In 63 BC, Rome faced a conspiracy that threatened to tear the Roman Republic apart. At its centre stood two figures: Marcus Tullius Cicero, the grand old orator of Rome and Lucius Sergius Catilina, accused of plotting violence, rebellion and the overthrow of Rome’s political orde ...Show more
Alexander the Great's Mad Scientist
WARNING: graphic descriptions of violence and warfareMeet Diades, Alexander the Great’s overlooked military engineer, the man who made the impossible siege of Tyre happen.Tristan Hughes and Professor Edmund Richardson retell the thrilling, brutal, brilliant story of invention, am ...Show more
The Roman gladiators have fascinatingly complex history, from paintings on cave walls to the Colosseum and the silver screen. These warriors, both celebrated and condemned, left behind a legacy of bravery, brutality, and spectacle. Who were they, and what did their lives truly en ...Show more
How did gladiators supercharge the rise of Julius Caesar? What can we learn about arena fighters from the petrified remains at Pompeii? And why did gladiatorial bouts get banned there for a whole decade? As Gladiator II arrives in cinemas later this week, Guy de la Bédoyère share ...Show more
If we were to step back in time on to the blood-soaked sand of the Roman gladiatorial arena, what would we uncover about society, power and entertainment in the ancient civilisation? Speaking to Rachel Dinning, historian Harry Sidebottom guides us through 24 hours in the arena, r ...Show more
In the first-ever episode of Short History Of… we take a trip back in time to Ancient Rome, to discover the bizarre and barbaric world of the gladiators. But who were these mysterious warriors? And how much truth lies behind the legends? Take your seat in the Roman Colosseum, the ...Show more