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Civilisations: Rise and Fall - Season 1 Episode 1 -
Rome
Rome
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00:01The 24th of August, 410 AD.
00:08The magnificent city of Rome is under attack.
00:15The ancient capital of the mightiest empire on earth
00:20is at the mercy of a barbarian leader, thirsting for revenge.
00:25The rich scramble to hide their wealth.
00:31The poor run for their lives.
00:35No one saw this coming.
00:38The sack of Rome is one of the iconic events of Western history.
00:43Imagine thousands of men pouring into your city and rushing into your house.
00:50The fear must have been extraordinary.
00:55Rome believes it had an immortal imperial destiny.
01:02This empire dominated Europe for 500 years.
01:06How did it come to collapse?
01:08This is the story of three men and how their fateful decisions brought the mighty Roman civilization to its knees.
01:20A refugee treated with cruelty and prejudice, driven to violence.
01:25A weak emperor blind to the reality beyond his palace walls.
01:33And a wily general, caught between two worlds and trusted by no one.
01:39They have gambled with Rome's future.
01:45Now the eternal city is running out of time.
01:48Ancient Egypt.
02:03The Roman Empire.
02:07The Aztecs of Mexico.
02:11And the Samurai of Japan.
02:16Four great civilizations.
02:22Each a pinnacle of human ingenuity and achievement.
02:27Each lasted for centuries.
02:29Lasted for centuries.
02:30Their people thought they would endure forever.
02:36Until suddenly.
02:40Everything changed.
02:42Everything changed.
02:47These civilizations faced challenges that are all too familiar today.
02:57Climate catastrophe.
03:02Pandemic.
03:03War.
03:04Challenges for which ancient societies had few solutions.
03:22But what if there was a place that had the answers to what went wrong?
03:27A place full of secrets and stories.
03:30A repository of memory stretching back through time.
03:40The British Museum.
03:41Home to more than eight million artifacts.
03:45Is a record of how and why.
03:48The greatest civilizations rose to power.
03:52And then spectacularly fell.
03:54Its treasures are the human traces that survived disaster.
03:59But might they also hold lessons for our own future?
04:05Every civilization throughout history has had an expiry date.
04:10With great societies, the seeds of their destruction are sown within the society.
04:14They're already there.
04:15No civilization ever thinks it's going to fall.
04:16But the question is, what can we learn from the past?
04:20What can we learn from the past?
04:22What can we learn from the past?
04:23No civilization ever thinks it's going to fall.
04:29But the question is, what can we learn from the past?
04:53Rome is the largest city in the world.
05:10Home to over 700,000 people, traders and artisans, senators and slaves.
05:18Arriving to Rome and entering from one of the gates of its wall in the late 4th century,
05:26we would see a city at the height of its splendor.
05:38Rome is still this monumental city. It has this history of emperors building things.
05:44You would still have seen things like temples, the Forum and the Curia, the Senate House, the Colosseum.
05:55Rome's magnificence is built on the spoils of empire.
06:02800 years earlier, Roman armies began to carve out a growing territory
06:07that, by the 4th century, stretches across 1.7 million square miles,
06:13from Britain to North Africa and the Middle East.
06:18The empire is so vast, it's now split into two halves,
06:24east and west, each ruled by its own emperor.
06:28Around 40 million people, a fifth of the world's population,
06:41now live under Roman rule,
06:43in a heady mix of cultures and languages.
06:47It's all held together by a ruthless military might,
06:51but also by the benefits of a shared peace
06:57and pioneering advances in technology.
07:03Aqueducts for clean water,
07:06concrete for construction,
07:08and a complex road network
07:10that brings trade and prosperity.
07:13In the western half of the empire,
07:22a handful of aristocratic families
07:24have profited more than most
07:26from Rome's imperial success.
07:31They need a strong emperor
07:33to keep the status quo.
07:36But their new ruler
07:38is a major cause for concern.
07:40Emperor Honorius is young and inexperienced.
07:57Honorius was not from Rome.
07:59He is not even born in Rome.
08:01He's born in the East.
08:04He really spends most of his youth
08:06living amongst the other courtiers.
08:09He's made a few visits west
08:12to see his father, the previous emperor.
08:16But his first big trip
08:18is the one that ends up being permanent.
08:22He comes over,
08:23and shortly thereafter, his father dies.
08:29The accession of a child like Honorius
08:32is extremely odd.
08:35In fact, in previous eras,
08:38Roman politics had never tolerated child emperors.
08:42The personal leadership of the emperor
08:44in earlier eras is just too important.
08:48You can't have a child on the throne.
08:52By 395, it is common practice
08:56for Romans to prostrate themselves,
09:00literally crawl on all fours
09:02in front of the emperor.
09:10This was an act of humility and homage.
09:14It was required as part of the imperial ritual.
09:19Imagine how tough that would have been
09:22if you were an extremely wealthy,
09:26successful senator,
09:27and here you are crawling before a child.
09:37Honorius is remembered
09:39as an indifferent, foolish,
09:43self-absorbed emperor.
09:45Honorius is completely at sea.
09:50Left to his own devices,
09:52I think Honorius would have lasted
09:53no more than ten minutes.
09:58It's inevitable
09:59that someone else is pulling the strings.
10:04General Stilicho.
10:07Stilicho is this really interesting combination
10:10of loyal servant to the empire,
10:14but also perhaps a little bit
10:17of a conniving opportunist.
10:23Stilicho is commander of Rome's western armies.
10:27Under the previous emperor,
10:29he had become a trusted advisor.
10:32Then he married into the imperial family,
10:35consolidating his power.
10:37Now, no one has greater influence
10:40over the young Honorius.
10:44Stilicho is competent militarily,
10:47politically astute.
10:49He knew the type of alliances
10:51that you had to make
10:53with the key civilian and military leaders,
10:57how to appoint people who were loyal to him.
11:02He absolutely has his eyes
11:05on protecting Honorius,
11:08doing what he can
11:09to keep Honorius in power.
11:12Of course,
11:13if Honorius isn't in power,
11:15neither is he.
11:24Honorius needs to persuade Rome's elite
11:27that he can project absolute power
11:29across his domains.
