- No!
1093
00:50:08,760 --> 00:50:11,040
No! Stop!
1094
00:50:11,080 --> 00:50:13,800
Stop! Stop!
1095
00:50:13,840 --> 00:50:17,200
♪
1096
00:50:17,240 --> 00:50:20,960
[crowd cheering]
1097
00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:23,480
- For pagans,
watching a Christian mob
1098
00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:27,280
destroy a statue,
that was a tremendous affront,
1099
00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:30,800
and it was deeply offensive to
this traditionalist worldview.
1100
00:50:30,840 --> 00:50:34,800
- Amidst all this,
in 395 C.E.,
1101
00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:36,240
Rome's rulers decide
1102
00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:39,280
to split the empire
into two to survive,
1103
00:50:39,320 --> 00:50:42,120
an eastern and western half.
1104
00:50:42,160 --> 00:50:44,600
- It was simply too big
for any one person to handle.
1105
00:50:44,640 --> 00:50:46,000
So each half
of the Roman Empire
1106
00:50:46,040 --> 00:50:47,760
is ruled by one
of the sons of Theodosius,
1107
00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:51,240
the last man to rule
a united Roman Empire.
1108
00:50:51,280 --> 00:50:53,080
18-year-old Arcadius
1109
00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:54,960
rules from Constantinople
in the east,
1110
00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:58,240
and the 15-year-old Honorius
rules from Milan in the west.
1111
00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:02,160
- They are very young,
they're very inexperienced,
1112
00:51:02,200 --> 00:51:04,960
and they're clearly
not up to the job.
1113
00:51:05,000 --> 00:51:07,360
- Neither of them
ever visits Rome.
1114
00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:09,320
This means that
the city that is
1115
00:51:09,360 --> 00:51:12,040
the ideological and spiritual
heart of the empire
1116
00:51:12,080 --> 00:51:14,840
is something of a backwater.
1117
00:51:14,880 --> 00:51:17,320
[horse neighs]
1118
00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:18,840
- Rome, at this period,
1119
00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:20,600
is almost completely
unrecognizable
1120
00:51:20,640 --> 00:51:22,360
from the way that it was
in its heyday.
1121
00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:25,360
♪
1122
00:51:25,400 --> 00:51:28,360
The city is plagued
by all kinds of problems,
1123
00:51:28,400 --> 00:51:31,280
like famines and fires,
earthquakes.
1124
00:51:31,320 --> 00:51:33,240
And the buildings
stand in ruins.
1125
00:51:33,280 --> 00:51:34,800
The empire is nearly broke.
1126
00:51:34,840 --> 00:51:38,200
♪
1127
00:51:38,240 --> 00:51:39,640
People leave in droves,
1128
00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:43,120
and they're not
coming back in.
1129
00:51:43,160 --> 00:51:45,000
It's a pretty dark time.
1130
00:51:45,040 --> 00:51:47,640
♪
1131
00:51:47,680 --> 00:51:50,000
- With the empire divided
and vulnerable,
1132
00:51:50,040 --> 00:51:53,400
more and more barbarian tribes
press down on its borders.
1133
00:51:53,440 --> 00:51:55,200
♪
1134
00:51:55,240 --> 00:51:56,960
- This is a major threat
to the empire.
1135
00:51:57,000 --> 00:51:57,880
They have to act.
1136
00:51:57,920 --> 00:51:59,600
♪
1137
00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:01,880
- There is chaos.
1138
00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:03,920
There is confusion.
1139
00:52:03,960 --> 00:52:06,960
And there is a sense
of desperation.
1140
00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:07,920
♪
1141
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:13,080
♪
1142
00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:15,080
- The Roman Empire,
recently divided
1143
00:52:15,120 --> 00:52:18,080
between the young brothers
Honorius and Arcadius,
1144
00:52:18,120 --> 00:52:20,600
is facing existential threats,
1145
00:52:20,640 --> 00:52:23,760
but its leaders are falling
short of the challenge.
1146
00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:28,400
- The contrast between
Arcadius and Honorius and, say,
1147
00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:32,640
the Five Good Emperors
like Trajan or Hadrian,
1148
00:52:32,680 --> 00:52:35,080
could not be stronger.
1149
00:52:35,120 --> 00:52:39,600
They are too young
and too inexperienced
1150
00:52:39,640 --> 00:52:42,960
to make any kind
of sound judgments.
1151
00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:47,000
They are entirely ruled
by the people around them.
1152
00:52:47,040 --> 00:52:48,680
♪
1153
00:52:48,720 --> 00:52:50,920
- Honorius and Arcadius
are symptomatic
1154
00:52:50,960 --> 00:52:53,280
of a much larger disease
that we associate
1155
00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:54,720
with hereditary systems.
1156
00:52:54,760 --> 00:52:57,120
From the Chinese emperors
to medieval kings
1157
00:52:57,160 --> 00:53:00,400
to the Russian tsars, systems
that are based on heredity
1158
00:53:00,440 --> 00:53:05,160
and not on skill often yield
rulers who are born into power
1159
00:53:05,200 --> 00:53:07,440
but unable
to wield it effectively.
1160
00:53:07,480 --> 00:53:11,760
♪
1161
00:53:11,800 --> 00:53:14,120
- And as the empire
grows weaker,
1162
00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:17,040
its rivals grow bolder--
1163
00:53:17,080 --> 00:53:20,840
among them, the Visigoths.
1164
00:53:20,880 --> 00:53:23,320
- The Visigoths are
a barbarian group
1165
00:53:23,360 --> 00:53:25,600
that has been settled
inside the Roman Empire
1166
00:53:25,640 --> 00:53:27,280
for a little less
than a generation.
1167
00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:29,360
They're a source of recruits
for the Roman army,
1168
00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:31,560
but in the past, they have
fought against the Romans.
1169
00:53:31,600 --> 00:53:35,040
And in the future, they could
just as easily do so again.
1170
00:53:35,080 --> 00:53:36,840
♪
1171
00:53:36,880 --> 00:53:41,200
- In 395 C.E., the same year
Honorius and Arcadius
1172
00:53:41,240 --> 00:53:43,960
come to the throne,
the Visigoths unite
1173
00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:46,120
under a king of their own--
1174
00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:47,760
Alaric.
1175
00:53:47,800 --> 00:53:50,760
- Alaric is just 25 years old.
1176
00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:54,560
He has been around the limes,
the fringes of the empire,
1177
00:53:54,600 --> 00:53:56,080
all his life.
1178
00:53:56,120 --> 00:53:58,800
He's actually fought
for the Roman army before.
1179
00:53:58,840 --> 00:54:02,640
And so he understands
the psychology
1180
00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:06,000
of both the Romans
and the barbarians very well.
1181
00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:08,120
♪
1182
00:54:08,160 --> 00:54:10,640
- Within a year,
Alaric's Visigoths
1183
00:54:10,680 --> 00:54:13,000
storm across
Eastern Roman provinces,
1184
00:54:13,040 --> 00:54:15,880
sacking Athens
and other large cities.
1185
00:54:15,920 --> 00:54:18,200
- This is a major threat
to the empire.
1186
00:54:18,240 --> 00:54:19,440
They have to act.
