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The Roman Empire: From Augustus to The Fall of Rome
Season 1
201924 episodes
Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
Episodes
- S1 E1 - Dawn of the Roman Empire
January 3, 201935minYour course opens by setting the stage for Rome’s transition from a Republic to an Empire. Octavian, overlooking the Ionian Sea after the ferocious Battle of Actium, has just secured victory in a civil war against Mark Antony. He will soon achieve what Julius Caesar could not: one-man rule over Rome. Delve into this major turning point in world history.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E2 - Augustus, the First Emperor
January 3, 201932minMeet the man who became Rome’s first emperor: Octavian, who took the title of Augustus, was relatively short and sickly, but clever and astute. His great political innovation—taking the title Augustus, gaining control of the military, and ruling Rome without inspiring his own assassination—is one of history’s most astonishing feats.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E3 - Tiberius and Caligula
January 3, 201932minAugustus may have been a tremendous emperor, but he failed in one key area: choosing a successor. After an almost comical series of events, he secured a male heir (a son of his wife’s by a previous marriage) to take the throne. Witness the debacle of Roman leadership under Tiberius and then Caligula.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E4 - Claudius and Nero
January 3, 201931minThe succession after Caligula continued to be a problem for the Roman Empire. Claudius, though physically challenged, was a good administrator. Nero, however, was depraved and self-aggrandizing, and nearly bankrupted the empire. Trace the strange, sad, and bloody story of their rule.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E5 - The Flavian Emperors and Roman Bath Culture
January 3, 201931minFollowing Nero, a quick series of emperors took power, ultimately ending with Vespasian, the first in the line of Flavian family emperors. After reviewing the story of these emperors, their accomplishments, and their shortcomings, Professor Aldrete offers insight into Roman bath culture and what it meant for the city.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E6 - The Five Good Emperors
January 3, 201933minRound out your survey of the early Roman emperors with a look at the rulers of the 2nd century, including Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius. Get to know their stories; their approach to ruling; and their achievements, such as Trajan’s military conquests and Marcus Aurelius’s philosophical meditations.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E7 - Hazards of Life in Ancient Rome: The Five Fs
January 3, 201931minYou might think of Rome as a grand city filled with shining marble and peopled with decadent-toga-clad citizens. In reality, the city was a swampy, stinking, disease-ridden mess with filth in the streets and a fire nearly every night in one of its buildings. See what life would have been like for Rome’s ordinary citizens.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E8 - Roman Art and Architecture
January 3, 201932minTwo of the great legacies of the Roman Empire are its art and architecture. You will reflect on the Etruscan and Greek influences on Roman portraits and sculptures, see how Augustus used art as propaganda, and learn about some of the many architectural and engineering innovations - including the Pantheon and the aqueducts.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E9 - Roman Literature
January 3, 201932minRoman literature had its roots in Greek influences, but by the time of the Empire, Roman writers had come into their own. The works you will study include the fiery rhetoric of Cicero; the poetry of Horace and Ovid; and Virgil’s epic about Rome’s founding, the Aeneid. You’ll also review histories, technical works, and writings on Christianity.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E10 - The Ordinary Roman Speaks: Graffiti
January 3, 201931minThe traditional understanding of Rome was based on accounts by upper-class males, who wrote the primary sources historians relied on for generations. More recent historians have looked at new sources to gain a fuller sense of the city’s history. You will examine graffiti preserved at Pompeii in order to hear directly from everyday Romans.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E11 - Final Words: Burial and Tombstone Epitaphs
January 3, 201930minContinue your study of everyday Romans with a look at the epitaphs on their tombstones. While elaborate tombs were reserved for the very rich, people of all social classes had their thoughts and stories inscribed on tombstones. You will also explore how the Romans buried their dead.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E12 - From Commodus to Caracalla
January 3, 201932minMarcus Aurelius may have been a wise philosopher, but he didn’t act wisely when appointing his son Commodus as heir, who turned out to be a throwback to the megalomania of Caligula and Nero. Emperor Septimius Severus provided a short period of stability, but his son, Caracalla, was yet another unbalanced ruler.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E13 - The Crisis of the 3rd Century
January 3, 201931minThe empire hit a low point with Elagabalus, who was arguably the worst Roman emperor of all - which is saying quite a lot. Then Rome teetered on the brink of total collapse due to a deadly combination of civil war, barbarian invasions, economic collapse, and natural disasters.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E14 - Diocletian and Late 3rd-Century Reforms
January 3, 201932minJust when the Roman Empire seemed on the verge of collapse, a series of hard-headed, practical emperors managed to rescue it. Follow the astonishing story of how these men, led by the reformer Diocletian, drove back the barbarians and stabilized the faltering Empire.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E15 - Early Christianity and the Rise of Constantine