11:31He's not the only Roman emperor
11:39to face such a challenge.
11:47This is the very first emperor,
11:51Augustus.
11:52Augustus was one of the most brilliant minds,
12:01a real game-changer,
12:03someone who changed forever
12:05the path of history.
12:07The head of a bronze statue of Augustus,
12:23the really extraordinary object
12:25that we have from the 1st century BCE,
12:29partly extraordinary
12:29because it still has its eyes.
12:31We're not used to seeing these eyes.
12:34We're used to very vacant sort of eye sockets
12:36of our Roman figures,
12:38but it still has its eyes,
12:39which make it a really fascinating object to see
12:42and a really evocative object.
12:47When this statue was cast,
12:49Augustus had just defeated his rivals
12:52in a brutal civil war to lead Rome.
12:56It was the first time one man ruled alone.
12:59And Augustus used this image
13:03to cement his reign.
13:11What we see with Augustus
13:12is actually a bit of a change
13:13in the way that Roman politicians,
13:16Roman statesmen, were presented.
13:18Previously, age was seen
13:20as a sort of way of communicating wisdom,
13:22so statues and busts of wrinkles
13:25and signs of age on a face
13:28was something that you would have been used to seeing.
13:31Augustus doesn't do this.
13:34Rather, he wants to put forward
13:35the sort of youthfulness, I guess,
13:37of a ruler and the vitality of a ruler.
13:45This is a young kind of a movie star.
13:49He's going to attract everyone
13:52with his magnetic beauty
13:53and make everybody want to follow him.
13:56So in that sense,
13:58it's a real shift of gears
14:00from the traditional way
14:02of representing authority.
14:06The scale is larger than life,
14:09giving Augustus the appearance of a god.
14:12And yet, this object
14:15is also a cautionary tale
14:18for future rulers like Honorius.
14:23Look closely,
14:25and you can see
14:26microscopic grains of sand
14:29embedded in the bronze.
14:31They tell a story
14:33of the dangers of imperial ambition.
14:37The reason why the head
14:38is so well-preserved
14:40is because it was purposefully buried.
14:42In 30 BC,
14:48Augustus' army invaded Egypt
14:50and expanded into Cush to the south.
14:57But the Cushites resisted
14:59and pushed back.
15:04They looted Roman treasures,
15:08pulling the head of Augustus' statue
15:10from its body.
15:15They carried their prize
15:16back to their capital, Meroe,
15:19where they buried it
15:20under the steps of a temple.
15:24Cushites could now literally
15:26rub their feet
15:28in the face of Augustus.
15:30So, in a very disrespectful
15:36and insulting way,
15:38every time someone
15:40went on pilgrimage
15:41to this temple,
15:42what they did
15:43was ultimately
15:44walking on the head
15:46of the emperor,
15:47the most powerful leader
15:49of the world of that time.
15:50It was a sign
15:54that aggressive empire building
15:56comes at a cost.
16:01The downside
16:02to invading your neighbours
16:03is that often
16:04you don't just create
16:05new frontiers,
16:06but also new enemies.
16:08In the US military,
16:10there's a term for this,
16:12blowback.
16:13Rome suffered from blowback
16:15again and again.
16:19Augustus had been
16:20an ambitious,
16:22young emperor
16:23who presided
16:24over a fragile peace.
16:26Now, four centuries later,
16:29the young Honorius
16:30needs to persuade
16:32the people
16:32that he, too,
16:34can successfully unite
16:35his fractious empire.
16:39His advisor, Stilicho,
16:42embarks on a campaign
16:43to construct
16:44a new image
16:45for Honorius.
16:47One of power,
16:49stability,
16:50and authority.
16:53The start of a new regime,
16:56was always marked
16:57by a ceremonial payout
16:59to the military
17:00of gold coins.
17:19These coins
17:20aren't just sent out
17:22as spending money,
17:23but as propaganda.
17:26passed from hand
17:31to hand,
17:32they can reach
17:33all corners
17:34of a sprawling empire.
17:41These early coins
17:42slapped with the head
17:44of Honorius,
17:45a part of
17:46a meet and greet campaign.
17:47You wouldn't know
17:51from the coin
17:52that this is
17:53somebody who's
17:54underage
17:55for being
17:55a full-fledged
17:56Roman emperor.
17:59It's the way
18:00he's shown
18:01in profile
18:02with a diadem
18:03and this sort of
18:05slightly 1980s hairstyle.
18:06but something
18:08that I think
18:09is particularly
18:10interesting
18:11on this coin
18:11is if you turn
18:12it over
18:13and you look
18:13at the back
18:14you have
18:18Honorius standing
18:20with his foot
18:21on the neck
18:22of a soldier
18:23and Victory
18:24is just up
18:25in the corner
18:26holding her crown
18:28as if she's
18:29going to crown him.
18:33And it's a very
18:34brazen military
18:36image for him
18:38to choose
18:38given that he
18:40is not yet
18:41battle-tested.
18:42Victory is the
18:48crucial characteristic
18:50of a legitimate
18:51emperor.
18:52This is the claim
18:53that's being made
18:54on that coin
18:55that Honorius
18:56is a legitimate
18:57emperor.
19:00But Honorius
19:02and General Stilicho
19:03will soon discover
19:05that success
19:05requires more
19:07than mere propaganda.
19:08Little does this
19:12regime know
19:13that in just
19:14a few short years
19:16their world
19:17would be turned
19:18upside down.
19:20The empire
19:20would be shook
19:21at its very
19:22foundations
19:23and one of them
19:24would end up
19:25in his grave.
19:38The man destined
19:40to become
19:41Rome's nemesis
19:42is leading
19:43a rebellion
19:43in the Balkans
19:44attacking Roman
19:46forces
19:47and taking
19:48captives
19:49and plunder
19:50wherever he can.
19:53His name
19:54is Alaric.
19:57Alaric is a legend.
19:59We know
20:00he's an experienced
20:00soldier
20:01and an admired
20:02and feared one.
20:04Unlike a
20:06traditional monarchy
20:06or indeed
20:07the Roman Empire
20:08he's not
20:09holding power
20:10because his
20:11father held
20:12power.
