Engineering an Empire

After the fall of Rome, autonomous city states emerged and revitalised their cities with new and radical designs. Explore how a new Italy was built.

In less than 200 years, the Aztecs went from a tribe of nomads into the most powerful civilisation the New World had ever known. How did they achieve such greatness?

The world's first democracy used art and architecture to create dazzling structures, including one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

For more than 500 years, Rome was the most powerful and advanced civilisation the world had ever known, built by an unprecedented mastery of engineering and labour.

In less than 200 years, the Aztecs went from a tribe of nomads into the most powerful civilisation the New World had ever known. How did they achieve such greatness?

They ruled over much of Europe and Asia during the Dark Ages, building stadiums, aqueducts and cathedrals. But the Byzantines' success became their downfall.

Innovations in engineering including locomotives, sewer systems and a technologically superior navy aided the spread of the British Empire and shaped the modern world.

The ancient Greeks laid a foundation that supported nearly 3,000 years of European history. How did they build structures including Agamemnon's Tomb and the Parthenon?

For centuries, this mysterious civilisation ruled a huge territory across South and Central America. But by 900 AD, it dramatically fell apart.