Secrets to Civilisation Cities and Empire (Season 1, Episode 2)
TV Episode | 52 min | Documentary, History

Secrets to Civilisation

Cities and Empire (Season 1, Episode 2)

TV Episode | 52 min | Documentary, History

The first millennium BC saw in and around the Mediterranean an unprecedented growth in demography, economy, technology and politics, resulting in the first true superpower. A milder climate and the discovery of iron enabled a revolution in...See moreThe first millennium BC saw in and around the Mediterranean an unprecedented growth in demography, economy, technology and politics, resulting in the first true superpower. A milder climate and the discovery of iron enabled a revolution in productivity, literally feeding urbanization and the establishment of stronger states. The dispersed Greeks lived in city states near (natural) sea ports and championed maritime trade and colonization, like Phoenicians. Only Athens managed to become the early metropolis, until Alexander the Great's Macedonian dynasty united Greece and conquered the Persian empire, only to fall apart after his early death into several empires, wealthy Egypt being the main, new capital Alexandria as new leading metropolis. Yet Rome, one of many tiny states in central Italy, thanks to superior collaboration and organization, started unifying them and annexing territories around, like grain producer Sicily and Iberian silver mines after its triumph over rival Carthage. A volcanic cloud in Alaska possibly sealed the fate of Egypt when Cleopatra, last 'Greek pharaoh' by Caesar's hand, allied with candidate-ruler Marc Anthony and followed him in suicide after Octavian's total victory. Rome grew by raising armies of citizens, but has just switched to mercenaries, who enabled their generals to overrule the political elite, yielding civil war. Climate worsening to the north and east caused massive migrations, which even the best organized empire ultimately couldn't resist, despite turning to allied tribes to ward off the new threats. Written by KGF Vissers See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
19 cast members

Name	Known for
Alice Roberts Narrator (voice) Narrator (voice) See fewer	Curse of the Ancients with Alice Roberts (2022)
Carlos Borrás Legionary 1 Legionary 1 See fewer	Jack Stall Dead (2023)
Blayze Collins-Perucchetti Cleopatra Cleopatra See fewer	Our Father (VII)
Lewis Dartnell Self - Astrobiologist Self - Astrobiologist See fewer	Size Matters (2018)
Lee Drake Self - Paleoclimatologist Self - Paleoclimatologist See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Elizabeth Fentress Self - Excavation Site Director Self - Excavation Site Director See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Pete Grimwood Alexander the Great Alexander the Great See fewer	Lost Boys & Fairies (2024)
Mamad Heidari Indian Leader Indian Leader See fewer	Tehran (2020)
Darius James Indian Soldier Indian Soldier See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Glafkos Kariolou Self - Captain of the Kyrenia Lyberty Self - Captain of the Kyrenia Lyberty See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Vasiliki Kassianidou Self - Archaeologist Self - Archaeologist See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Fabio Labianca Mark Anthony Mark Anthony See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Joe Manning Self - Ancient Historian Self - Ancient Historian See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Joe McConnell Self - Hydrogeologist Self - Hydrogeologist See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Chris Naunton Self - Egyptologist (as Dr. Chris Naunton) Self - Egyptologist (as Dr. Chris Naunton) See fewer	Secrets to Civilisation (2021)
Neil Newbon Macedonian Soldier Macedonian Soldier See fewer	Baldur's Gate III (2023)
Renato Paioli Octavian Octavian See fewer	The House That Stood (2023)
Jordan Whitby Legionary 2 Legionary 2 See fewer	The Little Mermaid (I) (2023)
Greg Woolf Self - Ancient Historian Self - Ancient Historian See fewer	Rome: The World's First Superpower (2014)