When Rome Ruled (2010)
Seasons & Episode
A stadium for 50,000. An architectural marvel 2000 years old. Here, stars were made. Lives were ended. Rome's glory was revealed but so was its ugly heart. From the archaeological evidence, and an eyewitness account we reconstruct when the Colosseum first opened its doors through beast fights, executions, and a legendary duel. It was glorious, brutal, ingenious, spectacular; terrifying. The Colosseum was Rome.
Follow Julius Caesars meteoric rise to power and his historic murder. His life was marked by tyranny and treachery, grand public gestures and secret double dealings, but his genius, ego and ambitions changed the course of the history of the Greco-Roman world.
Christianity conquered the Roman Empire. It catapulted from a persecuted mystery cult, viewed as a threat to the pagan ritualistic pantheon, to a turning point of victories over Rome's traditional religion. NGC unravels how the Christians infiltrated, endured and overran Rome. From the earliest martyrs to the first Christian empire, we'll see how they spread their message.
Christ is said to have been stabbed with a spear upon his crucifixion -- if it could be identified, the spear would be a powerful holy relic. In the centuries since, three weapons have been called the Holy Spear. Now, a priest and a scientist reach back through the mists of legend and time searching for the true spear that pierced the side of Christ. Could any of the three spears have been present 2,000 years ago?