BBC - I, Caesar Ruling the Roman Empire (1997) Part 6 Justinian Last of the Romans

– 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 6 Justinian Last of the Romans

He lived more than 500 years after Caesar. He ruled from Constantinople, not Rome. But Justinian restored the Empire to its former glory one last time. He sent his armies west, where they recaptured territory lost to Barbican invasions in the 5th century, reclaiming most of the empire. He is remembered as 'the last of the Romans'. Born a peasant, he became emperor of the Roman world. But it was an empire in decline. He spent his life trying to save it. And though he saw great victories, there were also terrible defeats. Some would call themselves emperor for another thousand years, but history remembers him as the “last of the Romans.” This episode explores the life and legacy Justinian, whose goal was to restore the glory of the ancient Roman Empire, and who nearly succeeded. Ancient accounts and dramatic re- enactments detail the campaigns that saw Italy, North Africa and Southern Spain restored to Roman rule, while experts reveal why the gains were doomed to be short lived. Justininan's vision of a centralized empire required the development of a uniform 'one state, one law, and one church' – formula. After Justinian's unsuccessful attempts to restore the Roman empire, what remained became decidedly Byzantine in aspect.

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