Eight Days That Made Rome

Bettany Hughes explores Rome's defeat of the mighty Carthage at the Battle of Zama, which marked the end of Carthage's hold over the western Mediterranean and the downfall of the great army led by Carthaginian general Hannibal.

Bettany Hughes looks at the day Spartacus broke out of gladiator school and started the most terrifying slave revolt in Roman history; Hughes examines the realities of slavery in ancient Rome and how Sparacus' exploits attracted a mass following.

Bettany Hughes revisits the iconic moment when Julius Caesar led his army across the River Rubicon, ignoring the orders of the Roman Senate and effectively declaring war on his rivals in Rome; Hughes analyzes Caesar's character and health.

Bettany Hughes tells the story of Octavian's rise to power by looking at the day he stole the will of political rival Marc Antony; evidence of Antony's devotion to Cleopatra undermines Antony's popularity and paves Octavian's path to power.

Bettany Hughes turns her focus to the day when Roman troops invaded Boudica's settlement in East Anglia, provoking the disgraced Iceni queen into a revolution that threatened the Roman occupation of Britannia.

Nero takes his own life as troops come to arrest him for crimes against the state; Bettany Hughes reveals how Nero's early reign was dominated by his mother, Agrippina, while exploring a new theory that his mood was undermined by a serious illness.