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Rome, the Eternal City.
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00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,600
Today, it's a place
dominated by Christianity.
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00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:13,800
Its churches rule the skyline.
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00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,880
Its faithful pack the streets.
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00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:21,280
Every year, thousands upon
thousands of pilgrims
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00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:25,280
from across the world flock here
to worship in the place
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00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:29,240
that is truly the beating heart
of the Catholic faith.
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00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:34,800
For many, Rome's status as a holy
city begins with Christianity.
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But in fact, its origin
as a sacred site
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00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:40,760
owes everything
to its pre-Christian past.
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00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,920
It was exotic pagan deities
who were first credited
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00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,920
with transforming a hillside village
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00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:55,160
to the capital of the most powerful
empire the world has ever known.
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00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:59,120
These were the gods of thunder,
love, war and wisdom,
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00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,000
who dominated the city
for a thousand years
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00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,160
and held its fortune in their hands.
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00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:17,000
The very ground Rome was built on
was considered sacred,
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from its temples...to its sewers.
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You can smell putrefaction,
the sweetness of waste.
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But it also stinks of history.
It's a secret world lost in time.
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This is a city
I've always been drawn to.
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And in this series,
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I'm going to be discovering just how
it gained its tradition of holiness.
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I've come with the questions
of both historian and tourist,
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to examine the fabric of a place
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where power and religion
go hand in hand.
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Rome has always been inspired
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and shaped by its passionate
sense of sacred mission.
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Popes and emperors,
kings and consuls have all believed
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they served a higher purpose,
to fulfil the will of the divine.
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00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:16,320
And in this episode, I'm going right
back to Rome's pagan roots,
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to a world of empires won and lost,
holy ambitions fulfilled,
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a place where signs from heaven
could change the course of history
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00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,160
and men became gods.
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00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,240
I want to find out just how
this once-marshy wasteland
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became one
of the world's holiest cities.
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00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:01,280
Every July, Rome celebrates one
of its favourite festivals.
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00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:07,600
It's a Catholic celebration in which
a statue of the Virgin Mary
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00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,440
gets a tour of Rome
along the River Tiber.
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00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:13,560
And she's off.
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00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,520
It's quite a bizarre sight,
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the mother of God,
taking a ride on a motorboat.
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00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:28,800
But it does sum up Rome today.
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Here, religious pageantry
is the city's daily theatre,
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00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,680
on the streets and on the water.
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00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,440
Christianity rules the Holy City.
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00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:47,760
But everywhere you look, paganism
lurks just beneath the surface.
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00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:56,720
Images of Mary on street corners
were once pagan shrines
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00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,080
devoted to the household gods.
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00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,000
Ancient temples have been absorbed
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into the fabric of Christian
churches.
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00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,000
And the Pope has a pagan precedent.
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00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:14,560
The ancient Romans had their own
high priest, the Pontifex Maximus.
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00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:21,120
Even this procession has echoes
of the pagan world.
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00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:27,480
In 205 BC, there are stories
of the Magna Mater,
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00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,600
a foreign goddess,
being brought into Rome by boat
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00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:32,800
right up this river, just like this,
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00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,440
except it wouldn't have been
motorboats.
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00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,880
It would have been wooden boats.
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00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,040
It wouldn't have been balloons,
it would have been incense lamps.
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00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:46,920
But the modern, Christian Rome
of today, in many ways,
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is not so far removed
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00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:53,000
from the ancient, pagan Rome
of gods and emperors.
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00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,920
And there's a clue to the origins
of Rome's timeless sanctity
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in its founding myth.
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00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:12,240
Every sacred city needs a creation
story, and Rome is no different.
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It's a tale that defined
the ancient Romans.
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00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:21,840
And as a tourist, it's a legend
you still can't escape.
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There are glimpses of it
just about everywhere.
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00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,600
And here it is, two children
suckling a she-wolf.
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It's a timeless vision
of human dreams and nightmares -
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lupine ferocity
meets maternal nurture.
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00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:49,280
But it sums up everything the Romans
wanted to believe about themselves
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and their city's destiny.
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According to myth,
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Rome was founded in 753 BC
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by the twin brothers
Romulus and Remus.
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00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,520
Abandoned as babies,
they were rescued by a she-wolf.
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00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:11,040
And once adults,
they decided to found a city.
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But it wasn't that simple.
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00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,760
Being brothers, they soon fell out
over where to build it.
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Romulus wanted to build it
on the Palatine Hill.
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00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,920
Remus wanted to build it
on neighbouring Aventine Hill.
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And to make the right decision,
they decided to consult the gods.
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Signs from heaven were sent to each
brother in the form of vultures.
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00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,480
Remus saw them first,
six birds over the Aventine.
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But Romulus saw more, twelve.
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Each brother
claimed the gods favoured him.
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It was a rivalry
with fatal consequences.
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Romulus started to build walls
around the Palatine
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00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,880
to mark the boundaries
of his new city.
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00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:09,440
Remus mocked his brother by jumping
over the half-built fortifications.
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It was a challenge, and Romulus
answered it by killing his brother.
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00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:17,240
The gods had spoken.
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00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:22,240
It's a legend that reflects
the Roman conviction
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that this was a city whose fate
was divinely ordained.
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So the story of Rome begins,
with religious omens
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00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,200
and murderous ambition,
power and religion -
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the essential ingredients of
a holy city then, and now.
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Of course, the story is a legend.
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And the archaeology shows that Rome
actually started as a patchwork
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of small farms on the seven hills
overlooking the River Tiber.
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00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:57,400
Between the hills,
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00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:01,440
there were marshy valleys where
the local people buried their dead.
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00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,040
Some time in the eighth century BC,
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two villages that stood
on the hills,
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the Palatine and the Quirinal,
merged into one settlement.
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00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:16,120
But there is one element
in the Romulus and Remus story
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that does seem to have a basis
in historical fact,
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and that is
that right from the beginning,
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Rome was surrounded by a boundary
that was of enormous importance.
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It marked Rome out as a sacred city.
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This boundary was
known as the Pomerium,
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and Romans thought
it originally followed
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00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,320
the line ploughed
by Romulus around the city.
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00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,240
But it wasn't just about
marking out territory.
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Much more significantly,
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the Romans believed the land within
it enjoyed divine protection.
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00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,400
This gateway,
known as the Arch of Dolabella,
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00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,880
was built on the line
of the Pomerium.
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And to keep the gods happy,
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there were strict rules
dictating behaviour
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within Rome's sacred confines.
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So on this side of the arch
was outside the city,
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where the Romans believed you could
bury your dead or make war.
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00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,720
But as I walk through the archway,
I enter Rome.
