Born in the violent aftermath of Julius Caesar's assassination, Rome's first imperial dynasty is consumed by ambition, intrigue, cruelty and madness.
From Homer's epics to Alexander the Great's conquests, ancient Greece spreads its cultural and military clout through the Mediterranean and beyond.
For millennia, Egyptian pharaohs such as Akhenaten spur ambitious innovations in science, art and religion that endure as landmark achievements today.
Ruthless and obsessed with immortality, China's First Emperor unites warring states, builds the Great Wall and construct's a breathtaking royal tomb.
As Roman power encroaches northward through Europe, tribes of ferocious Celts unite under leaders such as Vercingetorix and Queen Boudica to resist.
Fierce warriors, the Aztecs forge a mighty empire throughout Mesoamerica that flourishes until the reign of Montezuma II and the arrival of Europeans.