20:13He is the one
20:13they are following
20:14because they
20:15choose to follow him.
20:17Alaric is
20:17charismatic,
20:19intelligent
20:19and very capable.
20:22He's also
20:22a bitter man.
20:24A man who
20:25has good reasons
20:26to be going rogue.
20:30The root
20:31of Alaric's
20:31anger
20:32stretches back
20:33to his childhood.
20:36soldiers manning
20:54Rome's northern border
20:55along the river
20:56Danube
20:57begin to see
20:58large crowds
20:59of people gathering
21:00and asking for help.
21:02If a huge number
21:06of people
21:07end up on your border
21:08it means that
21:09something has gone
21:10really, really wrong.
21:13My experience
21:14is that
21:15people really
21:16don't want to move
21:17they don't want to
21:17leave their countries
21:18and with the kinds
21:19of numbers
21:20we're talking about
21:21I think it means
21:22that there was
21:23conflict raging
21:23and they had
21:25to come.
21:28These are
21:29Alaric's people
21:30the Goths.
21:34Their homeland
21:35lies northeast
21:36of Rome
21:37stretching from
21:39present-day Romania
21:40to Ukraine.
21:42For generations
21:43they've lived
21:44as warriors
21:45and farmers
21:45but now
21:47a rival people
21:48the Huns
21:49attack
21:50forcing the Goths
21:53to flee south.
21:54something like
21:57100,000
21:58Gothic men
21:59women
22:00and children
22:00come towards
22:02the Danube River.
22:03It's a
22:04migration
22:05on a scale
22:06the Romans
22:07have not encountered.
22:11Even today
22:12100,000 people
22:14is a lot
22:16of people
22:17and any government
22:19would look at
22:19100,000 people
22:21and see problem.
22:21in Roman times
22:25they will have
22:26been looking
22:27at their own
22:27resources
22:28and thinking
22:29about
22:29how can
22:30they look
22:31after
22:32people
22:32who need
22:33to be fed
22:34who need
22:34to be housed
22:35so they don't
22:36become
22:37a problem
22:38further down
22:39the line.
22:47Despite
22:47the diverse
22:48populations
22:49within their
22:50empire
22:50the Romans
22:52are uneasy
22:53about such
22:53a vast
22:54influx
22:55of people
22:55and it
22:58plays into
22:59deep-seated
23:00prejudices.
23:06Racial stereotypes
23:07are so
23:08enduring
23:08because they're
23:09ubiquitous
23:10in ancient
23:11culture
23:12just like
23:12they are
23:13in ours.
23:13this mask
23:29is meant
23:30to evoke
23:31somebody
23:32from the
23:33north
23:33a barbarian.
23:38The word
23:39barbarian
23:40comes from
23:41Greek
23:41barbaros
23:42and the
23:43Greeks
23:43invented it
23:44because
23:44to them
23:45it sounded
23:46like the
23:47babbling
23:49of peoples
23:51whose languages
23:52they could not
23:52understand.
23:53the Romans
23:59like the
24:00Greeks
24:00conceptualized
24:02race
24:02as being
24:03essentially
24:04environmental.
24:05The further
24:06you get away
24:06from Mediterranean
24:07the further
24:08you get away
24:09from that
24:09environment
24:10that was so
24:11familiar to
24:12them
24:12the more
24:13likely you
24:14are to
24:15be a
24:15barbarian.
24:16The Roman
24:21stereotype
24:22of the
24:23barbarian
24:23was always
24:25defined
24:25by certain
24:26traits
24:26clothing
24:28hairstyle
24:29customs
24:31they're
24:32savage
24:32they're
24:33less
24:33cultured
24:34they always
24:36have
24:36looser
24:37hair
24:37a theatre
24:38mask
24:39designed
24:39to depict
24:40a barbarian
24:41has to
24:41convey
24:41that
24:42a
24:46giveaway
24:46is
24:47the
24:47ponytail
24:47you might
24:48notice
24:49that
24:49the
24:49man's
24:49hair
24:50is
24:50pulled
24:50back
24:51it
24:51looks
24:51like
24:51a
24:52kind
24:52of
24:52man
24:52bun
24:53that
24:54man
24:54bun
24:55is
24:55the
24:55dead
24:55giveaway
24:56Romans
24:56don't
24:57wear
24:57man
24:57buns
24:57these
25:00were
25:00the
25:00kinds
25:01of
25:01stereotypes
25:01that
25:02Romans
25:02would
25:03have
25:03absorbed
25:03by
25:04going
25:04to
25:04the
25:05theatre
25:05and
25:06really
25:06internalize
25:07them
25:07and
25:08that
25:08can
25:08be
25:08weaponized
25:09in
25:10all
25:10sorts
25:10of
25:10ways
25:11it's
25:13a
25:13stereotype
25:14you
25:14can
25:14appeal
25:15to
25:15to
25:16rally
25:16other
25:16people
25:16to
25:17support
25:17you
25:17the
25:1820th
25:19early
25:2021st
25:20century
25:21has
25:21seen
25:22more
25:23examples
25:23of that
25:23than
25:24one
25:24can
25:24easily
25:24count
25:25reducing
25:26people
25:27to
25:27a
25:27stereotype
25:28means
25:29you
25:29don't
25:29have
25:29to
25:30regard
25:30them
25:30as
25:31full
25:31human
25:32beings
25:32usually
25:33with
25:34tragic
25:34results
25:34Romans
25:40may
25:40see
25:41the
25:41Goths
25:41as
25:42primitive
25:42savages
25:43but
25:43they
25:44have
25:44their
25:44uses
25:44working
25:46in
25:46the
25:46fields
25:47or
25:48as
25:48conscripts
25:48in
25:49the
25:49army
25:49under
25:51orders
25:51to
25:52remove
25:52their
25:52weapons
25:53the
25:53soldiers
25:54at
25:54the
25:54border
25:55begin
25:55to
25:56let
25:56the
25:56Goths
25:56in
25:57in
25:57increasing
25:58numbers
25:59the
26:01problem
26:01is
26:02not
26:02migration
26:02the
26:03problem
26:03is
26:04not
26:04displaced
26:04peoples
26:05moving
26:06is
26:07fundamental
26:07to
26:08being
26:08human
26:08it
26:09is
26:09the
26:09reason
26:10why
26:10we
26:10survived
26:11through
26:11the