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Rome begins here,
and everything is sacred.
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So if I was a soldier, for example,
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I would have to leave my arms
outside the gate.
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00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,240
Generals could not build
military camps here.
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The Romans believed that to break
these rules was sacrilege.
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And this idea of what is
and isn't sacred space
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has influenced the way
the entire city has been laid out.
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It's why one of the main
thoroughfares into Rome,
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the Appian Way,
is lined with tombs.
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But only up to a certain point.
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They stop the moment you enter
the city itself.
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00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:13,440
It's also why the tombs of the
early Christians, the Catacombs,
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and on the outskirts
and not in the centre.
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00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:21,760
But the sacred space in Rome wasn't
just what you saw around you,
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it also extended beneath your feet,
right underground.
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Deep below the is one of its
most secret and holy sites.
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It's a network of some sewers,
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but they weren't just to wash away
the effluence of the Romans.
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Like everything else in this city,
they also had a sacred purpose.
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They were said to be the brainchild
of one of Rome's earliest rulers,
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Tarquinius Priscus,
fifth monarch of the city,
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and one of a line of kings
who ruled here.
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00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:03,080
The entrance to the sewers
is in the Forum of Nerva.
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00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:06,080
It's here that I met up
with Mark Bradley,
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for whom they are
a personal passion.
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Truly an elegant look
for la dolce vita.
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The sewers are still in use today,
so precautions have to be taken.
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How do I look?
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I think we're ready to face
the effluvia of the ancients.
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But I quickly realised that
penetrating these faecal caverns
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wasn't going to be easy.
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No way! I don't think
I can go down there.
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I hate to tell you this.
I'm serious.
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Nobody's ever fallen down it.
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Don't like the look of it.
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Half an hour later, after
a very 21st-century panic attack
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that would have shamed
the noble Romans,
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I managed to face
this terrifying abyss.
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00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:08,160
And as I descended into this
twilight canyon of filth,
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I could smell it
before I could see it.
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What a place! Oh, my God!
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What is that?
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This is absolutely
extraordinary down here.
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Yes, these are terribly,
terribly important.
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This is the Cloaca Maxima,
the great sewer,
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which is the oldest surviving
intact monument in Rome.
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Forget all the temples,
all the palaces,
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this is the real start of Rome.
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One of the main functions of these
sewers originally was to drain
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the Forum, which was being
periodically flooded by the Tiber.
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It's massive.
You can sail a boat through here.
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And the Romans boasted about
sailing boats through here.
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Come on, let's explore.
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This extraordinary sanitation
system was built
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right back in the sixth century BC.
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And its tunnels stretch
for miles and miles.
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00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:16,840
For 2,500 years,
right up until the 19th century,
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this was the only sewer system
serving the whole of Rome.
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And the ancient Romans believed
it purified the city,
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both practically and symbolically.
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00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:33,960
So, Mark,
why are these sewers sacred?
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Well, these sewers are sacred,
in part, because they flush waste
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00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,240
out of the city, they cleanse
the city, they make it pure.
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And there are shrines
marking particular points
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and junctions in the sewer.
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There is a very long-standing
tradition in the history of Rome
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where unwanted elements of society -
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so criminals, deposed tyrants,
even Christian martyrs - would be
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00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,920
cast down here, symbolically,
to be flushed out of the city.
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00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,760
Which emperors were actually
tossed down here?
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00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:14,080
The one emperor who is very famous
for this is the Emperor Elegabalus
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00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:15,920
in the early third century AD,
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00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:19,200
who was a depraved young emperor
who made a complete mess of Rome.
200
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:23,800
He was eventually assassinated,
his body was dragged, really foully,
201
00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:27,200
through the sewers
and evacuated outside the city.
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00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:34,440
That's all that's left of one
of the last people to be here.
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00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,000
The Romans believed
this purging of the city
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00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:40,360
was key to its very survival.
205
00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:44,720
If Rome was pure,
the gods would be happy.
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00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,040
And the city's fortunes
would be secure.
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00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:52,480
I actually didn't think
I'd be able to get down here,
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00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,200
but I'm so pleased I did.
I love it.
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00:14:55,200 --> 00:15:00,000
The stones themselves speak, perhaps
I should say stink, of history.
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00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,640
However disgusting it is down here -
and it really is disgusting -
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the walls, the liquid,
the stink is appalling.
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00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:10,440
It's sweet in its horror.
213
00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:14,480
And yet I have to tell you
there is real grandeur down here
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00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:18,000
and it is the sacred grandeur
of ancient Rome.
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00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,720
This splendid subterranean
world has shown me
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00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:35,680
that right from its inception,
Rome was regarded as a holy city,
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00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:39,080
above and even below the surface.
218
00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,560
Oh, my God! How lovely!
Sunlight, air!
219
00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:50,240
Goodbye, ancient tunnels of Rome.
220
00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,400
The sewers are one of Rome's
best-kept secrets.
221
00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:04,600
But they have an unexpected link
to one of the city's
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00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:08,480
most popular tourist destinations
that might not please
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00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:11,400
the thousands of people
who come here.
224
00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,200
The famous Bocca della Verita,
the mouth of truth, has been linked
225
00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,640
since Middle Ages to a tradition
226
00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:25,280
that if an unfaithful lover
put his or her hand in the mouth,
227
00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,680
it would be bitten off.
228
00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:32,280
In Roman times, it wasn't a good
idea to put your hand in that hole,
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00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:34,600
whether you were faithful or not.
230
00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,440
This is in fact
a monumental sewer cover,
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00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:42,360
decorated with the face of
Oceanus, God of the oceans.
232
00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:48,000
The risk was not so much
from infidelity as from infection.
233
00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:01,480
The concept of Rome as a holy city
was present from the beginning.
234
00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:06,200
And it not only shaped how
the Romans designed their city,
235
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:11,480
it also influenced every political
decision its rulers made.
236
00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,560
The Romans were obsessed with
the gods and their moods.
237
00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:20,400
And that governed how they behaved
from dawn till dusk.
238
00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:26,720
Every soldier, every Caesar,
believed he had a religious role.
239
00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:32,920
To commemorate the greatness of Rome
was to celebrate its holy destiny.
240
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:37,640
In this city, religion and politics
were inseparable bedfellows.
241
00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:47,360
Nowhere is this marriage of sacred
and secular more blatant than here.
242
00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:52,840
At the Forum,
the heart of pagan Rome.
243
00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:59,600
It was first built in the sixth
century BC as a civic centre
244
00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,920
after the sewers were established
and the land drained.
245
00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:08,080
And for 1,000 years, it was
the centre of Roman public life.
