Rome: A History Of The Eternal City

Season 1

Author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore presents a three-part series uncovering the central role played by religion in creating and maintaining the power of the city of Rome. [BBC]

Where to Watch Season 1

3 Episodes

City Of The Sacred
E1
City Of The SacredHistorian Simon Sebag Montefiore uncovers the central role played by religion in creating and maintaining the power of the city of Rome from its foundations to the modern day. From its founding myth and its pagan gods whose actions dictated the politics of ancient Rome to the time that a new cult from the East, Christianity, threatened the status quo. In the first episode we see how every event in ancient Rome revolved around religion.
Divine Gamble
E2
Divine GambleRome casts aside its pantheon of pagan gods and a radical new religion takes hold. Christianity was just a persecuted sect until Emperor Constantine took a huge leap of faith, promoting it as the religion of Empire.
The Rebirth of God's City
E3
The Rebirth of God's CitySimon Sebag Montefiore charts Rome's rise from the abandonment and neglect of the 14th century into the everlasting seat of the papacy recognised today. His story takes us through the debauchery and decadence of the Renaissance, the horrors of the Sack of Rome and the Catholic Reformation, through to the arrival of fascism and the creation of the Vatican State.