26:12ice
26:12age
26:12the
26:13problem
26:13is
26:14how
26:14governments
26:14respond
26:15to
26:15displaced
26:15people
26:15you
26:16can
26:17choose
26:17to
26:17take
26:18them
26:18into
26:18your
26:18society
26:19or
26:19to
26:20make
26:20them
26:20into
26:20an
26:20enemy
26:29a
26:32number
26:33of
26:33the
26:33local
26:33Roman
26:34officials
26:34see
26:35these
26:35refugees
26:36and
26:36think
26:37right
26:37how
26:37can
26:38I
26:38profit
26:38from
26:39the
26:39situation
26:40only
26:42give
26:42food
26:42to
26:43those
26:43that
26:43are
26:43willing
26:44to
26:44pay
26:44why
26:45actually
26:45give
26:45them
26:46the
26:46good
26:46food
26:47when
26:47you
26:48can
26:48send
26:48them
26:48anything
26:48else
26:49that
26:50you
26:50might
26:50have
26:50like
26:51dogme
26:51can
26:52you
26:52take
26:52away
26:53some
26:54of
26:54the
26:54Goths
26:54sell
26:55them
26:55off
26:55into
26:56slavery
26:56if
26:59I
26:59was
26:59giving
26:59advice
27:00to
27:00the
27:00Roman
27:00government
27:01I
27:02would
27:02say
27:02be
27:02careful
27:03these
27:04people
27:04are
27:04competent
27:05soldiers
27:06you
27:07know
27:07the
27:07last
27:08thing
27:08you
27:08want
27:08to
27:08do
27:09is
27:10create
27:10a
27:11situation
27:11where
27:11people
27:12feel
27:12that
27:12they're
27:13being
27:14treated
27:14cruelly
27:15and
27:15that
27:15they
27:15owe
27:16you
27:16nothing
27:16enraged
27:22by
27:23their
27:23humiliation
27:23at
27:24the
27:24hands
27:24of
27:24the
27:24Romans
27:2530,000
27:26Goths
27:27stage
27:28a
27:28fight
27:28back
27:29the
27:32battle
27:32is
27:32a
27:33catastrophic
27:33defeat
27:34for
27:35the
27:35Roman
27:35Empire
27:35the
27:37larger
27:37estimates
27:38think
27:38that
27:3820,000
27:39Roman
27:39soldiers
27:40are
27:40killed
27:40on
27:40this
27:40battlefield
27:41in
27:41one
27:42afternoon
27:43it
27:45means
27:45the
27:45Goths
27:46are
27:46now
27:46inside
27:47the
27:47Empire
27:47there's
27:48no
27:49way
27:49that
27:49they
27:49can
27:50be
27:50driven
27:50out
27:50again
27:50the
27:53crushing
27:54defeat
27:54forces
27:55the
27:55Romans
27:56to
27:56do
27:56a
27:57deal
27:57they
27:58give
27:58the
27:59Goths
27:59land
27:59to
27:59settle
28:00in
28:01the
28:01wilder
28:01regions
28:02of
28:02the
28:02Balkans
28:03in
28:04return
28:05the
28:05Goths
28:06supply
28:06warriors
28:07for
28:07the
28:07Roman
28:07army
28:08it's
28:10not
28:10actually
28:10a
28:11long-term
28:11solution
28:12to
28:12the
28:13problem
28:13effectively
28:14it
28:14buys
28:15time
28:15another
28:16decade
28:17or so
28:17of
28:18relative
28:18peace
28:19and
28:20then
28:20we
28:20come
28:20to
28:20Alaric
28:21Alaric
28:23has followed
28:39the path
28:39of many
28:40Goth
28:40refugees
28:41and served
28:42in the
28:43Roman army
28:43he has been
28:45a loyal commander
28:47for four years
28:48until the Romans
28:51betray him
28:52at a battle
28:54in the Alps
28:55Alaric and his
28:56fellow Goths
28:57are sacrificed
28:58as cannon fodder
29:00for the Roman Empire
29:01the Goths
29:05were put
29:05in the
29:05front line
29:06after all
29:07there'll be
29:08effective
29:08shock troops
29:09and they
29:09are
29:10effectively
29:10abandoned
29:11there
29:1110,000
29:12Goths
29:13were killed
29:13Alaric
29:14was there
29:15he's a
29:16survivor
29:16he cannot
29:18possibly
29:18have
29:19forgotten
29:19what we
29:22have
29:23is a
29:23two-tier
29:24society
29:25promises
29:26have been
29:26broken
29:27to them
29:27time
29:28and time
29:28again
29:29no
29:30respect
29:30is given
29:31to them
29:32and
29:33at the
29:33end of
29:34the day
29:34they feel
29:35they have
29:36to rise
29:36up
29:37and fight
29:37for their
29:38rights
29:38Alaric
29:46takes the
29:47opportunity
29:47to mount
29:49a major
29:49rebellion
29:50at the
29:51head
29:51of these
29:52Gothic
29:52soldiers
29:52who'd
29:53fought
29:53on that
29:54campaign
29:54I think
29:55certainly
29:56responding
29:57to
29:57the level
29:58of casualties
29:59that they'd
29:59suffered
30:00on it
30:00but for the
30:04emperor
30:05Honorius
30:05and general
30:06Stilicho
30:07an uprising
30:09is something
30:09they can
30:10ill afford
30:10because
30:21while there
30:22is plenty
30:23of money
30:23swilling around
30:24the Roman
30:24empire
30:25less and
30:27less of it
30:27is going
30:28is going
30:28into the
30:28imperial
30:29coffers
30:30and more
30:31into those
30:32of Rome's
30:33super rich
30:34this casket
30:50casket
30:51is for
30:51a very
30:52elite
30:53woman
30:54one
30:54of the
30:55one
30:55percent
30:55the lid
31:15contains a
31:16portrait
31:16with a man
31:17and a woman
31:18standing shoulder
31:18to shoulder
31:19this is a
31:20classic
31:20marriage
31:21scene
31:22we do know
31:24for sure
31:25it belonged
31:26to a woman
31:27named
31:27Proiecta
31:28because there's
31:29an inscription
31:29on the edge
31:30of it
31:30the inscription
31:33refers to
31:33Proiecta
31:34as well as
31:35a man
31:35named
31:36Secundus
31:37and we believe
31:38that this
31:39casket
31:40was given
31:41to them
31:41as a wedding
31:42present
31:42these are
31:47two
31:48incredibly
31:50wealthy
31:51people
31:51this would
31:53have been
31:53the wedding
31:54of the year
31:55it's
32:00elaborately
32:01carved
32:02with scenes
32:03all over
32:04on almost
32:05every side
32:06of it
