22 hours of Rome, 12 hours of I, Claudius, and 6 hours of Masada

The turn of the millenia two thousand years ago is perhaps the most tumultuous period of Roman history that changed the face of Europe forever. Several television series have explored the transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire, and now that HBO’s Rome has finished, it’s now possible to enjoy a solid 120 years of history in 40 hours. Of course, each program uses a certain amount of poetic license. But the length of television series allows them to explore more detail and in greater depth than movies or plays ever could.

There are gaps between the series, but it doesn’t result in losing the history. Most of the young characters that survive at the end of Rome —Octavian/Augustus, Livila, Octavia, Antonia, and Agrippa—are dealt with in the early episodes of I, Claudius, which begins 10 years later. Although there is a gap of another decade between I, Claudius and Masada, both series have a narrative summary of what happens to Emperor Nero. And anyone who enjoys history and who can bear a little creativity on the hands of the storytellers would enjoy these series in the appropriate order.

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