It is 113 BC. The Cimbri smash through the northern imperial border to threaten Rome. Gripped by terror, Rome turns to General Marius, who will transform the Roman army.

When Roman generals Pompey and Crassus lead their mighty legions of soldiers and mercenaries into the lands surrounding Italy, neither anticipates the turmoil caused by one bold mercenary.

Julius Caesar, desperate for fame and honor, embarks on a brutal decade-long campaign to annex Gaul and build his own reputation. His rivals try to stop him, but he is an expert manipulator.

As the Roman Empire expands its reach into what is now Germany, its legions are faced with ferocious Germanic tribesmen.

It is 47 A.D. The new emperor Claudius is considered by many to be the village idiot. He can only hang onto his throne by waging a spectacular conquest.

When Trajan was proclaimed emperor, he set out to rebuild the troubled Roman Empire and lived to see it reach the maximum extent of its power.