32:06there's a
32:10beautiful image
32:11of Venus
32:12sort of
32:12stepping up
32:13out of a
32:14bath
32:14mostly naked
32:16there's a
32:22scene
32:22of a
32:23procession
32:24of an
32:24elite woman
32:25to the
32:27Roman bath
32:28house
32:28which is
32:29the place
32:30of glamour
32:30and luxury
32:31in the
32:31Roman world
32:32a lot
32:36of objects
32:36like the
32:37casket
32:38are really
32:39about showing
32:39off
32:40ostentatious
32:41wealth
32:41making it
32:42very clear
32:43that you
32:44are in
32:44that very
32:45small
32:46strata
32:46of society
32:47where you
32:48can spend
32:49most of
32:49your time
32:50doing very
32:51little
32:52engaged in
32:53pleasurable
32:54activities
32:55things
32:55this celebration
32:58of luxury
32:59is part
33:00of a
33:01worrying
33:01trend
33:02the 1%
33:04hoovering up
33:05the wealth
33:05of the
33:06wider empire
33:07there are
33:10estimations
33:11that 20
33:13families
33:13owned
33:14all of
33:16southern
33:16France
33:17and Italy
33:17for example
33:18recent
33:21excavations
33:21in different
33:23areas of
33:23Rome
33:23have
33:24uncovered
33:24absolutely
33:26luxurious
33:27urban
33:28residencies
33:29that date
33:30precisely
33:31to this
33:32period
33:32they were
33:34really
33:34living
33:35La Dulce
33:35Vita
33:36the wealthy
33:41of late
33:41antique
33:42Rome
33:42are a lot
33:43like
33:43the super
33:44wealthy
33:45billionaire
33:46class of
33:46today
33:47they live
33:48in these
33:48enormous
33:49houses
33:50that they
33:51created
33:52by cobbling
33:53together
33:54a bunch
33:54of pre-existent
33:55buildings
33:56just like
33:56we see
33:57today
33:57in cities
33:58like New
33:59York
33:59and London
34:00this is a
34:08family
34:08getting
34:09richer
34:09by the
34:10day
34:10and yet
34:14the
34:14emperor
34:15is not
34:16seeing
34:16the
34:16benefit
34:17of
34:17this
34:17boom
34:18time
34:18for
34:19the
34:19wealthy
34:19elite
34:20the
34:23rich
34:24in
34:24principle
34:25are
34:26supposed
34:26to
34:26pay
34:26taxes
34:27but
34:28things
34:28don't
34:29really
34:29change
34:30in
34:30history
34:30and
34:33yesterday
34:34as it
34:34happens
34:35today
34:35those
34:36who
34:36have
34:37connections
34:37find
34:38more
34:39or
34:40less
34:40legal
34:41and
34:42more
34:42or
34:42less
34:43conventional
34:44way
34:44not
34:45to
34:45pay
34:45taxes
34:46this
34:49kind
34:49of
34:49tax
34:50avoidance
34:50is
34:51squeezing
34:51the
34:52emperor's
34:52finances
34:53forcing
34:54the
34:54regime
34:55to
34:55lean
34:55instead
34:56on
34:57those
34:57who
34:57can
34:57least
34:58afford
34:58it
34:58the
35:01burden
35:02seems
35:02to
35:02be
35:02falling
35:03on
35:03the
35:03lower
35:03classes
35:04the
35:06vast
35:07majority
35:07of
35:08Romans
35:09are
35:09living
35:09in
35:10tenement
35:11blocks
35:11crowded
35:13shared
35:14spaces
35:15rat
35:16and
35:16cockroach
35:17infested
35:17they
35:19are
35:19living
35:20very
35:20different
35:21lives
35:21to
35:21the
35:22lives
35:22that
35:22the
35:22wealthy
35:23are
35:23leading
35:23growing
35:28wealth
35:28and
35:28equality
35:29is
35:29the
35:30most
35:30common
35:31and
35:31crucial
35:32element
35:32in
35:32societal
35:33collapse
35:33it
35:35corrodes
35:36the
35:36social
35:36fabric
35:37wealth
35:41and
35:41equality
35:41in
35:42short
35:43hollows
35:43out
35:44societies
35:44leaving
35:45them
35:45to
35:45be
35:45a
35:46brittle
35:46shell
35:46which
35:46can
35:47be
35:47cracked
35:47asunder
35:47by
35:48numerous
35:49different
35:49shocks
35:49such
35:50as
35:50disease
35:51climate
35:51change
35:51and
35:52invaders
35:52for the
36:11last
36:12seven
36:12years
36:13Alaric
36:14and his
36:14army
36:14have been
36:15plundering
36:15what they
36:16can
36:16in the
36:16Balkans
36:17now
36:19he
36:20marches
36:20his
36:20massed
36:21forces
36:21towards
36:23Italy
36:23Alaric
36:26is in
36:26search
36:26of a
36:27deal
36:27and
36:27that
36:28is
36:28a
36:28more
36:28recognised
36:29position
36:30within
36:30the
36:31Roman
36:31imperial
36:31structure
36:32payments
36:33for
36:33his
36:33dependents
36:34and
36:35recognition
36:36for
36:36himself
36:37as
36:37an
36:38imperial
36:38general
36:39Alaric
36:42doesn't
36:42want to
36:42destroy
36:43the
36:43Roman
36:43empire
36:44he
36:45wants
36:45to
36:45be
36:45a
36:45part
36:46of
36:46it
36:46if
36:47he
36:48can
36:48overcome
36:48Roman
36:49prejudice
36:49against
36:50the
36:51Goths
36:51his
36:53great
36:53problem
36:54Stilicho
36:55is in
36:56the
36:56way
36:56Stilicho
36:59and
36:59Alaric
37:00may be
37:00on opposing
37:01sides
37:02but the
37:03two men
37:03have more
37:04in common
37:05than
37:05Stilicho
37:06would like
37:06to admit
37:07Stilicho
37:09is actually
37:10half
37:10barbarian
37:11half
37:12Roman
37:12on his
37:13mother's
37:13side
37:14and half
37:15Vandal
37:15on his
37:16father's
37:17side
37:17The
37:20Vandals
37:21were close
37:22neighbours
37:22of the
37:22Goths
37:23beyond
37:23the
37:24northern
37:24frontier
37:25Stilicho
37:26followed
37:27his
37:27barbarian
37:28father
37:28into
37:29the
37:29army
37:29and
37:30rose
37:31on
37:31merit
37:31he
37:33is an
37:33example
37:33of how
37:34Rome
37:35could
37:35assimilate
37:36outsiders
37:37when
37:38it
37:38chose
37:39to
37:39The Roman
37:41Empire
37:41has
37:42controlled
37:42a vast
37:43region