January 3, 201932minStability never lasted long in the Roman Empire. At the dawn of the 4th century, Christianity emerged as a major world force - made manifest by Constantine’s dramatic and unexpected conversion. Find out how and why Christianity developed and spread, and the role it played in subsequent political events.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E16 - Constantine and His Successors
January 3, 201932minTake a closer look at Constantine and explore his motivations for converting to Christianity. Learn about the Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea, which codified key aspects of Christian theology. Then see why Constantine founded a new capital city at Byzantium, and the state of the empire at the end of his life.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E17 - Gladiators and Beast Hunts
January 3, 201932minGladiators dominate today’s popular imagination when it comes to ancient Rome - and indeed, the Romans loved their spectacles and sports. As you will find out here, gladiator combat was only one of many popular entertainments in the empire. Find out who the gladiators were and what their lives were like. Then turn to another popular contest: the beast hunt.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E18 - Chariot Racing, Spectacles, and Theater
January 3, 201932minAlthough gladiators dominate Hollywood films, chariot racing was actually the most popular sport in the Roman Empire. Go inside the Circus Maximus and learn about the factions and teams of chariot racers. Then shift your attention to the world of the theater, where plays, mimes, and music entertained the masses.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E19 - The Roman Army
January 3, 201932minNo survey of the Roman Empire would be complete without a detailed look at one of its most central institutions: the military. Take a look at the organization of Rome’s fighting forces. See what kind of equipment soldiers were outfitted with, how they trained, and what joining the military meant for farm boys in the provinces.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E20 - Barbarians Overwhelm the Western Empire
January 3, 201931minAdministration is only half the battle in maintaining a tremendous empire. You also have to defend the borders, and from the 3rd to the 5th centuries, Rome experienced an increasing wave of invasions by outsiders. Here, Professor Aldrete introduces you to the Huns, the Visigoths, the Vandals, and other invaders who penetrated Rome’s borders and plundered the empire.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E21 - The Byzantine Empire
January 3, 201932minWhile the western half of the Roman Empire had clearly collapsed by the end of the 5th century, the eastern Romans in the Byzantine Empire flourished for another thousand years. Visit the world of Constantinople, meet fascinating figures such as Justinian and Theodora, and see what made the Byzantine Empire so successful.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E22 - When and Why Did the Roman Empire Fall?
January 3, 201932minGenerations of historians have struggled over - and disagreed about - the fundamental questions of when and why the Roman Empire fell. This episode critically evaluates a wide range of possible answers to these complex and enduring questions.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E23 - Late Antiquity: A New Historical Era
January 3, 201934minTraditionally, historians have viewed the years 200 to 600 as a time of collapse and stagnation, the end of Rome and the arrival of the “Dark Ages.” Recent historians have taken another look at this era and seen a time of invigorating change, a vibrant mingling of cultures, and an exciting transition between antiquity and the Middle Ages.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E24 - Echoes of Rome
January 3, 201938minIn this final episode, consider the legacy of the Roman Empire, which influences us in innumerable ways, from our language to our legal codes. Because history is ultimately about people, Professor Aldrete closes with a few final voices to keep everyday Romans alive, and a reflection on what they might tell us today.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
Extras
Bonus
Trace the history of the Roman Empire from its foundation to its Golden Age in the 2nd century C.E. through ever-worsening crises and its ultimate disintegration. Taught by acclaimed Professor Gregory S. Aldrete, these 24 captivating episodes offer you the chance to experience the story of ancient Rome like never before, incorporating the latest historical research, perspectives, and insights.
Trace the history of the Roman Empire from its foundation to its Golden Age in the 2nd century C.E. through ever-worsening crises and its ultimate disintegration. Taught by acclaimed Professor Gregory S. Aldrete, these 24 captivating episodes offer you the chance to experience the story of ancient Rome like never before, incorporating the latest historical research, perspectives, and insights.
Trace the history of the Roman Empire from its foundation to its Golden Age in the 2nd century C.E. through ever-worsening crises and its ultimate disintegration. Taught by acclaimed Professor Gregory S. Aldrete, these 24 captivating episodes offer you the chance to experience the story of ancient Rome like never before, incorporating the latest historical research, perspectives, and insights.
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- Audio languages
- EnglishEnglish Dialogue Boost: MediumEnglish Dialogue Boost: High
- Subtitles
- English [CC]
- Producers
- The Great Courses
- Starring
- Gregory S. Aldrete
- Studio
- The Great Courses
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