246
00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:14,200
Here, speeches were given, criminals
were tried, laws were made.
247
00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:19,640
And temple after temple was raised
to the glory of the gods of Rome.
248
00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:27,600
According to legend, this was home
to another king of the city,
249
00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:32,160
whose influence shaped the earliest
traditions of Roman life.
250
00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,920
His name was Numa Pompilius.
251
00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,800
The Romans believed
that it was Numa who created
252
00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:45,520
the religious rituals and structures
that made possible the rise of Rome.
253
00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,640
And he did it right here.
254
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,800
When you visit the Forum
for the first time,
255
00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,560
you're both dazzled and bewildered.
256
00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:04,160
It's a mishmash of architectural
fragments from different ages.
257
00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:09,560
There are traces of temples
built and rebuilt.
258
00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:13,200
Layer upon layer of Roman history.
259
00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,680
Much of what stand here today
belongs to the time
260
00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:22,360
of the emperors,
the last leaders to make their mark.
261
00:19:22,360 --> 00:19:25,960
But the origins of this site
can be dated right back to
262
00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:27,880
the period of the Roman monarchy.
263
00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:33,760
King Numa was said
to have established
four colleges of priests,
264
00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,160
with very clear responsibilities.
265
00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,240
They were not just religious,
they were also political.
266
00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:41,600
And without their say-so,
267
00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:45,880
the entire routine of Roman politics
would grind to a halt.
268
00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:50,280
All buildings in the Forum,
public or private,
269
00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,680
were dedicated to the gods.
270
00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:56,200
And all political decisions
had to be made
271
00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:01,680
on sanctified ground - from
holding elections to passing laws.
272
00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:05,480
So it was a group of priests
known as the augurs
273
00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:09,240
who had the final say
over planning decisions.
274
00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,000
This was the Senate house,
275
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,920
but it was also something called
a "templum", a sacred space.
276
00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,440
The augurs would consult
the heavens to approve the site
277
00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:20,760
and then map it out
with holy staffs.
278
00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,240
It was as if
the Houses of Parliament
279
00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,240
stood on a sacred rectangle.
280
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:29,160
And if the space wasn't sacred,
the decisions weren't valid.
281
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:35,440
At the opposite end
of the forum was the Regia.
282
00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:37,240
It was the royal residence,
283
00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:39,960
originally thought to be
the Palace of King Numa
284
00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:42,600
and the seat of secular power.
285
00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:46,520
But it was also the centre
of religious control.
286
00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:50,760
This was once the headquarters
of the Pontifex Maximus,
287
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,760
the high priest, the supreme
religious authority of Rome
288
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:58,960
and Pontifex Maximus literally means
"the greatest bridge-builder".
289
00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,560
He was the bridge
between gods and men.
290
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:06,000
He regulated the rituals
of Roman life and the divine law
291
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,480
and this gave him
considerable political authority.
292
00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:16,960
But he was also a master
of the Vestal Virgins
293
00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:20,040
and right next door
to his headquarters
294
00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,480
was their house and temple.
295
00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,920
The Virgins
were priestesses of Vesta,
296
00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,480
the goddess of the hearth and home,
297
00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:34,560
who had a special link to
the fortunes of the entire city.
298
00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,480
The Vestal Virgins
were chosen at the age of six
299
00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:40,160
for their moral
and physical perfection.
300
00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,240
Their task was to tend
the sacred flame
301
00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,040
of the sacred hearth of the city
302
00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,320
and the Romans believed
that if the fire went out
303
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:51,760
the city itself would fall.
304
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,920
The whole forum was a place
where religious practice
305
00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:03,480
ensured Rome's political decisions
had divine backing.
306
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:13,600
I've always been fascinated
by the macabre rituals
307
00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,520
that really decided
the destiny of Rome.
308
00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:21,000
So I asked Mark Bradley
to give me an insight
309
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,080
into the work of a priestly group
who were involved
310
00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:28,280
in one of the gorier aspects
of Roman politics -
311
00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,000
they were known as the haruspices,
312
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,680
diviners from the Etruscan
communities of northern Italy,
313
00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:38,160
skilled in interpreting
signs from the gods.
314
00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,760
And there's a reason we're meeting
in a fresh food market.
315
00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:50,280
So, Mark, what is this still-warm,
almost pulsating bloody organ
316
00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:52,840
that we have here on the platter
in this butcher's shop?
317
00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:57,800
Well, this is a fresh liver
taken from a newly sacrificed sheep.
318
00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,920
What the priests would do
is they'd cut open the animal
319
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:04,000
and they'd take out the liver
while it was still pulsating
320
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,160
and they'd examine it
to see what the future has in store.
321
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:12,440
So the first thing we need to do
is orientate it correctly.
322
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:17,440
What the haruspices did is
they used a model of the liver
323
00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:21,320
to guide them, to remind them,
to prompt them about how to read it,
324
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:24,800
so what we have here
is a bronze model of a liver
325
00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:29,560
from about 100 BC and this is called
the Piacenza Liver,
326
00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:34,600
and on this you can see
the gall bladder, the caudal lobe,
327
00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,080
and the liver was divided
into 16 sections
328
00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,440
and these 16 sections corresponded
to the 16 regions of heaven
329
00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:47,120
and each region was governed over
by a particular god.
330
00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:51,040
So what we'll do
is we'll have a look at this liver
and see what it tells us.
331
00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:55,520
So this area here,
around where the gall bladder was,
332
00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,560
is an area governed by war gods
333
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:05,320
and if you find a discolouration,
a tumour, a blood clot,
334
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,000
a bile pool or something like that
in this area,
335
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,680
that might mean that
the war gods are not happy,
336
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,920
this might not be
a good time to go to war.
337
00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,160
Another area that's very interesting
is all of this area
338
00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:20,560
which is associated
with the Etruscan god Tin,
339
00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,440
who is the equivalent
of Jupiter in Roman cult.
340
00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,440
If he's not happy you need to
make a sacrifice to him
341
00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,920
or you need to build a temple to him
or something like that.
342
00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:33,000
OK, so if I'm an emperor,
my legions are massed
343
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:37,560
and I now want to invade Germany
today and destroy the German tribes,
344
00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,960
can I march today?
Can you read the organ?
345
00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:42,560
Well, this liver
is remarkably clean.
346
00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:45,920
This is absolutely unblemished,
as far as I can see.
347
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:48,720
This is a good time to do
pretty much anything.
348
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,600
I'm happy, call in the centurions -
we march today. Absolutely.
349
00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:59,040
If religion was an essential
part of a politician's life,
350
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:02,680
for your ordinary Roman
there was barely a beat in the day
351
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:04,880
that wasn't overseen by a god.