37:44for 400
37:44years
37:45and one
37:46of the secrets
37:47is integrating
37:48people
37:48you
37:50You don't
37:50actually
37:50treat
37:51the
37:51peoples
37:51you've
37:52absorbed
37:52as
37:53barbarians
37:53if you
37:54learnt
37:54the
37:55right
37:55languages
37:55if you
37:56became
37:57part
37:57of the
37:58Roman
37:58system
37:58you
37:59got
37:59all
37:59the
37:59benefits
38:00Roman
38:01law
38:02Roman
38:02trade
38:03networks
38:03Stilicho
38:08has also
38:09committed
38:09to a
38:10Roman
38:10way
38:10of
38:10life
38:11but
38:12his
38:13journey
38:13to
38:13the
38:13top
38:14has
38:14not
38:14been
38:15easy
38:15If
38:19you're
38:20born
38:20in a
38:20country
38:21where
38:21you're
38:21a
38:22minority
38:22very
38:23often
38:24you
38:24have
38:24to
38:24show
38:25more
38:25resilience
38:25you
38:26have
38:27to
38:27work
38:27harder
38:28you
38:28have
38:28to
38:28prove
38:28yourself
38:29because
38:30some
38:30of
38:30the
38:31narrative
38:32around
38:32who
38:33you
38:33are
38:33and
38:34what
38:34you're
38:34about
38:34and
38:35what
38:35your
38:35community
38:36about
38:36is
38:37extremely
38:38negative
38:40Stilicho
38:43was a
38:44Roman
38:44by
38:45upbringing
38:45by
38:46culture
38:46he
38:46didn't
38:47identify
38:47himself
38:48as
38:48something
38:49separate
38:49from
38:50the
38:50Roman
38:50Empire
38:51unfortunately
38:53there
38:53is
38:54a
38:54strong
38:54faction
38:55within
38:55Italy
38:56within
38:56the
38:57imperial
38:57court
38:58who've
38:58never
38:59liked
38:59the
38:59prominence
39:00of a
39:00half
39:01vandal
39:01soldier
39:02dominating
39:03affairs
39:04If
39:10Alaric
39:11hopes
39:11Stilicho
39:12a
39:12fellow
39:13barbarian
39:14will
39:14help
39:14him cut
39:15a
39:15deal
39:15he's
39:17much
39:17mistaken
39:18Stilicho
39:22is the
39:22top
39:23general
39:23his
39:23job
39:24is to
39:24quell
39:24the
39:24rebellion
39:25I
39:25don't
39:25think
39:26that
39:26he's
39:27busy
39:27thinking
39:27oh
39:28I
39:28have
39:28a
39:28little
39:28bit
39:28of
39:28sympathy
39:29for
39:29this
39:29guy
39:30Rome
39:32Rome
39:32is a
39:32great
39:32military
39:32power
39:33at
39:33that
39:33stage
39:34you
39:36use
39:36your
39:37power
39:37Alaric
39:44Alaric
39:44and
39:44Stilicho
39:45finally
39:45meet
39:46at
39:46the
39:46battle
39:47of
39:47Plentia
39:47according
39:49to
39:49our
39:50main
39:50source
39:51Stilicho
39:52strikes
39:52the
39:53barbarians
39:53like
39:54a
39:54thunderbolt
39:54Alaric
39:55is
39:56defeated
39:56his
39:57wife
39:57is
39:58taken
39:58plunder
39:59is
39:59taken
39:59his
40:00people
40:00are
40:01scattered
40:01but
40:07crucially
40:08Stilicho
40:09fails
40:09to
40:10capture
40:10Alaric
40:11himself
40:11it
40:13will
40:13prove
40:13a
40:14costly
40:14mistake
40:15honorius
40:25begins
40:26to
40:26hear
40:26rumors
40:27that
40:27his
40:28most
40:28trusted
40:28general
40:29has
40:29allowed
40:30Alaric
40:30to
40:30slip
40:31through
40:31his
40:31fingers
40:32on
40:33purpose
40:33in
40:34a
40:34barbarian
40:35master
40:36plan
40:36to
40:36overthrow
40:37him
40:37as
40:40soon
40:41as
40:42his
40:42regime
40:43is
40:43looking
40:43a bit
40:43shaky
40:44when
40:44other
40:44people
40:45are
40:45getting
40:45in
40:45honorius
40:46his
40:46ear
40:46then
40:47the
40:47barbarian
40:48card
40:48is
40:48the
40:49obvious
40:49one
40:49to
40:50play
40:51you
40:51can
40:51use
40:52it
40:52both
40:52to
40:52disparage
40:53Stilicho
40:53and
40:54also
40:54to
40:54say
40:55that
40:55he's
40:55secretly
40:55in
40:56league
40:56with
40:57Alaric
40:57and
40:57always
40:58has
40:58been
40:58for
41:02honorius
41:03tales
41:04of a
41:04palace
41:04plot
41:05would
41:05be
41:05all
41:06too
41:06familiar
41:06as a
41:08child
41:09he had
41:09been
41:09brought
41:10up
41:10on
41:10stories
41:11of
41:11emperors
41:11being
41:12overthrown
41:13or
41:14murdered
41:14as
41:16well
41:16as
41:17myths
41:17of
41:18how
41:18the
41:18powerful
41:18punish
41:19those
41:19who
41:20betray
41:20them
41:20he
41:30may
41:31even
41:31have
41:31held
41:31one
41:32such
41:32myth
41:33in
41:34his
41:34hands
41:35the
41:56lycurgus
41:56cup
41:57perhaps
41:57the
41:58greatest
41:58single
41:59surviving
41:59example
42:00of
42:01magnificent
42:01late
42:02roman
42:02glassware
42:03a cup
42:04crafted
42:04so
42:05beautifully
42:06that
42:07it
42:07does
42:07indeed
42:07reflect
42:08light
42:08in
42:09different
42:09colours
42:10from
42:11green
42:11to
42:12red
42:12depending
42:13on
42:13where
42:14the
42:14light
42:14comes
42:15from
42:15if
42:18people
42:19are
42:19drinking
42:19by
42:20candle
42:20light
42:21or
42:21the
42:22wine
42:22is
42:22being
42:22poured
42:23in
42:23and
42:23that's
42:23changing
42:24the
42:24colour
42:24as
42:24well
42:24so
42:25it's
42:25making
42:25these
42:25marvellous
42:26effects
42:26this
42:29cup
42:30must
42:30have
42:30belonged
42:31to
42:31someone
42:31with
42:32extraordinary
42:32wealth
42:33perhaps
42:33a
42:34member
42:34of the
42:34imperial
42:35court
42:35even
42:37the
42:37emperor
42:37himself
42:38the
42:50cup
42:50shows
42:51the
42:51myth
42:51of
42:51the
42:52king
42:52lycurgus
42:53who
42:54offended
42:55the
42:55god
42:55of
42:56wine
42:56bacchus
42:56and as
42:57punishment
42:58was
42:59entrapped
42:59in the
43:00grapevine
43:00had
43:01stones
43:02held
43:02us