1187
00:54:19,480 --> 00:54:20,640
They have to deal
with Alaric now.
1188
00:54:20,680 --> 00:54:22,240
♪
1189
00:54:22,280 --> 00:54:27,320
- Then, in 402 C.E.,
Alaric attacks Italy.
1190
00:54:27,360 --> 00:54:30,640
♪
1191
00:54:30,680 --> 00:54:33,760
Then Western emperor Honorius
retreats with his court
1192
00:54:33,800 --> 00:54:36,520
to Ravenna,
leaving the defense of Italy
1193
00:54:36,560 --> 00:54:39,840
to his magister militum,
or commander-in-chief,
1194
00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:41,640
a man named Stilicho.
1195
00:54:41,680 --> 00:54:43,080
♪
1196
00:54:43,120 --> 00:54:45,880
- Stilicho is
a brilliant general.
1197
00:54:45,920 --> 00:54:47,200
He's of mixed barbarian,
1198
00:54:47,240 --> 00:54:50,320
possibly Vandal,
and Roman ancestry.
1199
00:54:50,360 --> 00:54:52,080
He's risen high
through his talents
1200
00:54:52,120 --> 00:54:53,400
within this Roman system.
1201
00:54:53,440 --> 00:54:55,880
In fact, he occupies
the kind of position
1202
00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:57,760
that someone like Alaric
is aspiring to.
1203
00:54:57,800 --> 00:55:03,440
♪
1204
00:55:03,480 --> 00:55:05,600
- When Stilicho meets Alaric,
1205
00:55:05,640 --> 00:55:08,480
he chooses to talk
rather than fight.
1206
00:55:08,520 --> 00:55:11,520
♪
1207
00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:14,360
- Stilicho is the most
powerful general,
1208
00:55:14,400 --> 00:55:18,200
and therefore,
politician in the Roman world.
1209
00:55:18,240 --> 00:55:21,040
If you're looking for a Roman
to negotiate with,
1210
00:55:21,080 --> 00:55:22,600
Stilicho is your man.
1211
00:55:22,640 --> 00:55:24,880
- There is no need
for us to be at war.
1212
00:55:24,920 --> 00:55:28,920
♪
1213
00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:31,120
- You have power.
1214
00:55:31,160 --> 00:55:33,240
We have none.
1215
00:55:33,280 --> 00:55:36,280
There'll be no peace
until my people
1216
00:55:36,320 --> 00:55:39,880
have a land to call their own.
1217
00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:41,680
- I can give you that.
1218
00:55:41,720 --> 00:55:45,440
Help me fight our enemies,
and I promise you,
1219
00:55:45,480 --> 00:55:46,960
you'll have your land.
1220
00:55:47,000 --> 00:55:48,680
You have my word.
1221
00:55:48,720 --> 00:55:54,080
♪
1222
00:55:54,120 --> 00:55:56,720
- To spare Italy from war,
1223
00:55:56,760 --> 00:56:00,080
Stilicho offers Alaric
lands in the Balkans.
1224
00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:02,640
♪
1225
00:56:02,680 --> 00:56:06,040
But Stilicho knows
he is merely buying time.
1226
00:56:06,080 --> 00:56:08,840
♪
1227
00:56:08,880 --> 00:56:11,920
Over the next few years,
Stilicho struggles to cope
1228
00:56:11,960 --> 00:56:14,400
with crisis after crisis.
1229
00:56:14,440 --> 00:56:17,000
Groups of barbarians
from outside the empire
1230
00:56:17,040 --> 00:56:21,320
and rebels within it all chip
away at his hold on power.
1231
00:56:21,360 --> 00:56:23,840
♪
1232
00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:30,320
Then, in 407, Alaric returns,
demanding more gold for peace.
1233
00:56:30,360 --> 00:56:34,400
And Emperor Honorius makes
a disastrous mistake.
1234
00:56:34,440 --> 00:56:35,560
- [shouts]
1235
00:56:35,600 --> 00:56:38,000
♪
1236
00:56:38,040 --> 00:56:41,920
- The Roman Empire is watching
as the central part
1237
00:56:41,960 --> 00:56:44,400
of its territory
is being taken over
1238
00:56:44,440 --> 00:56:47,280
and held by non-Roman peoples.
1239
00:56:47,320 --> 00:56:50,800
A rising tide
of anti-barbarianism
1240
00:56:50,840 --> 00:56:53,960
is growing and leads
to suspicion of Stilicho.
1241
00:56:54,000 --> 00:56:57,320
- Stilicho becomes a victim
of a whisper campaign
1242
00:56:57,360 --> 00:56:59,160
that paints him as disloyal,
1243
00:56:59,200 --> 00:57:01,680
in large part due to his
barbarian background,
1244
00:57:01,720 --> 00:57:04,400
and that's enough
for the emperor Honorius
1245
00:57:04,440 --> 00:57:05,720
to turn against him.
1246
00:57:05,760 --> 00:57:08,600
[bell tolling]
1247
00:57:08,640 --> 00:57:15,040
♪
1248
00:57:17,280 --> 00:57:19,000
- The immediate consequence
for Alaric
1249
00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:21,040
of the assassination
of Stilicho
1250
00:57:21,080 --> 00:57:23,160
is that the deal is
dead in the water.
1251
00:57:23,200 --> 00:57:25,200
♪
1252
00:57:25,240 --> 00:57:27,560
- It was a colossally
stupid move
1253
00:57:27,600 --> 00:57:29,120
to have Stilicho executed.
1254
00:57:29,160 --> 00:57:31,440
It eventually led
to the defection
1255
00:57:31,480 --> 00:57:35,400
of huge numbers of barbarian
troops over to Alaric's side.
1256
00:57:35,440 --> 00:57:37,600
♪
1257
00:57:37,640 --> 00:57:38,960
- Alaric wanted his homeland.
1258
00:57:39,000 --> 00:57:41,960
The Romans constantly
took it away from him.
1259
00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:44,840
So what he decides to do
is that he'll take away
1260
00:57:44,880 --> 00:57:46,840
the homeland from the Romans.
1261
00:57:46,880 --> 00:57:49,200
He's going to go
and sack Rome.
1262
00:57:49,240 --> 00:57:52,560
♪
1263
00:57:52,600 --> 00:57:55,400
- Thousands of Visigoths,
and thousands more
1264
00:57:55,440 --> 00:57:59,160
of Stilicho's men, who now
pledge loyalty to Alaric,
1265
00:57:59,200 --> 00:58:00,720
march on Rome.
1266
00:58:00,760 --> 00:58:03,400
♪
1267
00:58:03,440 --> 00:58:06,000
For the first time
in 800 years,
1268
00:58:06,040 --> 00:58:08,600
the barbarians
surround the city,
1269
00:58:08,640 --> 00:58:10,440
cutting off supply lines,
1270
00:58:10,480 --> 00:58:14,160
trying to starve Rome
into surrender.
1271
00:58:14,200 --> 00:58:17,040
But the war of attrition
takes its toll
1272
00:58:17,080 --> 00:58:19,040
on Roman and barbarian alike.
1273
00:58:19,080 --> 00:58:20,680
♪
1274
00:58:20,720 --> 00:58:23,800
- You get dire consequences
on both sides.