352
00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:06,400
Buon giorno.
353
00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:10,520
For the average Roman farmer,
354
00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,800
it wasn't just about sowing,
ploughing and reaping.
355
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:17,720
To get a bumper harvest they had
to keep the gods happy, too.
356
00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:23,880
In April there was
the Festival of Cerialia
357
00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,520
dedicated to the goddess of grain,
358
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:29,960
which involved heading out to
the Circus Maximus in the evening
359
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:34,520
to watch foxes with torches
tied to their tails.
360
00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:39,360
This, apparently,
protected the crops from vermin.
361
00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:44,240
And then there was the Festival to
the god Robigus who governed mildew.
362
00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:48,560
To avoid an outbreak,
farmers had to sacrifice a dog.
363
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:51,720
And in October,
to thank Mars for the harvest,
364
00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:54,360
it was a horse that got the chop.
365
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,640
And private rituals were
as important as public festivals.
366
00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:06,960
Families prayed daily to
the household gods, the Lares,
367
00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:10,240
whose statues they kept at home
in special niches.
368
00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,120
And they gathered for ceremonies
in the fields to offer sacrifices,
369
00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:17,680
ensuring the crops would ripen.
370
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:21,600
In fact, the Roman farmer
had so many religious obligations
371
00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,680
it's a wonder he had any time
to tend his crops.
372
00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:36,720
The religious structures
and practices said to have been
established by King Numa
373
00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:39,640
largely formed the basis
of Roman religion
374
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,520
for the entire first
millennium of Rome.
375
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:45,920
But in 509 BC
a political crisis broke out.
376
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:52,520
A group of aristocrats rebelled
against the king, Tarquin the Proud.
377
00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,000
They overthrew him and established
a new political system.
378
00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:02,160
Rome would no longer be ruled
by one man but by the Senate,
379
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,720
an assembly of its leading citizens.
380
00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,360
The Roman Republic was born.
381
00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,320
But whatever ideas drove the change,
382
00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,480
religion remained at the heart
of the new regime.
383
00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:21,760
Indeed, the more successful Rome
became, the more sacred the city.
384
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,000
The dawn of the Republic
was marked by an event
385
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,680
that would have seen the whole
of Rome celebrating on the streets.
386
00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:41,600
It was the dedication ceremony
387
00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:46,440
of a building that once stood here
on the Capitoline Hill.
388
00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:50,800
The single most important temple
ever erected in Rome.
389
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:56,800
On 13 September 509 BC,
390
00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:00,400
this spot above the forum would have
been packed with people.
391
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,120
And what an awesome spectacle
it would have been.
392
00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:09,640
They were there for the dedication
of the vast new temple of Jupiter,
393
00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:15,080
Optimus Maximus, the biggest
and brightest of the Roman gods.
394
00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:17,440
There was an altar outside
for sacrifices
395
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:19,160
and the doors were always open
396
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:24,080
so passers-by could see the huge and
gaudy statues of the gods within.
397
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,360
For a Roman who was there that day
398
00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:31,480
it would have been as magnificent
as it was unforgettable.
399
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:38,360
The entire ceremony was designed
to remind the Roman people
400
00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:41,880
that the god Jupiter
was the source of Roman glory.
401
00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:44,920
And for the new Republic,
402
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:48,960
this building marked a dramatic
moment in the city's history.
403
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:52,960
This was the opening ceremony
404
00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:56,160
of the first pagan cathedral
of republican Rome.
405
00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,040
The only surviving sections
of the temple
406
00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:06,400
are now in the Capitoline Museum
in their original position.
407
00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:10,920
Matthew Nicholls
believes it is a building
408
00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,520
that encapsulates the sacred
ambitions of this new regime.
409
00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:17,840
What we're looking at here, Simon,
410
00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:21,280
is a wall that forms part of the
foundations of the Temple of Jupiter.
411
00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:23,840
It's not the temple itself,
it merely the foundations
412
00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,280
that built a huge platform
on which the temple sat.
413
00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:29,360
And how big was it? It was enormous.
It was awe-inspiringly huge.
414
00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,000
You've got to imagine a podium
that was perhaps the size
415
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,200
of two Olympic swimming pools
side-by-side
416
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:36,360
with the temple itself
sitting up on top of that.
417
00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:39,120
So this dominated central Rome?
This dominated the forum?
418
00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:40,560
It looked down on the forum,
419
00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,000
it looked out across
the hills and valleys of Rome.
420
00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,160
It could be seen from a long way away
and it was a magnificent sight.
421
00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,680
Who built it and what was
its political significance?
422
00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:51,960
Its significance
is really what it tells us
423
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,080
about the ambitions
of the Roman state.
424
00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,240
It was linked
right from the start to conquest
425
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,160
and the divine mission of conquest
the Romans felt they had.
426
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,200
But even though we associate
this temple very closely
427
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,840
with the Roman Republic
and the many rituals of the Republic,
428
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,120
in fact it was planned,
it was conceived,
429
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,720
when Rome had kings,
was ruled by Etruscan kings,
430
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,080
and the last of them,
Tarquinius Superbus,
431
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:15,480
was responsible for almost bringing
this temple to fruition,
432
00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,240
and then his rule was blown away
in the revolution.
433
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:22,800
So why did the Republic adopt
this very royal enterprise?
434
00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,840
Romans loved the idea that their rule
and their growing empire
435
00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:28,760
was sanctioned by the will of heaven,
that this was a mission
436
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:30,880
that the gods entrusted
to them as a people.
437
00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:34,920
Even when the kings were gone,
the Roman people
could carry that mission forwards.
438
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:39,640
The building of this temple
439
00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:43,120
marked a watershed
in the history of the whole city.
440
00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:45,800
It was the moment
when Rome transformed
441
00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:49,680
from being a town of small-scale
temples and shrines
442
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:54,400
to a sacred capital
embellished with its own cathedral.
443
00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,440
The Temple of Jupiter
was a declaration
444
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:05,640
of the astonishing religious
and political confidence of Rome,
445
00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:10,760
a rising power blessed and propelled
on its sacred destiny
446
00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:12,760
by the forces of the gods.
447
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:22,400
And that power was consolidated
by the raising of ever-more temples.
448
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:26,480
Their remains can still be seen
all over Rome.
449
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:30,280
As the Romans conquered
new territories,
450
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,880
the spoils of victory
poured into the city
451
00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:36,560
and since the Romans attributed
their success to the gods,
452
00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:40,680
so the victors built
more and more magnificent temples
453
00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,000
in gratitude and in celebration.
