A review of “The Roman Empire in the First Century” (PBS Empires)

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.”

- The New Testament, “The Gospel According to St. Luke,” Chapter 2, Verse 1 (as translated by the King James Version of the Bible)

Since this documentary was first shown in 2001, there have been a few other documentaries made about Ancient Rome. These include a six-hour program by the BBC, and a ten-hour program by the History Channel. By contrast, this PBS program is only four hours long, so you might expect it not to be as “in-depth.” If so, you'd be wrong; because these other programs cover much broader time periods than just the first century. This gives them an advantage over PBS in these other periods, but it also means that they can't cover this narrower period in as much depth as PBS does. If it's the first century you're after, this is definitely the documentary to go to; and so it has a lot to offer in this regard. Nonetheless, all of these programs add something to one's knowledge of the history; so the true Roman Empire buff will probably want to consult all of them. If you prefer dramatizations with lots of re-enactments, the BBC and the History Channel are probably more up your alley than this PBS program. But if you like period images (including statues and archaeological sites), you will find much to enjoy in this documentary by PBS.

The title of the documentary may be somewhat misleading in some ways …

The title may be somewhat misleading in some ways, though, because it actually gives some coverage of events outside of the “first century” – that is, the first century AD. I refer here mainly to the coverage of Augustus, the man who is referred to in the New Testament as “Cæsar Augustus.” Augustus was actually born in 63 BC, and did not become emperor until 27 BC. I'm sure that they had good reasons to cover his life, because he was one of the most important of all the Roman Emperors. But most of his life was prior to the birth of Jesus Christ, and they give some extensive coverage of virtually all of his life. I should acknowledge that he did reign for the first 14 years of what we now call the “first century,” and he is thus still quite relevant to this topic. Nonetheless, a significant amount of the first episode is about the first century BC; and they don't get to the first century AD until somewhat later in the episode. I have no complaints on this score despite this, because their coverage is certainly interesting. But if you're expecting a strict adherence to the technical definition of the “first century,” you may be somewhat disappointed. As far as Augustus goes, PBS's coverage may be the definitive coverage; and so I am quite satisfied on this score.

Augustus Cæsar

Comments on the coverage of this period's political history

There is also coverage of other emperors as well; and they don't omit the political history of Rome by any means. They strike me as somewhat weaker on Roman military history, though, but the History Channel helps to make up for this deficiency in its own documentary, “Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire.” PBS also gives good coverage of the emperor Nero; but as far as Nero is concerned, the award for the most in-depth coverage may actually go to the BBC. This is because they dedicated an entire episode to Nero in “Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire.” (Not to be confused with the History Channel program having a similar name.) PBS mainly distinguishes itself here by using period images. Nero is not the most sympathetic emperor, of course, since he actually murdered a number of his subjects (including his own mother). But this does not constitute a reason to omit a ruler from the history. If anything, this means that they need to be included even more; as cautionary tales about the dangers of tyranny. Another emperor in this category was Caligula, who was also fairly tyrannical. But other emperors were more sympathetic, such as Tiberius and Claudius. For the latter three emperors; PBS's coverage may be the best coverage.

Emperor Caligula

Comments on the coverage of this period's social history

PBS's biggest strength may be in its coverage of the Roman social issues, like wild dinner parties and the public bath houses. Other documentaries have covered slavery and the gladiators, and PBS certainly does not omit these social issues. But as far as everyday life is concerned, PBS's coverage seems to me to be somewhat better. They also cover the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and some other things not covered as much elsewhere. They discuss how the archaeological sites are focused more on the lives of the “rich and powerful,” and how we don't have as much of a record about the poorer classes of Roman society. I do have one complaint about their cultural coverage, though, which is that their first episode spends too much time on adultery and promiscuity. Nothing inappropriate is shown, but they quote extensively from a period book about the art of seduction. These quotations are somewhat excessive, in my view, and they might merit the use of a fast-forward button for similarly-minded viewers. But the rest of their cultural coverage is quite good, and even their coverage of the “juicy” is not entirely bad. (I just wish that the audience were spared some of the details of these “juicy” aspects of the history.)

Gladiatorial arena

Comments on the coverage of the birth of Christianity, in the early first century

The dominant religion of the Roman Empire throughout the first century was paganism. Christianity did not become the dominant religion of the Roman Empire until the advent of Constantine in the fourth century, much later than this program's period of focus. However, they do cover the advent of Christianity with a brief scene about Christ, and another brief scene about Paul the Apostle. There is some brief coverage given elsewhere, but this is only in passing. The birth of the Christian faith is one of the most intriguing aspects of this period, and many people will be drawn to this program for this reason. Nonetheless, Christian history is not really the primary focus here. Rather, the primary focus is on the secular history of Rome. (Although if you're interested in early Christian history, you'll learn a lot of background information here that you may find useful in understanding this period more generally.) The program is, of course, neutral on the issue of whether or not Jesus Christ is the Messiah; and notes only how he was perceived by his contemporaries. For example, to the Romans, he was a “rabble-rouser” and a “common criminal.” To the early Christians, by contrast, he was the “Messiah,” and the “Son of God.” There is a similar division amongst the scholars interviewed here, some of whom are critics of Christianity, and others of whom are more sympathetic to it (and even followers of it). If you want more in-depth coverage of early Christian history, I recommend “Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine,” another documentary that aired on PBS some time ago. This, by contrast, is about the broader events of the Roman Empire as a whole during this time.

The Colosseum

Comments on the coverage of the Jewish Revolt, of the later first century

This period is also notable for its Jewish history, because of the Jewish Revolt of the later half of the first century. Now known as the “First Jewish-Roman War,” the revolt saw a massive Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70; which culminated in the destruction of the Second Temple that year. I have covered these things elsewhere in another post, more focused on Judaism. Suffice it to say here that this was important for the broader history of the Middle East, and that it was the largest revolt in the history of the Roman Empire. This is part of why this period fascinates others besides us Christians. Other documentaries have covered these events as well, including the previously mentioned History Channel and BBC programs. The main advantage of the coverage by PBS seems to be one of style, because it makes extensive use of period images (as always). Although I find PBS to be somewhat weaker on Roman military history as a general rule, their coverage of the Jewish Revolt may be a fortunate exception to this.

Reconstruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem

How does this documentary compare with others about the Roman Empire?

The other documentaries that I've mentioned here also have some definite merit. The BBC program is actually more of a docudrama than a documentary, and focuses on a few select episodes in Roman history. The most comprehensive of these programs may be the series by the History Channel (which, by contrast, is a true documentary). It is the best at covering Roman military history. For early Christian history, the best seems to be “Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine,” which is six hours long. But “The Roman Empire in the First Century” is more focused on one period than any of the others. This focus has its advantages, I think. In any case, this documentary does belong on the shelf of anyone interested in the Roman Empire.

“And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.”

- The New Testament, “The Gospel According to St. Mark,” Chapter 12, Verse 17 (as translated by the King James Version of the Bible)

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PBS Empires

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Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites
The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization
Peter, Paul, and the Christian Revolution

The Roman Empire in the First Century

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