BBC - I, Caesar Ruling the Roman Empire (1997) Part 4 Hadrian Within These Walls

– Also aired as “HAIL, CAESAR!” in A&E “Biography” series –

Its army dominated the known world. Its culture forms the heart of Western Civilization. At its zenith, the Roman Empire extended from Persia to England, the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. And throughout its history, its fate rested in the hands of individuals men of genius and courage, madness and ambition. Starting with Julius Caesar, films charts the rise and fall of the Roman power over 600 years, and this classic award-winning series takes a fascinating look at the public and private lives of six key men who ruled ancient Rome Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Hadrian, Constantine and Justinian. Their careers were made up of bloody battles and tactical bribery, stunning innovation and profound corruption, dazzling rhetoric and vicious back-stabbing – and together they form a picture of the most sophisticated highs and most brutal lows of the Roman Empire's inception, heyday and final decline. Stretching at its peak, from the north of England to southern Egypt and from the west coast of Spain to Syria in the east, the Roman Empire included within its boundaries myriad people, cultures and climates. The task of ruling it seems an impossible one, even with today’s communication technology. So how was it achieved two thousand years ago? And why has ancient Rome had such profound influence on western civilization ever since? Whether your interest is Caesar's brilliant military manoeuvring, Rome's astonishing statuary and architecture or the political strategies behind imperial power, these films offer an accessible introduction to the subject. I, CAESAR spans three continents and seven centuries to tell the saga of the Roman Empire and the men who shaped it. Ancient accounts detail Nero's madness and Augustus's political brilliance. The battles of Caesar and Justinian come to life through dramatic re- enactments. Modern scholars explore Constantine's conversion to Christianity. Cutting- edge computer graphics capture the splendor of Hadrian's “golden age,” and location footage from twenty-three countries shows the splendid ruins of Imperial Rome. In the riveting stories of its fabled rulers, the rise and fall of the Roman Empire comes alive. I, CAESAR takes a fresh look at the Roman Empire and shows that ancient history doesn't have to be a thing of the past…

Part 4 Hadrian Within These Walls

He overturned centuries-old policies, declaring an end to expansions and abandoning far-flung territories. Hadrian was an enthusiastic patron of the arts, a champion of the common Roman and a tireless diplomat who toured the entire Empire. He was born a thousand miles from Rome, yet became one of its most important rulers. After centuries of expansion, he decided that enough was enough. Hadrian is perhaps most famous for the wall he built across Britain. It is a fitting memorial to the emperor who declared an end to the expansionist policies of his predecessors, abandoning outlying territories and resolving to protect Rome from barbarian invaders. This episode journeys back to Rome's Golden Age to profile the man who brought it to fruition. See how the passion for culture he learned as a youth in Greece led him to support the art lavishly. An accomplished poet, Hadrian also oversaw the construction of many of Rome's greatest monuments, including the Pantheon. But his rule was not entirely without conflict, ancient accounts suggest that he may have killed over 500,000 people putting down an insurrection in Judea. This is the definitive portrait of the man who came from the edge of the empire to oversee Rome's Golden Age, the Emperor Hadrian.

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