454
00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:47,800
Gradually the geography
of the Holy City
455
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:52,520
began to resemble a map
of Rome's ever-increasing empire.
456
00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:00,120
And nowhere was Rome's
acknowledgement of the gods clearer
457
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:04,480
than in one of the city's
most colourful military ceremonies.
458
00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:08,360
When a general returned
from a victorious war,
459
00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,040
the Senate voted him
something called a Triumph,
a parade through the city.
460
00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:15,240
He rode in his chariot
followed by his army,
461
00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,600
by wagons heaped with booty
462
00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:19,680
and by his shackled prisoners
463
00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:23,760
and he ended up right here
at the Via Sacra, the Sacred Way,
464
00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:26,960
the most important street
in the Roman forum.
465
00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:31,320
Imagine the excitement.
466
00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:36,440
The general wearing purple and gold,
his face painted scarlet.
467
00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:38,760
He was dressed as Jupiter for a day,
468
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:41,160
but in case the glory
went to his head,
469
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:45,160
a slave rode behind him
in his chariot whispering,
470
00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:48,360
"Remember - you are only mortal."
471
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,880
His procession ended, of course,
472
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:55,840
at the Capitol
and the Temple of Jupiter
473
00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,760
where he laid laurels at the feet
of the giant statues of the gods.
474
00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:06,440
At that moment there'd be no doubt
in any Roman's mind
475
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,480
that the gods were responsible
for the city's fortunes.
476
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:19,440
But the success of the Republic
came at a price.
477
00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:22,520
It was the purity of Rome's religion
that suffered.
478
00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:28,520
The city's expansion into
a vast empire
479
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:33,280
led to an influx of foreigners
from Greece to Egypt.
480
00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:35,840
And with them came their gods.
481
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,960
Rome's senators could have
suppressed these new divinities
482
00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:43,480
and stayed faithful to their own,
483
00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,680
but they took
a more pragmatic approach.
484
00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,880
Foreign gods, like Isis and Serapis,
485
00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:55,200
were absorbed into the state
religion and in the third century BC
486
00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:59,040
one was even imported
to try and avert disaster.
487
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:09,960
In 205 BC, Rome faced
one of its gravest crises.
488
00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:13,680
For almost a century, the city
was engaged in a power struggle
489
00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:15,600
for control of the Mediterranean.
490
00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:20,960
Its enemy was Carthage, led by
the brilliant commander Hannibal.
491
00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,320
And it was a threat
that led to the introduction
492
00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:31,640
of one of the most flamboyant and
exotic new goddesses to the city -
493
00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:33,400
just in the nick of time.
494
00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:38,640
Rome's very existence was in peril.
495
00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:43,640
Strange portents and mysterious
hailstone storms threatened danger
496
00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:48,000
and in their panic the Romans decide
to consult the Sibylline Books,
497
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,760
sacred texts
kept in the great Temple of Jupiter.
498
00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:53,760
Their advice was clear -
499
00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:56,960
in order to avoid defeat
by Hannibal and the Carthaginians,
500
00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:01,480
the Romans must import
a foreign goddess from Asia Minor.
501
00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:05,440
Her name was Magna Mater,
the great mother,
502
00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:07,280
and her arrival in the city
503
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:10,560
and her acceptance
as one of its official gods -
504
00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:13,480
that alone would help save Rome.
505
00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:29,760
The Roman historian Livy
wrote a vivid description
506
00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:31,600
of her arrival in the city.
507
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,080
The goddess was shipped up the Tiber
508
00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:40,320
accompanied by her cult officials
known as the Galli -
509
00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:44,080
self-castrated eunuch priests.
510
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,440
And when she arrived
at the river's bank
511
00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:53,600
she was born through the city,
passed from hand to hand.
512
00:35:57,280 --> 00:35:59,520
The whole of Rome
came out to meet her.
513
00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,760
Incense burners lined the streets
514
00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:06,840
and all the Romans prayed that she
would enter the city willingly.
515
00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:18,880
It seems Rome hasn't changed
as much as you might think.
516
00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:21,000
LOUDSPEAKER CHANTS
517
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:32,920
Shortly after her arrival,
518
00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:37,240
Magna Mater was given a home
at the very centre of the city -
519
00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:39,920
a temple on the Palatine Hill -
520
00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:44,000
and her rituals were incorporated
into the official calendar.
521
00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:50,640
Three years later,
Hannibal was defeated.
522
00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:58,040
The story of Magna Mater
shows how far Rome had come.
523
00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:02,920
It transformed from sacred village
to a holy city
524
00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:07,720
dedicated to a multinational
pantheon of deities.
525
00:37:12,640 --> 00:37:17,400
But in the first century BC,
700 years after its foundation,
526
00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:20,240
the whole city
was to become a shrine
527
00:37:20,240 --> 00:37:23,640
not just to the gods, but to a man.
528
00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:25,960
And one man in particular.
529
00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:29,680
It was an innovation
that had its roots
530
00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,760
in the rule of one of Rome's
most outstanding leaders...
531
00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:37,040
..Julius Caesar.
532
00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:42,920
Caesar's rise to power
came at a time when violence,
533
00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:47,520
cynicism and corruption
had taken hold of the Holy City.
534
00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:52,800
As the empire grew, the struggle for
control became more and more vicious
535
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:55,840
and religion was ripe
for exploitation.
536
00:37:57,320 --> 00:38:01,360
Portents from heaven were
interpreted to justify decisions.
537
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:06,200
Omens and oracles were invented
for political advantage.
538
00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,840
And in this world,
one man stood out.
539
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:16,760
Caesar was so exceptional,
540
00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:20,240
the Roman state
was almost too small for him.
541
00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:23,480
Nicknamed by his own soldiers
"The Balding Adulterer",
542
00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:26,680
he was a gambler, a risk-taker,
543
00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:29,920
and he was an arch manipulator
of religion
544
00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,160
for his own political ends.
545
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:36,520
He even claimed to be descended
from the goddess Venus herself.
546
00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:44,880
But his success provoked
the jealousy and suspicion
of the other nobles
547
00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:46,960
with deadly consequences.
548
00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:55,680
This little-known square
is the closest you can get
549
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:58,480
to the spot where Caesar
was murdered.
550
00:38:59,720 --> 00:39:03,560
In the first century BC,
these ruins were temples.
551
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:10,440
And on the Ides of March 44 BC,
Caesar was passing here
552
00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:13,120
when he was stabbed
by a group of conspirators.
553
00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:16,800
At first he fought back,
554
00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:19,800
but when he saw
among the assassins was Brutus,
555
00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:23,320
his mistress's son whom he adored,
he gave up.