43:03in
43:03by
43:03bacchus
43:03followers
43:04the
43:06god
43:06punishes
43:07the
43:07upstart
43:08lycurgus
43:09by putting
43:10him to
43:11death
43:11probably
43:15the
43:15message
43:15of
43:15that
43:16cup
43:16was
43:17don't
43:18get
43:18too
43:18big
43:18for
43:18your
43:18britches
43:19for
43:30honorius
43:31the
43:32myth
43:32offers
43:33some
43:33stark
43:34advice
43:34get rid
43:36of those
43:37who are
43:37a threat
43:38to you
43:38he becomes
43:40increasingly
43:41paranoid
43:42as
43:44society
43:44becomes
43:45top
43:45heavy
43:45you
43:46suddenly
43:47have
43:47more
43:47elites
43:48generals
43:49wannabe
43:49emperors
43:50competing
43:51for a
43:51small
43:52limited
43:52number
43:53of
43:53high
43:53status
43:53positions
43:54we
43:55see
43:55this
43:55again
43:56and
43:56again
43:56in
43:56Rome
43:56it
43:57was
43:57always
43:57a
43:58game
43:58of
43:58friends
43:58and
44:00it
44:00leads
44:00to
44:00worse
44:01decisions
44:01the
44:18emperor
44:18has
44:19heard
44:19news
44:20of
44:20multiple
44:20barbarian
44:21incursions
44:22into
44:22Roman
44:23territory
44:23incursions
44:27general
44:28Stilicho
44:28has
44:29failed
44:29to
44:30repel
44:30palace
44:36insiders
44:37spin
44:38these
44:38failures
44:39as
44:39proof
44:40of
44:40Stilicho's
44:40treachery
44:41pushing
44:43Honorius'
44:44paranoia
44:45to
44:45breaking
44:46point
44:46a
44:49figure
44:49of
44:49the
44:49imperial
44:50court
44:51finally
44:51convinced
44:53Honorius
44:53that
44:54Stilicho
44:54being
44:55half
44:55vandal
44:56was a
44:57barbarian
44:57after all
44:58and
44:58therefore
44:59he
45:00would
45:00have
45:00inevitably
45:01conspired
45:02with
45:03other
45:03barbarian
45:04to
45:04take
45:04over
45:05the
45:05imperial
45:06throne
45:06honorius
45:09honorius reaches
45:09a fateful
45:11decision
45:11and orders
45:13Stilicho's
45:14arrest
45:15honorius is growing up
45:26Stilicho's been the dominant figure at his court for over 13 years
45:31it's pretty normal for this kind of child emperor to start kicking over the traces
45:40as they get older
45:41it certainly was a decision that had really serious consequences
45:50tillico is faced with a choice some of his colleagues are urging him to take the choice of actually going into rebellion against the ruling regime
46:02he says no i'm not going to cause mayhem at the heart of the western empire at a moment of stress
46:11that's an extraordinary testament to his loyalty to the basic roman system
46:19Stilicho has given rome his allegiance
46:24rome has repaid him with suspicion
46:28and a death sentence
46:31history will judge it a catastrophic error
46:40Stilicho's execution means disaster for the western empire
46:50it is a chronically misguided short-sighted action
46:55honorius has just removed the one man who could either do a deal with the barbarians
47:03or defeat them in battle
47:04he's also unleashed dark forces that will bring carnage to Italy
47:19as violence against immigrants erupts
47:23stillico's execution triggers a bloodbath
47:32the opposition to stillico flows into a major assault on anybody of barbarian descent or related to the barbarians in Italy
47:45there's no question that the level of severity the ferocity of this massacre going after not just the men but going after their wives and children
47:58this went way beyond the kind of political purge that you would normally expect to see following the death of somebody who's a major leader
48:07the extent to this suggests that there was some layer of prejudice at work here
48:14but if the massacre is meant to terrify the barbarians into submission
48:22you can't appeal to the emperor you can't appeal to the local population who might protect you
48:36there is one very obvious candidate Alaric
48:45and so a lot of these soldiers who had been loyal to stillico now flood to join Alaric
48:51Alaric estimates are perhaps 10,000 soldiers now swell Alaric's forces
48:59not only is his greatest opponent dead and the western military is in chaos
49:05and following has been greatly strengthened
49:10Alaric goes for the jugular
49:14he marches unopposed through italy to rome
49:20his forces surround the city and cut off the food supply
49:26rome is still the single most prestigious city in the empire and so Alaric is threatening to sack that city
49:36as leverage for the things he actually most wants
49:40so what does he demand
49:42gold silver
49:44both in thousands of pounds of quantity
49:50he wants somewhere to settle
49:53and he wants an official roman title
49:56the one stillico held
49:58commander-in-chief of the western army
50:06our sources about the siege of rome
50:10are quite unanimous in its severity
50:14people are starving our sources even talk about cannibalism
50:21the citizens of rome are suffering but their emperor is not suffering with them
50:27he has retreated to the relative safety of ravenna
50:33over 200 miles away on italy's adriatic coast
50:38numerous people go up to beg honorius to help to send an army to make a deal with alaric
50:46our sources report that honorius declares that he will never do a deal with one of alaric's race
50:57what it's suggesting is an unwillingness on honorius's part to wake up and smell the coffee
51:03the goths are here as a permanent structure within the western empire and you have to find a way of
