Collection
The Roman Empire
Introduction
The Roman Empire boasts a uniquely powerful hold on the imaginations of people today - its efficient brutality, the romanticised idealism of its lost republic, the bombasticism of the emperors that followed, the behemothic size and diversity of the empire itself, and the seemingly unstoppable rise of its world dominion. It captivated the cultural conscience with a magnificent, almost prehistoric unknowability.
In this specially curated playlist from The Rest is History, Tom and Dominic’s episodes chart the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. From the legendary Carthaginian Wars, to Julius Caesar, and the moment, 2000 years ago, that he took the cataclysmic step of crossing the Rubicon with his legionaries and waging war on the Republic, and its chaotic demise. Then, to Caesar’s famous love affair with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, and following his murder, Cleopatra’s doomed lover affair with Mark Anthony. Just as riveting is their journey through the life of the cruel and capricious but undeniably gifted Emperor Nero, with his many wives and hedonism; the Jewish Rebellion, the mighty Colosseum - a bastion of Roman blood-lust, power and brutality - the apocalyptic explosion of Pompeii in 79 AD, and later, the relationship of the Emperor Hadrian with his lover, the young and beautiful Antinous, which delves into the most intimate details of Roman relationships….
Find all this and more, as Tom and Dominic transport you through the violent, triumphant and almost legendary history of the Roman Empire.