1275
00:58:23,840 --> 00:58:26,840
At Rome,
there's plague and famine.
1276
00:58:26,880 --> 00:58:29,720
There are calls
to legalize cannibalism.
1277
00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:32,160
On the Gothic side,
there's plague in their army.
1278
00:58:32,200 --> 00:58:37,000
So they really need
to come to a resolution.
1279
00:58:37,040 --> 00:58:39,960
- Eventually, Alaric sends
an offer of peace
1280
00:58:40,000 --> 00:58:42,120
to the Roman Senate.
1281
00:58:42,160 --> 00:58:45,240
- Unwen, send them a message.
1282
00:58:45,280 --> 00:58:47,040
If they grant us
this last night
1283
00:58:47,080 --> 00:58:49,320
to prepare our dead for burial,
1284
00:58:49,360 --> 00:58:52,040
I'll make a gift
to the senators of Rome.
1285
00:58:52,080 --> 00:58:54,720
- A gift, my lord?
1286
00:58:54,760 --> 00:58:59,880
- 300 of our best men
as slaves.
1287
00:58:59,920 --> 00:59:07,240
♪
1288
00:59:08,600 --> 00:59:10,640
- The Senate
agrees to the deal,
1289
00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:14,480
but Alaric does not
intend to retreat.
1290
00:59:14,520 --> 00:59:17,800
♪
1291
00:59:17,840 --> 00:59:21,520
- The brilliant
and really rather ironic thing
1292
00:59:21,560 --> 00:59:24,640
is that the Romans
trace their ancestry back
1293
00:59:24,680 --> 00:59:28,560
to the Trojans, and what Alaric
has given them
1294
00:59:28,600 --> 00:59:31,000
is effectively a Trojan horse.
1295
00:59:31,040 --> 00:59:34,920
These slaves are
not any old slaves.
1296
00:59:34,960 --> 00:59:38,200
They're actually
300 of his finest warriors.
1297
00:59:38,240 --> 00:59:44,720
♪
1298
00:59:44,760 --> 00:59:48,400
Rome essentially undergoes
the Sack of Troy again.
1299
00:59:48,440 --> 00:59:51,640
The slaves have completely
infiltrated the city.
1300
00:59:51,680 --> 00:59:54,920
They go on the rampage.
1301
00:59:54,960 --> 00:59:58,320
And they open the gates to the
waiting Goths who are outside.
1302
00:59:58,360 --> 01:00:01,160
[all shouting]
1303
01:00:01,200 --> 01:00:08,520
♪
1304
01:00:14,560 --> 01:00:17,560
- The sack of Rome is
Alaric's greatest victory--
1305
01:00:17,600 --> 01:00:23,440
a strike so devastating that
the empire never recovers.
1306
01:00:23,480 --> 01:00:26,080
- The tide has
really turned now.
1307
01:00:26,120 --> 01:00:28,560
Essentially, once upon a time,
1308
01:00:28,600 --> 01:00:30,840
the barbarians were
at the mercy of Rome,
1309
01:00:30,880 --> 01:00:33,720
but now, Rome is
at the mercy of the barbarians.
1310
01:00:33,760 --> 01:00:36,240
Its days are numbered.
1311
01:00:36,280 --> 01:00:42,040
- There is chaos,
there is confusion,
1312
01:00:42,080 --> 01:00:46,960
and there is a sense
of desperation.
1313
01:00:47,000 --> 01:00:48,480
When he hears the news,
1314
01:00:48,520 --> 01:00:50,440
the Roman Christian writer
Jerome says,
1315
01:00:50,480 --> 01:00:55,200
"If Rome can perish,
what can be safe?"
1316
01:00:55,240 --> 01:00:57,400
♪
1317
01:00:57,440 --> 01:00:59,440
- Rome recovers from its sack
1318
01:00:59,480 --> 01:01:03,360
only for new dangers
to appear.
1319
01:01:03,400 --> 01:01:04,920
- Who are you?
1320
01:01:04,960 --> 01:01:08,720
- I'm Atilla, the Whip of God.
1321
01:01:09,120 --> 01:01:10,320
- [groaning]
1322
01:01:14,400 --> 01:01:18,000
♪
1323
01:01:18,040 --> 01:01:20,120
- For the first time
in generations,
1324
01:01:20,160 --> 01:01:23,520
the Roman Empire is no longer
fighting for domination;
1325
01:01:23,560 --> 01:01:26,120
it's fighting for survival.
1326
01:01:26,160 --> 01:01:28,600
♪
1327
01:01:28,640 --> 01:01:30,240
While the imperial
family struggles
1328
01:01:30,280 --> 01:01:32,680
to hold on to Italy
and North Africa,
1329
01:01:32,720 --> 01:01:34,240
Germanic peoples carve up
1330
01:01:34,280 --> 01:01:37,800
the rest of
the Western Empire.
1331
01:01:37,840 --> 01:01:41,160
The Visigoths settle
in Southwestern Gaul,
1332
01:01:41,200 --> 01:01:46,160
while Southern Spain
falls to the Vandals.
1333
01:01:46,200 --> 01:01:50,280
♪
1334
01:01:50,320 --> 01:01:51,520
Their unlikely leader
1335
01:01:51,560 --> 01:01:53,760
is the illegitimate son
of a king.
1336
01:01:53,800 --> 01:01:56,520
His name is Gaiseric.
1337
01:01:56,560 --> 01:01:59,560
- The Roman sources
report that Gaiseric
1338
01:01:59,600 --> 01:02:02,640
had a physical disability,
but apart from that,
1339
01:02:02,680 --> 01:02:04,920
what they emphasize
is his intelligence.
1340
01:02:04,960 --> 01:02:08,920
- Gaiseric was an almost
uniquely perceptive statesman.
1341
01:02:08,960 --> 01:02:10,840
♪
1342
01:02:10,880 --> 01:02:14,400
He was ruthless
in negotiations,
1343
01:02:14,440 --> 01:02:18,760
and ruthless when he chose
to put his army into action.
1344
01:02:18,800 --> 01:02:21,520
- Gaiseric,
of all the late Roman
1345
01:02:21,560 --> 01:02:25,560
barbarian leaders,
is the only one who really
1346
01:02:25,600 --> 01:02:29,320
seeks to create a kingdom.
1347
01:02:29,360 --> 01:02:35,440
He wants to control his own
agenda for the long run.
1348
01:02:35,480 --> 01:02:39,040
- In 439, Gaiseric strikes
at the jewel
1349
01:02:39,080 --> 01:02:40,520
in the empire's crown...
1350
01:02:40,560 --> 01:02:42,320
♪
1351
01:02:42,360 --> 01:02:46,040
Carthage, a crucial territory
that Rome has held
1352
01:02:46,080 --> 01:02:50,280
since its defeat of Hannibal
nearly 600 years earlier.
1353
01:02:50,320 --> 01:02:52,640
♪
1354
01:02:52,680 --> 01:02:54,560
- North Africa is
the breadbasket
1355
01:02:54,600 --> 01:02:56,520
of the Roman Empire,
and Carthage is
1356
01:02:56,560 --> 01:02:58,840
the gateway to North Africa.