556
00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:27,640
His murder was meant to save
the Republic,
557
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:31,880
but in fact it just accelerated
the end of the dream.
558
00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:36,400
With Caesar's successors,
559
00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:40,480
Rome would no longer be ruled
by the Senate as a republic
560
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:44,600
but by a single ruler
as an autocracy.
561
00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:48,920
And with this new political order
came an innovation in Roman religion
562
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:54,480
which would once again have a huge
physical impact on the Holy City
563
00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:57,800
and on the daily lives of
the ordinary people who lived here.
564
00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:01,200
The Emperor wouldn't just be
565
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:04,200
the most powerful political leader
in the western world -
566
00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:07,800
he was about to become
the son of a god.
567
00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:21,760
Caesar's heir was his 18-year-old
nephew, and adopted son, Octavian,
568
00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:25,600
a brilliant political strategist,
who combined the old and the new
569
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,520
to give Roman leaders a new status.
570
00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:32,440
They were no longer just
generals and priests -
571
00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:34,560
they could also be gods.
572
00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:40,440
After Caesar's death,
Rome was thrown into chaos
573
00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:44,960
and a fight for power
ripped the city apart.
574
00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:55,720
Octavian found himself in
a bitter struggle to rule the Empire
575
00:40:55,720 --> 00:40:59,280
against Caesar's right-hand man,
Mark Antony.
576
00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:05,120
Mark Antony allied himself with
the irresistibly vampish
577
00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:10,240
and hugely ambitious Queen of Egypt,
Cleopatra.
578
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:16,640
Together, they embraced an Eastern
version of power and religion.
579
00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:21,440
But Octavian cleverly used this
to turn the Romans against them.
580
00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:27,080
Antony and Cleopatra were defeated
in battle and committed suicide.
581
00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:29,880
He by sword, she by snake.
582
00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:33,480
And Octavian became
Rome's first emperor.
583
00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:42,320
Octavian's victory marked a crucial
turning point in Rome's history.
584
00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:46,680
Under his regime,
it became the most magnificent
585
00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:49,280
and sacred capital
of the Western world.
586
00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:54,520
Romans began to call it
"the eternal city".
587
00:41:56,520 --> 00:42:01,840
And Octavian had similarly grand
ideas about his own status.
588
00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:04,520
When Octavian became emperor,
589
00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:09,680
he adopted a new name
for his new role - Augustus Caesar.
590
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:13,000
Augustus means
"consecrated by the augurs".
591
00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:15,760
It was a name that evoked
the favour of the gods
592
00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:19,080
and the auspices that marked
the founding of Rome.
593
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:32,440
The name Caesar also linked Augustus
to his murdered uncle, Julius.
594
00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:36,600
And very early on, he had a temple
built here, in the Forum,
595
00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:38,280
in his uncle's honour.
596
00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:41,680
It doesn't look like much now,
597
00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:45,840
but this once dominated
the entire south side of the Forum.
598
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:49,720
Before it was built, this was where
they brought Julius Caesar's body
599
00:42:49,720 --> 00:42:51,440
after his assassination.
600
00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:55,600
And it was here that they
cremated him before huge crowds.
601
00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:59,960
The temple marks a major change
in Roman religion.
602
00:42:59,960 --> 00:43:03,640
This is when they started
to treat their rulers not as men,
603
00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:05,160
but as gods.
604
00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:12,920
On 1 January 42 BC, the Senate
passed an unprecedented decree.
605
00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:16,760
They declared Julius Caesar divine.
606
00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:23,120
It made him the first historical
Roman ever to be officially
deified.
607
00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:29,920
With a temple and priests, this
mere mortal had now become a god.
608
00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:34,080
And if Julius Caesar was a god,
then his adopted son, Augustus,
609
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:39,640
had a new title - Divi Filius,
son of a god.
610
00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:54,480
But Augustus's desire for divinity
wasn't satisfied by a title alone.
611
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:58,680
He spent the next four decades
taking steps which gradually tied
612
00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:04,240
Roman religion not just to the city
of Rome, but to a single person -
613
00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:05,280
the Emperor.
614
00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:10,440
And he did it
through a vigorous programme
615
00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:12,800
of rebuilding and religious renewal.
616
00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:17,360
He reinstated ancient
religious festivals,
617
00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:20,960
rebuilt crumbling temples,
filled vacant priesthoods.
618
00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:27,640
He claimed he was restoring Rome's
ancient past to please the gods.
619
00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:32,160
What he was really doing
was making Rome his own.
620
00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:37,560
Augustus subtly co-opted new powers,
621
00:44:37,560 --> 00:44:42,200
taking on the mantle of all
the major priesthoods in Rome,
622
00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:44,440
culminating in 12 BC,
623
00:44:44,440 --> 00:44:48,240
when he declared himself
Pontifex Maximus.
624
00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:53,120
Five years later, he divided
the city into new districts.
625
00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:57,680
And on every street corner,
he built a shrine.
626
00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:00,240
In his meticulous way,
627
00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:05,120
he was altering the whole focus
of Roman worship.
628
00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:12,000
Very few traces of these
ancient shrines remain,
629
00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:14,800
but there's one
in the Vatican Museum.
630
00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:19,840
It's tucked away from public view
in the Pope's own private gallery.
631
00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:27,320
And its carvings show just how
the shrewd Augustus was shifting
632
00:45:27,320 --> 00:45:30,640
the object of Roman worship
from the gods
633
00:45:30,640 --> 00:45:32,720
to himself and his own family.
634
00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:35,960
SPEAKS IN ITALIAN
635
00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:58,040
So, what are the images on it?
636
00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:19,560
And Augustus's family connection
to the gods
637
00:46:19,560 --> 00:46:22,760
is even more explicit
in another scene.
638
00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:47,560
What did Augustus want the people
who saw this shrine to believe?
639
00:47:15,280 --> 00:47:20,480
By putting images of his deified
ancestors on shrines all over Rome,
640
00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:22,960
and encouraging sacrifices to them,
641
00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:25,800
Augustus was making
a bold statement.
642
00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:30,160
Augustus was inviting
all ordinary Romans
643
00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:34,720
to take part in the creation
of a new imperial mythology.
644
00:47:34,720 --> 00:47:38,560
The city of Rome was being
indelibly stamped
645
00:47:38,560 --> 00:47:42,760
with the divine claims
of one family, one ruler.
646
00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:50,440
And Augustus set the tone
for the emperors who came after him.
647
00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:55,400
During his life, he was the sole
religious authority in Rome.
648
00:47:56,600 --> 00:48:03,120
And on his death, by vote of the
Senate, he too was declared a god.
649
00:48:07,840 --> 00:48:12,520
The Forum is a living testament
to Augustus's precedent.
