Ancient Rome: Story of an Empire [VHS]

Hosted by Joe Mantegna, Ancient Rome focuses on the four key periods in Roman history. Volume 1, "The Republic of Rome," examines the overthrow of the Etruscan monarchy and the conquest of Carthage and establishment of the two-class plebeian-patrician republican system. Volume 2, "The Age of Emperors," is first and foremost a history of the end of the republic and August's defeat of Marc Antony, as well as a biography of Julius Caesar. Volume 3, "Building an Empire," focuses on Rome's golden age and its still-visible heritage--including art and science and the systems of laws and roads that still connect and direct Europeans' lives. Finally, volume 4, "The Enduring Legacy," looks at Rome's early indifference to Christianity and how this religion came to dominate the world through Rome's dominance, even as the empire itself was about to crumble. Although this series suffers at times from a superficiality inherent in any cut-down documentary on so great a topic, it nonetheless remains--with thousands of beautiful images from Roman sites recontextualized to illuminate their ancient significance--an ideal introduction to all that was Rome. --Erik Macki