1357
01:02:58,880 --> 01:03:00,160
There's an extraordinary
symmetry
1358
01:03:00,200 --> 01:03:03,960
between the construction
of the Roman Empire
1359
01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:06,160
on the basis of taking Carthage
1360
01:03:06,200 --> 01:03:10,120
and its effective fall
as a viable superpower
1361
01:03:10,160 --> 01:03:12,400
through the Vandals' capture
of Carthage.
1362
01:03:12,440 --> 01:03:14,960
♪
1363
01:03:15,000 --> 01:03:18,040
- Gaiseric's capture
of Carthage
1364
01:03:18,080 --> 01:03:24,400
is the single most devastating
blow to the Roman Empire.
1365
01:03:24,440 --> 01:03:28,320
Gaiseric now controls
the food supply
1366
01:03:28,360 --> 01:03:30,240
to the armies
of the Western Empire,
1367
01:03:30,280 --> 01:03:31,680
the food supply to Rome.
1368
01:03:31,720 --> 01:03:34,760
He is in complete control.
1369
01:03:34,800 --> 01:03:38,880
- With the Vandals now
controlling the Mediterranean,
1370
01:03:38,920 --> 01:03:42,280
Italy cannot feed itself.
1371
01:03:42,320 --> 01:03:46,520
Rome is about to go through
decades
1372
01:03:46,560 --> 01:03:50,320
of famine, of decline,
1373
01:03:50,360 --> 01:03:56,680
of loss, of permanent fall.
1374
01:03:56,720 --> 01:04:00,160
♪
1375
01:04:00,200 --> 01:04:02,440
- And as Rome's
enemies circle,
1376
01:04:02,480 --> 01:04:05,600
its politics weaken it
from within.
1377
01:04:05,640 --> 01:04:07,840
♪
1378
01:04:07,880 --> 01:04:11,040
The Eastern emperor
Theodosius II
1379
01:04:11,080 --> 01:04:12,960
rules from Constantinople.
1380
01:04:13,000 --> 01:04:16,240
His empire is mostly intact.
1381
01:04:16,280 --> 01:04:19,920
But in Ravenna, his young
cousin, Valentinian III,
1382
01:04:19,960 --> 01:04:24,800
rules a much reduced
Western Empire.
1383
01:04:24,840 --> 01:04:27,800
- The Emperor Valentinian
came to the throne as a child.
1384
01:04:27,840 --> 01:04:33,080
He was young, he was weak,
he was not taught the politics
1385
01:04:33,120 --> 01:04:35,960
that earlier Roman emperors
had been taught,
1386
01:04:36,000 --> 01:04:38,560
and he was not a soldier.
1387
01:04:38,600 --> 01:04:42,600
He was also very much
under the thumb of his mother,
1388
01:04:42,640 --> 01:04:45,200
the imperial princess, Galla.
1389
01:04:45,240 --> 01:04:47,720
- Galla is
an astonishing woman.
1390
01:04:47,760 --> 01:04:50,400
Not only is she
the sister of one emperor,
1391
01:04:50,440 --> 01:04:52,360
she's married to another,
1392
01:04:52,400 --> 01:04:54,400
and then she's the mother
of a third.
1393
01:04:54,440 --> 01:04:59,560
And she exercises a great deal
of personal power
1394
01:04:59,600 --> 01:05:02,240
within the imperial
political circles.
1395
01:05:02,280 --> 01:05:05,600
♪
1396
01:05:05,640 --> 01:05:09,560
- She and her son turn to the
only man capable of saving
1397
01:05:09,600 --> 01:05:13,360
their crumbling empire,
General Flavius Aetius,
1398
01:05:13,400 --> 01:05:16,160
who's replaced Stilicho
as the commander-in-chief
1399
01:05:16,200 --> 01:05:18,280
of the Western armies.
1400
01:05:18,320 --> 01:05:21,240
- The problem Aetius faces
is that he's
1401
01:05:21,280 --> 01:05:24,120
distrusted by the royal family,
basically because
1402
01:05:24,160 --> 01:05:26,560
he becomes too powerful.
1403
01:05:26,600 --> 01:05:28,960
He manages to take over
complete control
1404
01:05:29,000 --> 01:05:32,160
of Roman military forces
in the Western Empire himself.
1405
01:05:32,200 --> 01:05:39,200
♪
1406
01:05:39,240 --> 01:05:41,440
- Aetius,
1407
01:05:41,480 --> 01:05:45,080
Magister Militum
of the Western Army,
1408
01:05:45,120 --> 01:05:47,560
patriarch...
1409
01:05:47,600 --> 01:05:50,320
of my empire.
1410
01:05:50,360 --> 01:05:52,560
♪
1411
01:05:52,600 --> 01:05:55,280
Give this to my cousin
Theodosius.
1412
01:05:55,320 --> 01:05:58,200
♪
1413
01:05:58,240 --> 01:06:01,960
I have decided to petition
the Eastern Empire
1414
01:06:02,000 --> 01:06:05,640
to ally their armies
and their fleet
1415
01:06:05,680 --> 01:06:08,840
for you to drive
the Vandal king from Carthage.
1416
01:06:08,880 --> 01:06:13,520
♪
1417
01:06:13,560 --> 01:06:16,600
This Attila.
1418
01:06:16,640 --> 01:06:19,880
Is he the devil, as they say?
1419
01:06:19,920 --> 01:06:21,160
- No.
1420
01:06:21,200 --> 01:06:23,120
♪
1421
01:06:23,160 --> 01:06:24,280
Much worse.
1422
01:06:24,320 --> 01:06:31,480
♪
1423
01:06:32,440 --> 01:06:34,960
- Even as the Romans
make plans to face
1424
01:06:35,000 --> 01:06:37,960
the Vandals in Carthage,
they know other barbarians
1425
01:06:38,000 --> 01:06:40,000
are growing in power.
1426
01:06:40,040 --> 01:06:43,040
None more than the Huns,
who appeared from the steppes
1427
01:06:43,080 --> 01:06:45,320
of Eurasia in the 4th century.
1428
01:06:45,360 --> 01:06:48,400
♪
1429
01:06:48,440 --> 01:06:49,920
- Who are you?
1430
01:06:49,960 --> 01:06:55,320
- I'm Attila, the Whip of God.
1431
01:06:55,360 --> 01:06:59,000
- [groaning]
1432
01:06:59,040 --> 01:07:02,600
- Attila the Hun stands
as one of the most ruthless,
1433
01:07:02,640 --> 01:07:08,240
if not the most ruthless,
military leaders of all time.
1434
01:07:08,280 --> 01:07:11,440
He would slaughter thousands,
tens of thousands,
1435
01:07:11,480 --> 01:07:15,480
to send a very strong message
to those that stood in his path
1436
01:07:15,520 --> 01:07:17,520
about the fate
that awaited them.
1437
01:07:17,560 --> 01:07:24,760
♪
1438
01:07:26,040 --> 01:07:30,240
- While Attila's Huns
menace Rome's eastern borders,
1439
01:07:30,280 --> 01:07:32,400
the Western and Eastern Empire
1440
01:07:32,440 --> 01:07:35,520
launch their combined
operation against the Vandals.