650
00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:17,440
Temples to the deified emperors
would soon dominate
this sacred space.
651
00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:24,760
So here is the temple to
the Emperor Antoninus Pius.
652
00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:29,920
And here, these columns were
the temple to the emperors
Vespasian and Titus.
653
00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:32,880
Now, Vespasian,
who was a bluff soldier,
654
00:48:32,880 --> 00:48:35,800
kept a sense of humour
about divinity.
655
00:48:35,800 --> 00:48:38,200
When he lay on his deathbed,
he joked,
656
00:48:38,200 --> 00:48:41,160
"I think I'm about to become a god."
657
00:48:41,160 --> 00:48:45,200
But other emperors lacked
his sense of detachment.
658
00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:50,680
The demented emperor Caligula
cavorted as the goddess Venus
659
00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:53,640
in a gorgeous bejewelled dress.
660
00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:56,680
The emperor Hadrian took all of it
a step further
661
00:48:56,680 --> 00:49:00,280
when he deified his young gay lover.
662
00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:06,560
And as for Nero, he built a 120ft
statue of himself as the sun god,
663
00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:09,640
right here in the centre of Rome.
664
00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:17,320
But it was the imperial cult
and its demands that provoked
a minor challenge
665
00:49:17,320 --> 00:49:22,120
to Roman religion,
with world-shattering consequences.
666
00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:26,440
A new generation of foreign sects
667
00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:29,520
were starting to gain popularity
in the city.
668
00:49:29,520 --> 00:49:33,160
And one in particular
showed resistance
669
00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:35,760
to this worship of emperors.
670
00:49:37,520 --> 00:49:40,760
That cult was, of course,
Christianity.
671
00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:43,720
And 300 years after its emergence,
672
00:49:43,720 --> 00:49:47,680
it would entirely reshape
the city of Rome.
673
00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:51,360
The pagan temples would be
converted into churches,
674
00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:53,920
leaving the Roman gods
to crumble into dust.
675
00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:01,160
But when it first arrived in Rome,
in the first century AD,
676
00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:04,680
Christianity looked
less like a force to be feared
677
00:50:04,680 --> 00:50:07,160
and more like a sect of cranks
with peculiar
678
00:50:08,480 --> 00:50:11,160
and preposterous beliefs,
worthy of mockery.
679
00:50:16,600 --> 00:50:20,760
And there's a glimpse of just how
unthreatening the pagan Romans
680
00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:23,320
initially thought
the Christians were
681
00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:26,160
in a rare piece of ancient graffiti,
682
00:50:26,160 --> 00:50:29,040
uncovered by archaeologists
in the 19th century.
683
00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:33,960
So here it is.
684
00:50:33,960 --> 00:50:36,240
It's very small
and it's very hard to see,
685
00:50:36,240 --> 00:50:39,360
and I find it absolutely
fascinating.
686
00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:45,040
What we have here is a human figure
being crucified on the cross.
687
00:50:45,040 --> 00:50:48,400
What's bizarre about it is that
the person being crucified
688
00:50:48,400 --> 00:50:49,800
has the head of a donkey.
689
00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:57,080
There's a figure, apparently
worshipping beside the cross,
690
00:50:57,080 --> 00:50:59,320
hand raised, possibly a soldier,
691
00:50:59,320 --> 00:51:05,560
and, underneath, it says,
"Alexamenos worships his God."
692
00:51:05,560 --> 00:51:10,440
Now what's remarkable about this
is it's the first ever
693
00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:13,200
representation
of the Crucifixion in history.
694
00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:20,400
What's interesting
is that it's clearly
695
00:51:20,400 --> 00:51:24,600
not by a Christian at all,
but by a pagan Roman.
696
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:33,080
The graffiti dates from between
the first and third centuries AD
697
00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:36,440
and, at that time, the symbol
of the cross wasn't something
698
00:51:36,440 --> 00:51:38,160
the Christians were proud of.
699
00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:44,000
Crucifixion was a shameful death -
the method of execution
700
00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:47,440
for the lowest criminals,
like showing someone today with
701
00:51:47,440 --> 00:51:50,800
a noose round their neck,
and, in the earliest Christian art,
702
00:51:50,800 --> 00:51:58,040
the cross doesn't appear at all,
so this pagan graffiti artist
703
00:51:58,040 --> 00:52:02,440
is deliberately mocking
and insulting Christian worshippers.
704
00:52:02,440 --> 00:52:07,240
To show Jesus with a donkey's head
is the cruellest cut of all.
705
00:52:09,600 --> 00:52:12,440
And donkey worship
wasn't the only tittle-tattle
706
00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:14,520
circulating about the Christians.
707
00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:20,040
They were also rumoured
to practise magic,
708
00:52:20,040 --> 00:52:22,800
indulge in ritual cannibalism
and even incest.
709
00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:28,680
It was all good gossip
for the Roman on the street,
710
00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:31,640
but within 200 years,
rumour had turned to concern.
711
00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:39,040
As Rome's elite realised,
this new sect was persistent
712
00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:41,360
and potentially dangerous.
713
00:52:41,360 --> 00:52:45,240
The Christians were well-organised,
they recruited thousands
714
00:52:45,240 --> 00:52:48,720
of new followers, but, worst of all,
they refused to take part
715
00:52:50,160 --> 00:52:52,120
in the Roman state religion,
716
00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:55,120
claiming that they worshipped
only one God.
717
00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:58,360
They were beginning to look
less like a bunch of harmless
718
00:52:58,360 --> 00:53:01,720
and superstitious eccentrics
and more like a movement
719
00:53:01,720 --> 00:53:05,920
of defiant subversives
who could no longer be controlled.
720
00:53:09,480 --> 00:53:12,640
The Roman elite had in the past
tolerated foreign gods,
721
00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:17,600
but they were always clear that
whatever people's private beliefs,
722
00:53:18,680 --> 00:53:21,280
public loyalty to Roman religion
came first.
723
00:53:24,600 --> 00:53:27,040
After all, the fortunes of the city
724
00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:29,400
were at the mercy
of the pagan gods -
725
00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:32,560
snub them and the consequences
could be catastrophic.
726
00:53:35,360 --> 00:53:39,560
So if a group like the Christians
failed to pay due respect,
727
00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:41,600
how would the gods react?
728
00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:45,840
The fate of the city
and its Empire hung in the balance.
729
00:53:50,120 --> 00:53:54,040
And in the third century, it seemed
as if their fears were justified.
730
00:53:55,880 --> 00:53:58,960
The Roman Empire
was beset by invasion,
731
00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:01,040
civil war and economic depression.
