Engineering an Empire

Behind the scenes of locations from Pazzi chapel, Florence, Italy. Great Britain. Port of Carthage, Modern day Tunisia. Hagin Sophia Cathedral, Istanbul. Great Wall, Xian China. Persia shoot. Novgorod, Russia. Ancient Ruins of Pergamon:…

Narration by Peter Weller

Narration by Peter Weller

Narration by Chris Cassel

No synopsis

See the engineering feats that brought Rome to power in the ancient world. From Julius Caesar and the end of the Roman Republic to the birth of an empire that would transform Europe, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East for at least…

From the year 3000 BC all the way to around 1212 BC, the Egyptians accomplished the impossibe and built the unimaginable. From the Great Pyramid of Giza to the temple at Abu Simbel, see all the incredible engineering feats of the Pharaohs…

See the engineering feats that gave rise to the Greek empire.

See the engineering feats of Greece under Alexander the Great.

In less than 200 years the Aztec's transformed themselves from a band of wandering nomads to the greatest civilization the New World had ever known. What records remain of this amazing feat indicate they did it through brilliant military…

Carthage, a remarkable city-state that dominated the Mediterranean for over 600 years, harnessed their extensive resources to develop some of the ancient world's most groundbreaking technology. For generations, Carthage defined power,…

At the height of its glory, this mysterious civilization ruled a territory of 125,000 square miles across parts of Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize. What began as a modest population of hunters and gatherers expanded…

At the height of its power the Russian Empire stretched across 15 times zones, incorporated nearly 160 different ethnicities, and made up one sixth of the entire world's landmass. What started as a few small principalities was shaped into…

At its pinnacle, the British Empire spanned every continent and covered one quarter of the Earth's land mass. Through the centuries, the rulers of this enormous powerhouse used extraordinary engineering feats to become an industrial and…

The Persian Empire was one of the most mysterious civilizations in the ancient world. Persia became an empire under the Cyrus the Great, who created a policy of religious and cultural tolerance that became the hallmark of Persian rule.

For over 4,000 years the world's greatest empires have come and gone--only China has survived the test of time. Century after century, China's regal emperors mobilized peasant armies to accomplish engineering feats unparalleled in human…

Centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, French kings struggled for control against the church and the aristocracy. Chaos and bloody warfare rampaged and France stood on the edge of utter disaster as the French Revolution turned into…

As much of the world descended into the dark ages after the fall of Rome, one civilization shone brilliantly: the Byzantine Empire. With ruthless might and supreme ingenuity the Byzantines ruled over vast swaths of Europe and Asia for…

After the fall of Rome, Italy fell into a dark sleep, and wasn't reawakened until the 11th century. Autonomous city-states emerged and these tiny republics began to revitalize their cities and build on a massive level not witnessed since…