1441
01:07:35,560 --> 01:07:37,880
♪
1442
01:07:37,920 --> 01:07:41,760
Rome's combined forces,
numbering 100,000 men,
1443
01:07:41,800 --> 01:07:45,680
meet in Sicily,
ready to sail to Carthage.
1444
01:07:45,720 --> 01:07:48,040
It's the largest
invasion force
1445
01:07:48,080 --> 01:07:50,440
the empire has ever assembled,
1446
01:07:50,480 --> 01:07:54,320
but it leaves the eastern
border virtually undefended.
1447
01:07:54,360 --> 01:07:55,800
♪
1448
01:07:55,840 --> 01:07:59,480
- Attila sees this,
he seizes the moment
1449
01:07:59,520 --> 01:08:04,320
to unleash his Hunnic hordes,
while the rest of the Romans
1450
01:08:04,360 --> 01:08:07,200
are over there
600 miles away in Sicily.
1451
01:08:07,240 --> 01:08:13,920
♪
1452
01:08:13,960 --> 01:08:18,360
- Attila turns Roman tactics
and technology against them.
1453
01:08:18,400 --> 01:08:21,880
Using towers, catapults,
and battering rams,
1454
01:08:21,920 --> 01:08:26,400
the Huns can take a fortified
city in a matter of days.
1455
01:08:26,440 --> 01:08:33,760
♪
1456
01:08:36,760 --> 01:08:40,920
- This is a seismic shift in
the strategic balance of power.
1457
01:08:40,960 --> 01:08:43,400
Earlier enemies
rampaging through the Balkans
1458
01:08:43,440 --> 01:08:47,000
like the Goths couldn't
take defended cities.
1459
01:08:47,040 --> 01:08:49,840
They never conducted
successful sieges.
1460
01:08:49,880 --> 01:08:51,520
The fact that
the Huns can do it,
1461
01:08:51,560 --> 01:08:54,040
and they can take really
major Roman bases,
1462
01:08:54,080 --> 01:08:55,880
that changes everything.
1463
01:08:55,920 --> 01:08:58,160
♪
1464
01:08:58,200 --> 01:09:00,560
- As the end game approaches,
1465
01:09:00,600 --> 01:09:02,960
Rome's defenders
have no easy options.
1466
01:09:03,000 --> 01:09:04,760
♪
1467
01:09:04,800 --> 01:09:06,520
To act against one
1468
01:09:06,560 --> 01:09:09,200
means letting the other
grow stronger.
1469
01:09:13,920 --> 01:09:15,600
- The Western
and Eastern Empires
1470
01:09:15,640 --> 01:09:18,480
come together to push back
their enemies,
1471
01:09:18,520 --> 01:09:20,920
but as the Huns advance
in Eastern Europe,
1472
01:09:20,960 --> 01:09:24,080
in Sicily, the combined
Roman forces charged
1473
01:09:24,120 --> 01:09:26,320
with defeating
Gaiseric's Vandals
1474
01:09:26,360 --> 01:09:29,560
find themselves grappling
with the fallout.
1475
01:09:29,600 --> 01:09:31,520
[dramatic music]
1476
01:09:31,560 --> 01:09:34,720
- We have orders to withdraw.
1477
01:09:34,760 --> 01:09:36,360
Emperor Theodosius
has called back
1478
01:09:36,400 --> 01:09:37,960
the entire Eastern Army
1479
01:09:38,000 --> 01:09:41,200
to defend Constantinople
from the Huns.
1480
01:09:41,240 --> 01:09:42,920
We leave at dawn.
1481
01:09:42,960 --> 01:09:44,440
I'm sorry, my friend.
1482
01:09:44,480 --> 01:09:50,840
♪
1483
01:09:50,880 --> 01:09:54,720
- Without the Eastern fleet,
we're done.
1484
01:09:54,760 --> 01:09:56,760
We cannot sail alone.
1485
01:09:56,800 --> 01:09:59,240
What do you suggest?
1486
01:09:59,280 --> 01:10:01,920
- We leave Carthage
to Gaiseric for now.
1487
01:10:01,960 --> 01:10:05,800
Agree terms with the Vandals
to let grain into the empire.
1488
01:10:05,840 --> 01:10:08,080
- If and when
we defeat Attila,
1489
01:10:08,120 --> 01:10:11,480
I will return and remove
that traitor's head.
1490
01:10:11,520 --> 01:10:15,080
♪
1491
01:10:15,120 --> 01:10:16,840
- By turning
its invasion force north
1492
01:10:16,880 --> 01:10:18,640
to confront Attila,
1493
01:10:18,680 --> 01:10:22,600
Rome grants Gaiseric a crucial
window of opportunity,
1494
01:10:22,640 --> 01:10:26,040
one the empire
will come to regret.
1495
01:10:26,080 --> 01:10:29,680
- The fact that the expedition
never sails from Sicily
1496
01:10:29,720 --> 01:10:32,560
means everything to Gaiseric.
1497
01:10:32,600 --> 01:10:36,840
It allows him
to start to build
1498
01:10:36,880 --> 01:10:40,360
a real kingdom
in North Africa.
1499
01:10:40,400 --> 01:10:44,640
It basically secures
his existence
1500
01:10:44,680 --> 01:10:47,360
as an independent power.
1501
01:10:47,400 --> 01:10:51,680
- Gaiseric is possibly
the most underestimated factor
1502
01:10:51,720 --> 01:10:54,880
in the decline
of the Roman Empire.
1503
01:10:54,920 --> 01:10:59,000
He's a famously effective
military strategist,
1504
01:10:59,040 --> 01:11:03,400
but he's also
infamously cunning.
1505
01:11:03,440 --> 01:11:05,400
♪
1506
01:11:05,440 --> 01:11:08,080
- Western Emperor Valentinian
is forced to grant Gaiseric
1507
01:11:08,120 --> 01:11:12,680
a treaty in 442 C.E.,
recognizing an independent
1508
01:11:12,720 --> 01:11:16,040
Vandal Kingdom on lands
that were once Rome's.
1509
01:11:16,080 --> 01:11:19,640
♪
1510
01:11:19,680 --> 01:11:22,920
And to cap it all off,
Emperor Valentinian
1511
01:11:22,960 --> 01:11:27,160
agrees to marry his daughter
to Gaiseric's son...
1512
01:11:27,200 --> 01:11:30,320
♪
1513
01:11:30,360 --> 01:11:34,160
Giving the Vandal king
a fateful claim
1514
01:11:34,200 --> 01:11:36,760
on the imperial family.
1515
01:11:36,800 --> 01:11:38,680
♪
1516
01:11:38,720 --> 01:11:41,600
- The Romans have no choice
but to turn back.
1517
01:11:41,640 --> 01:11:44,960
This is the ever-present
nightmare of a two-front war,
1518
01:11:45,000 --> 01:11:46,680
and the Romans
respond accordingly.
1519
01:11:46,720 --> 01:11:49,240
They have to keep
the Vandals on their side,
1520
01:11:49,280 --> 01:11:51,920
but the treaty leaves them
seriously weakened.
