Civilisations: Rise and Fall

A weak emperor. A divided empire. Barbarians at the gate. Does this perfect storm mean the end of ancient Rome? At the turn of the fifth century, the Roman world faces its greatest crisis in 800 years: the sack of Rome in 410 AD. This seismic event marks the beginning of the end for the Western Roman Empire. In 395 AD, the child emperor Honorius inherits a vast but fragile empire. Guided by General Stilicho, he must control a fractured system plagued by rebellion, economic decline and elite corruption. Gothic peoples, having been recruited by the Roman state but subsequently mistreated, now march against Rome, led by their commander Alaric.

The 3,000-year-old civilisation of ancient Egypt faces disaster as war, famine and a toxic dynasty threaten its survival. Will Queen Cleopatra become the last of the pharaohs? A look at the rise and fall of one of history's most bloodstained dynasties, the Ptolemies, the last pharaohs of Egypt. The 3,000-year-old civilisation of ancient Egypt faces disaster as civil war between Queen Cleopatra and her brother, a famine caused by the failure of the Nile's flood cycle and the increasing dominance of Rome threaten its survival. Will Cleopatra become the last of the pharaohs?

The Aztecs battle to save their civilisation from Spanish invaders – but is the real threat from the enemy within? At its height, the Aztec civilisation is a vast and well-organised society, ruled by Emperor Moctezuma II and centred on the spectacular island city of Tenochtitlan, which contains around 100,000 people. But in 1519, the arrival of a band of Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortes, becomes one of the most fateful moments in world history and exposes the fault lines within the Aztec world. Is the real threat from the enemy within?

For 250 years, Japan has thrived, largely cut off from western influence - until US gunboats arrive. In the face of an industrialised west, how will reformers, the shogun and the samurai class react? A look at the dramatic collision between Japan's samurai class and the industrialised west in the mid-19th century, explored through the characters of US naval commander Commodore Matthew Perry, eager to establish a US-Japan trade route; the shogun, the Japanese ruler, aiming to keep his grip on power; and the samurai Saigo Takamori, a Japanese warrior and reformer dedicated to protecting Japan's independence.