Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch - one of the world's leading historians - reveals the origins of Christianity and explores what it means to be a Christian

Diarmaid MacCulloch explores the extraordinary rise of Roman Catholic Church.

How could a mediocre city in central Italy come to dominate such a huge area? What held the empire together and tore it apart? Mary Beard takes in the history and archaeology of the ancient world.

In this first episode, Mary Beard reaches back to the myths and legends of the origins of Rome to gain an insight into the deep-rooted psyche of the people of Rome - a city born through fratricide and rape.

In the second episode, Mary Beard explores the physical world of the Roman Empire, and finds surprising parallels with our own world. Setting out in the footsteps of the emperor Hadrian, she discovers a vast empire bound together by a common material culture, and a globalised economy of such scale that evidence of its side-effects can still be seen today, thousands of miles away from Rome.

In the third episode Mary takes an in-depth look at the question of identity and citizenship within the Roman Empire. What did it mean to be, or to become, Roman, and how did the very different parts of the empire react to Roman rule?

In the fourth and final episode, Mary tackles the biggest puzzle of all: why, and how, did the Roman Empire fall? Surveying the massive walls and fortifications of Britain and Germany, she discovers an empire under pressure, struggling to control its borders.

Alastair Sooke takes an in-depth look at the art of the Roman Empire.

Alastair Sooke traces how the Romans during the Republic went from being art thieves and copycats to pioneering a new artistic style of warts 'n' all realism.

A look at the artistic legacy of Rome's mad, bad and dangerous emperors, including Claudius's pleasure palace and the cave where Tiberius held wild parties.

Alastair Sooke charts the fall of the Roman Empire through some of its artistic treasures, including one of the best preserved Roman cities in Libya.