1521
01:11:51,960 --> 01:11:55,760
♪
1522
01:11:55,800 --> 01:11:58,000
- While on
the Danube frontier,
1523
01:11:58,040 --> 01:12:00,720
the situation only becomes
more desperate
1524
01:12:00,760 --> 01:12:03,160
as Attila plunders city
after city,
1525
01:12:03,200 --> 01:12:06,400
moving closer
to the Eastern Roman capital.
1526
01:12:06,440 --> 01:12:08,640
♪
1527
01:12:08,680 --> 01:12:11,640
- Attila was
fundamentally predatory.
1528
01:12:11,680 --> 01:12:15,080
He did not have
a massive taxation system
1529
01:12:15,120 --> 01:12:18,000
set up in order to extract
revenue from his subjects.
1530
01:12:18,040 --> 01:12:20,640
Instead, his goal was
to use the Roman Empire
1531
01:12:20,680 --> 01:12:23,720
as a sort of bank from which he
could draw whenever he needed
1532
01:12:23,760 --> 01:12:27,400
more money in order to supply,
above all, those people who
1533
01:12:27,440 --> 01:12:29,280
were his leaders with gold.
1534
01:12:29,320 --> 01:12:31,040
♪
1535
01:12:31,080 --> 01:12:32,880
- Eastern Emperor Theodosius
1536
01:12:32,920 --> 01:12:35,480
knows he must keep Attila
away from his capital,
1537
01:12:35,520 --> 01:12:39,120
Constantinople, now almost
equal in size and wealth
1538
01:12:39,160 --> 01:12:41,480
to the city of Rome.
1539
01:12:41,520 --> 01:12:45,360
But he's not prepared to pay
the ransom, 1 ton in gold,
1540
01:12:45,400 --> 01:12:49,160
that Attila demands in return
for leaving the city alone.
1541
01:12:49,200 --> 01:12:55,480
♪
1542
01:12:55,520 --> 01:12:57,520
- Theodosius has grown bold.
1543
01:12:57,560 --> 01:13:01,880
He has refused
the Huns' peace terms.
1544
01:13:01,920 --> 01:13:03,840
Attila is apocalyptic.
1545
01:13:03,880 --> 01:13:07,120
Asks that his army moves
on the east as we speak.
1546
01:13:07,160 --> 01:13:10,200
♪
1547
01:13:10,240 --> 01:13:16,040
- They say Attila has found
the Sword of Mars in Scythia.
1548
01:13:16,080 --> 01:13:17,920
They say it has magical powers,
1549
01:13:17,960 --> 01:13:21,880
that it proves his
divine right to lead.
1550
01:13:21,920 --> 01:13:23,880
- It's nothing
but folklore, superstition.
1551
01:13:23,920 --> 01:13:25,400
- I know that!
1552
01:13:25,440 --> 01:13:28,120
♪
1553
01:13:28,160 --> 01:13:29,520
But his armies don't.
1554
01:13:29,560 --> 01:13:31,400
♪
1555
01:13:31,440 --> 01:13:32,520
They believe it.
1556
01:13:32,560 --> 01:13:35,080
They think they are
following a god.
1557
01:13:35,120 --> 01:13:38,720
♪
1558
01:13:38,760 --> 01:13:41,080
- Attila escalates
his attacks,
1559
01:13:41,120 --> 01:13:45,320
sweeping through the Eastern
Empire towards Constantinople.
1560
01:13:45,360 --> 01:13:47,040
- He took over
most of the cities
1561
01:13:47,080 --> 01:13:50,680
in what is today
Bulgaria and Serbia.
1562
01:13:50,720 --> 01:13:53,440
Something on the order
of 80 cities were captured.
1563
01:13:53,480 --> 01:13:55,840
Probably on the order
of 100,000 people
1564
01:13:55,880 --> 01:13:57,480
were taken into captivity.
1565
01:13:57,520 --> 01:13:59,560
♪
1566
01:13:59,600 --> 01:14:02,600
- In 443,
with the Eastern Empire
1567
01:14:02,640 --> 01:14:06,040
on the verge of collapse,
Theodosius surrenders.
1568
01:14:06,080 --> 01:14:07,880
♪
1569
01:14:07,920 --> 01:14:11,000
Attila now demands
3 tons of gold,
1570
01:14:11,040 --> 01:14:13,880
plus another ton
to be paid every year.
1571
01:14:13,920 --> 01:14:18,360
♪
1572
01:14:18,400 --> 01:14:22,840
The settlement causes a crisis
within the Eastern economy
1573
01:14:22,880 --> 01:14:26,440
and turns the Huns towards
Valentinian in the west.
1574
01:14:26,480 --> 01:14:31,480
♪
1575
01:14:31,520 --> 01:14:34,320
- I have no doubt that
Attila rides on us.
1576
01:14:34,360 --> 01:14:37,800
- Then send the legions to
reinforce the northern borders.
1577
01:14:37,840 --> 01:14:39,280
Hunt him down.
1578
01:14:39,320 --> 01:14:41,680
- With all due respect,
we do not have enough men.
1579
01:14:41,720 --> 01:14:44,840
If and when he attacks, we will
not be able to hold him.
1580
01:14:44,880 --> 01:14:46,760
We cannot defend our borders.
1581
01:14:46,800 --> 01:14:49,240
We cannot rely on the East
for reinforcements.
1582
01:14:49,280 --> 01:14:51,160
It leaves us
with just one option.
1583
01:14:51,200 --> 01:14:53,080
We must send word
to the barbarian tribes
1584
01:14:53,120 --> 01:14:55,040
to form a coalition.
1585
01:14:55,080 --> 01:14:57,800
If we unite together,
we may hold.
1586
01:14:57,840 --> 01:15:01,840
If we fight alone, us and every
other tribe will fall.
1587
01:15:01,880 --> 01:15:05,120
♪
1588
01:15:05,160 --> 01:15:07,040
- To call the Roman Empire
at this point
1589
01:15:07,080 --> 01:15:10,520
a husk of its former self is,
frankly, being too generous.
1590
01:15:10,560 --> 01:15:13,720
Huge areas have fallen out
of its effective control.
1591
01:15:13,760 --> 01:15:15,760
Its resources are
dramatically diminished.
1592
01:15:15,800 --> 01:15:19,480
Even assembling an army
is extraordinarily difficult.
1593
01:15:19,520 --> 01:15:21,680
If you wanted soldiers,
you were going
1594
01:15:21,720 --> 01:15:24,000
to have to turn to the Goths.
1595
01:15:24,040 --> 01:15:27,040
- The Goths are
the best military force,
1596
01:15:27,080 --> 01:15:28,520
apart from the Roman army,
1597
01:15:28,560 --> 01:15:31,080
that's available
on Western territories.
1598
01:15:31,120 --> 01:15:36,840
♪
1599
01:15:36,880 --> 01:15:40,760
Up to this point, the whole
of the strategy of the empire
1600
01:15:40,800 --> 01:15:43,240
has been to try and keep
the Goths in line.
1601
01:15:43,280 --> 01:15:47,080
Now the empire has to go
cap-in-hand to the Goths
1602
01:15:47,120 --> 01:15:48,920
to keep itself in being.
1603
01:15:48,960 --> 01:15:52,480
♪
1604
01:15:52,520 --> 01:15:55,440
- Theodoric, my old friend,
you have two choices.
