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This weekend, The History Channel premiers its new documentary, Rome: Engineering an Empire. You can catch it on TV on Labor Day—or, if you miss it, you can pick up a copy on DVD.
Rome: Engineering an Empire isn’t as high-tech and documentary-ish as the subtitle might suggest. Instead, it mixes fascinating story-telling with historical details (and a few mathematical details as well) and computer graphics to create a documentary that’s unlike anything you were forced to watch in high school history class.
Beginning with Julius Caesar, Rome discusses the reign of Rome’s most influential emperors—their stories, their technological advances, and their legacies. For example, it begins with the story of the 40-foot-wide bridge that Caesar’s men built across the Rhine River in 50 B.C. The bridge allowed 40,000 soldiers to cross to the other side—and it took only ten days to build. As it continues, Rome depicts the fire that Nero allegedly set to clear land for a 200-acre palace. And it tells of the Romans’ engineering marvels—the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the aqueducts, Hadrian’s wall, and more, ending with Caracalla’s Baths, built in 216 A.D.
If you’re an amateur history buff who tends to get caught up on The History Channel from time to time (personally, I’m a sucker for anything on Egypt—and, now, Rome), you won’t want to miss this one. It’s detailed enough to grab your attention without being so technical that it bores you with too many details—and it offers something of interest for everyone. Even if you’re not interested in the work that went into the building of the Colosseum, you’ll be captivated by the stories that surround it. The present-day pictures of what remains (including underground shots of Nero’s enormous palace) are amazing. And the computer graphics and recreations make it all come to life.
Be sure to check out Rome: Engineering an Empire. Visit HistoryChannel.com to check for showtimes in your area—and if you miss it, head to the History Channel’s web site for information on ordering the DVD. It’s so fascinating that you’ll easily be able to watch it more than once—and once you see it, you’ll be eager to plan your trip to Italy to see it all in person.
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