The origin of Rome is marked by the legend of the bickering brothers Romulus and Remus. The city was named for the prevailing brother, Romulus, and it flourished to become the origin of a powerful empire. Citizens of Rome became rich traders and landowners thanks to an organized agricultural system and prosperous trade, and mass migration from other nations began.
At the height of its rule, the Holy Roman Empire extended from Sicily to the North Sea. From Charlemagne to Napoleon, through crusades and conquests, witness the powerful unification of Emperor and Church that lasts for over a 1,000 years and changed the political and spiritual landscape of Europe. The discovery of the New World, the Protestant Reformation, and finally, the French Revolution all contributed to the decline and eventual fall of the Holy Empire.
The Roman Empire was born almost three thousand years ago in central Italy and left a deep and lasting imprint on the history of Western civilization. "All roads lead to Rome," and Romans exported their goods to and integrated cultures from every corner of the known world. However, after the rise of the empire in 31 BCE, environmental problems, disease and political corruption took their toll.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the first explorers traveled from Europe to the land of Egypt and searched for archaeological treasures along the banks of the Nile. But the realm of the pharaohs presented them with puzzling questions. Who were these rulers? Where did their immense riches come from? And why was so much of it lost to the sands of the desert? Discover the history, culture and key figures of ancient Egypt from its mere beginnings until its dramatic Roman conquest.
Upon the fall of the Roman Empire, a new imperial rule rose. From Constantinople — the "new Rome" — Emperor Constantine ruled land from Spain to Mesopotamia and from Asia to Egypt. A rift with the Catholic Church led to the establishment of the Eastern Church, and eventually the Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine Empire survived more than 1,000 years in spite of the deadly plague and attacks from crusaders and pillagers, but eventually fell victim to a new invention: gunpowder.