1605
01:15:55,480 --> 01:15:59,920
Fight alongside us
or face the Hun alone.
1606
01:15:59,960 --> 01:16:02,880
And watch the Goths being
driven into oblivion.
1607
01:16:02,920 --> 01:16:06,000
♪
1608
01:16:06,040 --> 01:16:07,400
I'll await your answer.
1609
01:16:07,440 --> 01:16:12,320
♪
1610
01:16:12,360 --> 01:16:15,680
- The unnatural alliance
is made just in time.
1611
01:16:15,720 --> 01:16:19,640
♪
1612
01:16:19,680 --> 01:16:23,880
Attila's horde, as many
as 100,000 warriors,
1613
01:16:23,920 --> 01:16:26,640
cross the Rhine
into Roman Gaul,
1614
01:16:26,680 --> 01:16:30,720
attacking city after city.
1615
01:16:30,760 --> 01:16:34,480
Aetius scrambles his forces
to confront them.
1616
01:16:34,520 --> 01:16:38,720
♪
1617
01:16:38,760 --> 01:16:42,760
Romans and Visigoths
will meet the Huns in Gaul
1618
01:16:42,800 --> 01:16:45,320
in one of the bloodiest
battles of the Roman age.
1619
01:16:45,360 --> 01:16:47,800
♪
1620
01:16:47,840 --> 01:16:51,120
Its outcome will decide
the fate of the empire.
1621
01:16:56,160 --> 01:16:59,880
♪
1622
01:16:59,920 --> 01:17:04,080
- In its 1,000-year history,
Rome has survived invasions,
1623
01:17:04,120 --> 01:17:07,480
uprisings, and disease.
1624
01:17:07,520 --> 01:17:11,480
Now it unites with its old
enemies, the Visigoths,
1625
01:17:11,520 --> 01:17:14,480
to fight an even more
terrifying one,
1626
01:17:14,520 --> 01:17:17,720
Attila and his Huns.
1627
01:17:17,760 --> 01:17:20,760
- This is the most
powerful Hunnic army
1628
01:17:20,800 --> 01:17:22,680
there has ever been.
1629
01:17:22,720 --> 01:17:26,200
This is confrontation
on a colossal scale.
1630
01:17:26,240 --> 01:17:32,920
♪
1631
01:17:32,960 --> 01:17:36,240
- Aetius commands
a combined force of Romans
1632
01:17:36,280 --> 01:17:39,280
and Goths numbering
80,000 men on the north
1633
01:17:39,320 --> 01:17:41,680
of the battlefield.
1634
01:17:41,720 --> 01:17:44,840
On the opposite side,
Attila leads as many
1635
01:17:44,880 --> 01:17:48,040
as 100,000 warriors
set to charge.
1636
01:17:48,080 --> 01:17:50,120
♪
1637
01:17:50,160 --> 01:17:57,040
- Today, we will rip their
empire from their dead hands.
1638
01:17:57,080 --> 01:18:02,080
There will be great sacrifice,
but we will be victorious!
1639
01:18:02,120 --> 01:18:04,560
[all cheering]
1640
01:18:04,600 --> 01:18:08,520
♪
1641
01:18:08,560 --> 01:18:10,520
- Sound the advance!
1642
01:18:10,560 --> 01:18:17,880
♪
1643
01:18:27,560 --> 01:18:30,640
- The Battle
of the Catalaunian Plains
1644
01:18:30,680 --> 01:18:33,600
is one of the bloodiest in the
history of the Roman Empire.
1645
01:18:33,640 --> 01:18:36,720
♪
1646
01:18:36,760 --> 01:18:39,120
Roman historians
describe a slaughter
1647
01:18:39,160 --> 01:18:41,920
on an unprecedented scale.
1648
01:18:41,960 --> 01:18:47,240
♪
1649
01:18:47,280 --> 01:18:53,600
- Very clearly,
upwards of 50,000 men total
1650
01:18:53,640 --> 01:18:57,600
died during the Battle
of the Catalaunian Plains.
1651
01:18:57,640 --> 01:18:59,760
These are numbers that
are comparable to some
1652
01:18:59,800 --> 01:19:04,280
of the largest battles in
World War I and World War II.
1653
01:19:04,320 --> 01:19:06,080
♪
1654
01:19:06,120 --> 01:19:09,680
- The Huns never regained
their previous strength.
1655
01:19:09,720 --> 01:19:13,080
A victory for Rome
and its allies.
1656
01:19:13,120 --> 01:19:15,120
♪
1657
01:19:15,160 --> 01:19:17,720
Aetius returns to Italy
as the commander
1658
01:19:17,760 --> 01:19:19,800
of the depleted army.
1659
01:19:19,840 --> 01:19:23,280
The battle is a strategic
victory for the empire,
1660
01:19:23,320 --> 01:19:26,320
but its military losses
are so great that
1661
01:19:26,360 --> 01:19:29,840
it is vulnerable to the threat
from Gaiseric's Vandals.
1662
01:19:29,880 --> 01:19:35,960
♪
1663
01:19:36,000 --> 01:19:38,760
- We lost seven legions
in the battle.
1664
01:19:38,800 --> 01:19:40,920
The northern border's a mayhem.
1665
01:19:40,960 --> 01:19:43,360
We do not have enough manpower
to reinforce them.
1666
01:19:43,400 --> 01:19:45,760
Gaiseric continues
his blockade of Sardinia,
1667
01:19:45,800 --> 01:19:48,080
severing us further
from the sea.
1668
01:19:48,120 --> 01:19:52,480
We must again ask the Eastern
Empire for reinforcements.
1669
01:19:52,520 --> 01:19:55,320
- You dare to question my rule
1670
01:19:55,360 --> 01:19:58,520
by blaming the troubles
of the empire on me?
1671
01:19:58,560 --> 01:20:01,160
- I blame no one--
- Oh, enough.
1672
01:20:01,200 --> 01:20:07,440
♪
1673
01:20:07,480 --> 01:20:09,400
Do you wish power for yourself?
1674
01:20:09,440 --> 01:20:12,800
♪
1675
01:20:12,840 --> 01:20:15,760
- I seek nothing.
1676
01:20:15,800 --> 01:20:18,640
- You seek to usurp me.
1677
01:20:18,680 --> 01:20:21,360
You won't get the chance,
you traitor!
1678
01:20:21,400 --> 01:20:24,480
- [grunting]
1679
01:20:24,520 --> 01:20:31,720
♪
1680
01:20:32,720 --> 01:20:36,280
- For Aetius, he should be
celebrated as the great hero
1681
01:20:36,320 --> 01:20:37,760
who has defeated the Huns.
1682
01:20:37,800 --> 01:20:39,960
He has done the impossible.
1683
01:20:40,000 --> 01:20:43,880
Arguably the greatest military
figure Rome has known.
1684
01:20:43,920 --> 01:20:45,880
Certainly the greatest
military figure Rome
1685
01:20:45,920 --> 01:20:47,360
has known for a long time.
1686
01:20:47,400 --> 01:20:49,520
♪
1687
01:20:49,560 --> 01:20:52,720
- The death of Aetius
deprives Rome
1688
01:20:52,760 --> 01:20:54,760
of its most
effective protector.