732
00:54:02,600 --> 00:54:04,520
It was on the verge of collapse...
733
00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:08,360
..until the reign
of a new emperor - Diocletian.
734
00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:14,720
He was a superb general,
who restored order by conquest,
735
00:54:15,760 --> 00:54:18,160
reform and restoration
of the old gods...
736
00:54:21,440 --> 00:54:22,880
..but one sect resisted.
737
00:54:24,920 --> 00:54:27,280
And when Diocletian's palace
burned down
738
00:54:27,280 --> 00:54:30,240
and the army's sacrificial
portents looked bleak,
739
00:54:31,560 --> 00:54:35,280
the Christians were blamed for
failing to honour the Roman gods.
740
00:54:36,960 --> 00:54:42,680
Diocletian decided to solve
the problem by force. In 304 AD,
741
00:54:42,680 --> 00:54:46,760
he ordered every citizen of
the Empire to sacrifice publicly
742
00:54:46,760 --> 00:54:50,080
to the Roman gods,
and if the Christians refused,
743
00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:51,760
they would be executed.
744
00:54:54,960 --> 00:54:58,680
It was a strategy designed to
drive the Christians into the open.
745
00:54:59,720 --> 00:55:02,600
Yet, despite the threats,
they remained defiant.
746
00:55:04,520 --> 00:55:07,080
Rome's senators were baffled.
747
00:55:07,080 --> 00:55:11,000
Why would anyone risk their lives
for this upstart cult
748
00:55:11,000 --> 00:55:14,520
whose founder died a criminal's
death in a Roman outpost,
749
00:55:14,520 --> 00:55:17,680
when the pagan gods had delivered
the riches of Empire?
750
00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:23,920
Yet, still, pagan Romans
were choosing to convert,
751
00:55:25,240 --> 00:55:27,880
and here in the suburbs of Rome,
752
00:55:27,880 --> 00:55:30,000
there's a fascinating clue
as to why.
753
00:55:35,520 --> 00:55:39,960
This is the Catacomb of Priscilla
where Christians were buried
754
00:55:39,960 --> 00:55:42,920
in the first centuries
of the church,
755
00:55:42,920 --> 00:55:45,800
and it's one of the few
places in Rome
756
00:55:45,800 --> 00:55:47,880
that they left their mark -
757
00:55:47,880 --> 00:55:50,280
the walls are covered by
their paintings.
758
00:55:53,280 --> 00:55:56,920
And there's one that gives an
insight into just why pagan Romans
759
00:55:58,200 --> 00:56:01,640
were choosing to face execution
for this new Christian God.
760
00:56:05,600 --> 00:56:07,280
So here it is.
761
00:56:07,280 --> 00:56:12,280
This is a biblical scene from
the Old Testament Book of Daniel
762
00:56:12,280 --> 00:56:16,240
and it tells the story of
these three Jewish characters
763
00:56:16,240 --> 00:56:18,920
who were in exile in Babylon
from Israel.
764
00:56:18,920 --> 00:56:20,640
They refused to pray
765
00:56:20,640 --> 00:56:25,600
to the image of the king of Babylon,
Nebuchadnezzar and, as a result,
766
00:56:25,600 --> 00:56:27,520
they were sentenced, as you can see,
767
00:56:27,520 --> 00:56:31,840
to die horribly
in this fiery furnace.
768
00:56:32,840 --> 00:56:37,440
Parallels for Christians facing
persecution in Rome were clear,
769
00:56:37,440 --> 00:56:41,960
but there's a twist to the biblical
story which gives this image
770
00:56:41,960 --> 00:56:43,120
another dimension.
771
00:56:44,480 --> 00:56:48,040
What's surprising about this
is that if you look closely,
772
00:56:48,040 --> 00:56:53,880
these characters are praying,
but they're not burning.
773
00:56:53,880 --> 00:56:56,640
The Book of Daniel
says that they were able to walk
774
00:56:56,640 --> 00:57:01,440
unscathed among the flames
and emerge entirely unharmed.
775
00:57:03,280 --> 00:57:05,240
Their God had saved them.
776
00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:09,360
Now, for Christians, this had
another layer of meaning.
777
00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:13,360
The Christian God would not only
save Christians from persecution,
778
00:57:13,360 --> 00:57:16,680
he would also save them
from death itself.
779
00:57:19,080 --> 00:57:22,280
Christianity offered eternal life.
780
00:57:25,480 --> 00:57:29,040
And this belief in eternity
had huge appeal in this pagan city.
781
00:57:31,880 --> 00:57:34,840
For your average Roman,
life expectancy was only 29
782
00:57:36,360 --> 00:57:38,520
and daily life was hard.
783
00:57:38,520 --> 00:57:40,720
For the poor, the slaves,
784
00:57:40,720 --> 00:57:45,040
the Pagan Romans at the bottom of
the pile, this Christian idea of
785
00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:47,840
a new life after death offered hope
786
00:57:47,840 --> 00:57:50,240
amidst the grind
of unrelenting poverty.
787
00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:56,160
The Roman gods may help you
conquer an Empire,
788
00:57:56,160 --> 00:57:58,400
but they didn't offer immortality.
789
00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:01,840
It was a masterstroke.
790
00:58:03,040 --> 00:58:06,760
Rome's leaders might be worshipping
its pantheon of pagan gods
791
00:58:06,760 --> 00:58:09,920
but some of its people
were starting to look elsewhere.
792
00:58:16,400 --> 00:58:20,000
Ancient Rome has always been
a symbol of secular power,
793
00:58:20,000 --> 00:58:24,280
but you can't understand
the might of this city without also
794
00:58:24,280 --> 00:58:27,440
grasping the sacred beliefs
of the Romans themselves.
795
00:58:29,880 --> 00:58:31,440
Right through its history,
796
00:58:31,440 --> 00:58:35,200
Rome's greatness was inextricably
linked to its sacred mission.
797
00:58:37,760 --> 00:58:43,240
For its first thousand years,
Rome's palaces and temples expressed
798
00:58:43,240 --> 00:58:47,320
one thing - this was a holy city,
799
00:58:47,320 --> 00:58:49,440
blessed by the gods to rule
the world.
800
00:58:50,680 --> 00:58:52,200
But all that was to change.
801
00:58:53,560 --> 00:58:55,360
A new god was about to take Rome.
802
00:58:59,800 --> 00:59:03,560
Next time, Rome's transformation
from pagan heartland
803
00:59:03,560 --> 00:59:05,600
to the capital of Christendom,
804
00:59:05,600 --> 00:59:08,160
as religious revolution
hits the holy city.
805
00:59:24,320 --> 00:59:26,160
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