51:09living with them
51:11you can see why he might resist that honorius has grown up in a world of total roman dominance
51:20he doesn't realize that the world has changed
51:34and he decides it's time to just sack rome
51:51the roman stereotype alaric and his people and in a way force him to become the thing that they're fearful of
51:59alaric's followers are targeting the noble houses they're targeting everything they can
52:08basically gather together and carry off
52:20amazingly some of rome's treasures from that time survive they offer a glimpse of the riches the goths
52:28discovered and bear witness to the violence they unleashed
52:35the proacta casket is part of a horde of objects almost all silver nearly 60 of them
52:43discovered in the ruins of a roman house in the city of rome
52:51what's particularly interesting is the dating of the objects align
52:57very very attractively with the sack of rome it's pretty likely that this horde was created
53:05precisely at the moment when alaric was at the gates of the city and this is one family's attempt to
53:13preserve its wealth its heirlooms
53:16why would no one come back for such a very expensive luxury collection of treasures
53:25it's possible that some of the family members fled the city
53:29it is of course entirely possible that these were people who did indeed fall victim to the gods
53:44the gods are primarily interested in taking every single thing they can carry
53:58and bringing it out with them but it also importantly includes people
54:07human trafficking captive taking was one of the primary
54:11forms of booty in the ancient world and this was a major goal of the army when they came through
54:21react to 85 years of opportunity to catch their village because they could pray their
54:26own people who enter their family from the clan world and they were exhaling they were
54:30in the city of the wildlife cycle but once every one of the schools started keeping
54:31to comprehend what has happened.
54:36Honorius was told that Rome had just fallen
54:40and the reaction of the emperor
54:42was an immediate expression of grief and desperation.
54:49But what he said was,
54:51but I had fed her with my own hands just a few hours ago.
54:57Because Honorius had a hen house
55:00and one of the hens was called Rome.
55:05Such was the idea that Rome could not fall.
55:12After three long days of violence and plunder,
55:16the Goths finally leave Rome.
55:19As a psychological event,
55:22the sack of Rome sends a shockwave across the Roman Empire.
55:25It is one of those events where, when you heard about it,
55:30you remember where you were when news reached you.
55:34Like 9-11.
55:37Events that trigger a spark across a consciousness.
55:41Nobody could accept the idea that the most powerful city of all times
55:52had eventually capitulated.
55:59Alaric and the Goths have forged a path that others will follow.
56:04The Gothic migration, the refugee crisis of the 370s,
56:11effectively marks the beginning
56:13of the so-called decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
56:19The Goths will eventually form their own kingdoms on Roman territory.
56:24It becomes the model for other barbarian peoples.
56:39One by one, the territories of the former Western Roman Empire
56:43fall away from imperial control.
56:46Rome lost its grip on Western Europe
56:53over 1,500 years ago
56:56with a weak, inexperienced leader
57:01blinded by paranoia.
57:05What the Romans got wrong
57:07was refusing to understand the political moment,
57:13the instability, the fragility of the government.
57:18No leader rising to the top
57:21who could calm the situation and end the standoff.
57:26This didn't have to happen.
57:29It was a two-tier society that favoured the rich
57:34while failing to solve the challenges of mass migration.
57:39This story is a refugee crisis gone wrong.
57:46It is something we are now very familiar with
57:49in our modern world.
57:54The fall of Rome for many people
57:57was a liberation from a predatory autocracy
57:59which overtaxed citizens,
58:02mistreated immigrants,
58:03and persisted through conquest.
58:05Do not mourn the empire.
58:06The Romans did not believe
58:11their empire was about to collapse,
58:14but it did.
58:15Our world order will change.
58:19That will always be
58:20the great lesson of history.
58:27Egypt, a civilisation
58:30that has thrived for 3,000 years,
58:33is torn apart by a toxic dynasty.
58:37Forcing the great Cleopatra
58:39to face civil war,
58:42famine,
58:43and foreign invasion,
58:45threatening to end the age of the pharaohs.
58:48the shooter to face civil war,
58:57crushing the behaviours of the fighter,
58:57which was a no-one-for-field
58:58in the identity of the pharaohs.
58:59As a result of this,
59:00And the frontier to face civil war,
59:00the grave is not fair.
59:01We're getting into this.
59:02To accept theвой and the third
59:04of the pharaohs.
59:05To accept the pharaohs.
59:06The pharaohs.
59:08We're getting into this.
59:08We'll be getting into this.
59:10So let's see,
59:10from a Souza.
59:10Let's see,
59:11let's see.
59:12How does a pharaoh do
59:12...
59:13the pharaohs do
59:14aband?
59:15Transcription by CastingWords
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