Rebuilding Ancient Rome

Archaeologist Dr. Darius Arya explains that Emperor Augustus declared peace throughout the Roman Empire and commissioned the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) to commemorate the occasion.

Dr. Darius Arya explains how the Roman baths functioned with radiant heating, and recounts the importance of the baths in the daily lives of ancient Romans.

Dr. Darius Arya describes the Circus, one of Rome's oldest monuments, as the biggest sporting venue in the ancient world and capable of holding at least 150,000 spectators.

The history of the Colosseum, which Nero confiscated to build his Golden House and was eventually taken back by the Flavian Emperors to build a sporting arena.

An account of the Senate, how it burned several times, and how much of the ancient city was recycled in later phases of building.

After the great fire of AD 64, Emperor Nero took a third of Rome to build his Golden House, which contained a lake and vaulted, decorated ceilings.

The Forum of Augustus became the model for all other forums created after it and was protected by an enormous fire-proof wall.

The Forum of Peace housed the Forma Urbis, an extremely detailed map of the ancient city.

Emperor Trajan commissioned an enormous hexagonal port at Ostia to bring goods to Rome.

Ostia Antica started as a fort near the sea along the Tiber River, but it grew to a large city supplying Rome with trade goods from around the world.

The Pantheon, dedicated to the pantheon of Roman gods, is the largest un-reinforced concrete dome in the world.

The history of the Stadium of Domitian, built as part of Emperor Domitian's (AD 51-96) palace.

The Temple of Jupiter, a symbol of the Romans' power and supremacy, was the most important temple in the ancient city.

The Roman Forum was once the center of commercial, religious and political life.

Pompey the Great gets around Roman law to build his theater.