1689
01:20:54,800 --> 01:20:57,600
His reputation alone
is probably enough
1690
01:20:57,640 --> 01:21:01,280
to keep barbarians away
from the gates of Rome.
1691
01:21:01,320 --> 01:21:06,480
But without him, they've
become much more vulnerable.
1692
01:21:06,520 --> 01:21:08,280
- The decline
of Rome accelerates
1693
01:21:08,320 --> 01:21:11,480
as the barbarians dismantle
the once-great empire.
1694
01:21:11,520 --> 01:21:13,320
♪
1695
01:21:13,360 --> 01:21:17,080
The imperial household
begins to implode.
1696
01:21:17,120 --> 01:21:20,440
♪
1697
01:21:20,480 --> 01:21:23,200
- [grunting]
1698
01:21:23,240 --> 01:21:26,280
- Within a year,
Valentinian is assassinated
1699
01:21:26,320 --> 01:21:28,440
by soldiers loyal to Aetius.
1700
01:21:28,480 --> 01:21:32,800
♪
1701
01:21:32,840 --> 01:21:36,240
By the time of his death,
Britain, North Africa,
1702
01:21:36,280 --> 01:21:37,920
Spain, and most of Gaul
1703
01:21:37,960 --> 01:21:40,200
have passed
out of Roman hands.
1704
01:21:40,240 --> 01:21:43,680
♪
1705
01:21:43,720 --> 01:21:45,800
Using the excuse
that his son is still
1706
01:21:45,840 --> 01:21:48,400
engaged to
Valentinian's daughter,
1707
01:21:48,440 --> 01:21:50,480
Gaiseric seizes his chance.
1708
01:21:50,520 --> 01:21:56,040
♪
1709
01:21:56,080 --> 01:21:59,200
- Gaiseric is the dark knight.
1710
01:21:59,240 --> 01:22:01,920
He is the one that really
1711
01:22:01,960 --> 01:22:03,720
brings the Western Empire
to its knees.
1712
01:22:03,760 --> 01:22:05,600
♪
1713
01:22:05,640 --> 01:22:09,920
- The Vandals arrive at the
gates of Rome in 455 C.E.
1714
01:22:09,960 --> 01:22:12,160
♪
1715
01:22:12,200 --> 01:22:15,200
- Gaiseric's intention
is not to conquer Rome,
1716
01:22:15,240 --> 01:22:16,560
but to plunder it.
1717
01:22:16,600 --> 01:22:18,520
What he's seeking to do
is to increase
1718
01:22:18,560 --> 01:22:21,800
the strength of his own kingdom
at the expense of Rome.
1719
01:22:21,840 --> 01:22:25,200
He wants to carve out
a domain for himself
1720
01:22:25,240 --> 01:22:26,920
from the ashes of the empire.
1721
01:22:26,960 --> 01:22:30,480
♪
1722
01:22:30,520 --> 01:22:32,840
- It takes the Vandals
less than two weeks
1723
01:22:32,880 --> 01:22:35,760
to defeat the city's defenses.
1724
01:22:35,800 --> 01:22:38,560
For days,
the Vandals loot at will.
1725
01:22:38,600 --> 01:22:40,800
♪
1726
01:22:40,840 --> 01:22:43,520
The Second Sack of Rome
is a fatal blow
1727
01:22:43,560 --> 01:22:46,640
from which the empire
will never recover.
1728
01:22:46,680 --> 01:22:49,840
♪
1729
01:22:49,880 --> 01:22:52,040
A succession of emperors
and pretenders
1730
01:22:52,080 --> 01:22:56,840
will squabble over the ruins
for another 20 years
1731
01:22:56,880 --> 01:22:59,120
while Goths, Franks, Vandals,
1732
01:22:59,160 --> 01:23:01,840
and others move in
for the kill.
1733
01:23:01,880 --> 01:23:05,120
♪
1734
01:23:05,160 --> 01:23:09,920
In 476 C.E., the last
Roman emperor in Italy
1735
01:23:09,960 --> 01:23:13,880
is deposed by a Gothic king.
1736
01:23:13,920 --> 01:23:17,960
The Western Roman Empire
has fallen.
1737
01:23:18,000 --> 01:23:24,600
♪
1738
01:23:24,640 --> 01:23:27,680
From its humble beginnings
to its spectacular decadence,
1739
01:23:27,720 --> 01:23:30,000
the story of Rome's
rise and fall
1740
01:23:30,040 --> 01:23:31,720
echoes through the ages.
1741
01:23:31,760 --> 01:23:33,560
♪
1742
01:23:33,600 --> 01:23:36,600
- Rome rose to power by making
the most of its strengths.
1743
01:23:36,640 --> 01:23:40,120
Its army. Its values.
Its engineering.
1744
01:23:40,160 --> 01:23:43,960
But ultimately, its ambition
also proved to be its downfall.
1745
01:23:44,000 --> 01:23:45,880
[tiger roars]
1746
01:23:45,920 --> 01:23:48,920
- The Roman Empire didn't
die a natural death.
1747
01:23:48,960 --> 01:23:51,360
It wasn't murdered
by outsiders.
1748
01:23:51,400 --> 01:23:53,360
It accidentally
committed suicide.
1749
01:23:53,400 --> 01:23:55,800
Rome was a victim
of its own success.
1750
01:23:55,840 --> 01:23:57,520
♪
1751
01:23:57,560 --> 01:24:01,560
- Internal divisions,
invasions, economic collapse,
1752
01:24:01,600 --> 01:24:03,440
religious upheavals.
1753
01:24:03,480 --> 01:24:06,920
Even a phenomenon
as resilient as Rome
1754
01:24:06,960 --> 01:24:09,600
could not stand up
to all those attacks.
1755
01:24:09,640 --> 01:24:11,760
♪
1756
01:24:11,800 --> 01:24:13,800
- There's many empires
that have claimed
1757
01:24:13,840 --> 01:24:16,000
to carry on the flame of Rome,
1758
01:24:16,040 --> 01:24:18,560
but no one has really succeeded
in coming close.
1759
01:24:18,600 --> 01:24:23,200
♪
1760
01:24:23,240 --> 01:24:25,320
- Roman law continues.
1761
01:24:25,360 --> 01:24:27,400
Roman religion continues.
1762
01:24:27,440 --> 01:24:31,840
Roman ideas and philosophy
continue into the present day.
1763
01:24:31,880 --> 01:24:34,560
- Let the games begin!
1764
01:24:34,600 --> 01:24:36,880
[crowd cheering]
1765
01:24:36,920 --> 01:24:41,880
- We are, to an extent,
the grandchildren of Rome.
1766
01:24:41,920 --> 01:24:45,680
And so in looking
at Rome's collapse,
1767
01:24:45,720 --> 01:24:48,200
we would be foolish not
to look at ourselves
1768
01:24:48,240 --> 01:24:53,080
and see how those same events
would affect us.
1769
01:24:53,120 --> 01:25:00,440
♪
1770
01:25:02,040 --> 01:25:07,800
- Rome is ultimately
a cautionary tale to us.
1771
01:25:07,840 --> 01:25:09,840
You are never too big to fail.
1772
01:25:09,880 --> 01:25:14,360
♪