Roman rulers

Pedro Pascal as General Acacius in Gladiator II

Gladiator III: what could happen in a new sequel, according to Roman history

Engraving of Roman emperor Macrinus and Denzel Washington as Macrinus in Gladiator II

The real Macrinus: how Gladiator II’s power broker became a short-lived Roman emperor

Caracalla and Geta: the real lives of the mad emperors of Gladiator II

Cicero denounces plot organised by Catiline to take the power, mural painting by Cesare Maccari.

The ultimate Romans quiz. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Roman emperor Tiberius. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Who are the most underrated Roman emperors?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Bust of Lucius Verus.

The worst Roman emperors: 8 of the bloodiest from ancient Rome's history

HistoryExtra Academy video lecture: Joining the Roman empire. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

ThinkpieceThe long death of the Roman republic. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Video podcastLife of the week: Nero. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Mary Beard

“The Roman empire cannot have been governed by a series of psychopaths. It would not have survived”Mary Beard on Roman Emperors

Trajan statue

Tom Holland on Trajan"He is vastly overrated"

A relief on Trajan's Column shows Roman troops crossing the Danube during the war against the Dacians. Victory was the framework upon which Pax Romana was built (Photo by akg-images/Erich Lessing)

The Pax Romana: how the Romans maintained peace at the point of a sword. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An EID MAR coin showing two daggers and a helmet

The coin that celebrates Caesar's murder

A painting by Vincenzo Camuccini depicting the death of Julius Caesar in the Roman Senate. (Photo by Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

The death of Caesar: do we know the whole story?

Episode 6The evil that men do. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 3Master of his fate. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 5The dogs of war. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 4Honourable men. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 2Was this ambition?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 1Beware the Ides of March. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A depiction of Queen Cleopatra, c50 BC

Who was Cleopatra? Her life, her love affairs and her children, plus 6 little-known facts

Engraving depicting the assassination of Julius Caesar

Q&AWhy do we need to beware the Ides of March?

Bust of Heliogabalus

From sex scandals to religious controversy: Rome's forgotten emperor Heliogabalus

Silbannacus: the Roman emperor that time forgot. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. (Loop Images/UIG via Getty Images)

Hadrian's Wall: when and why was it built? A brief guide

Colourful illustration of 12 historical figures's heads (Winston Churchill, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Thomas Cromwell, Richard III, Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Anne Boleyn, William Marshal, Jane Austen, Hatshepsut, Gandhi and Catherine the Great) shown in a grid pattern.

Top historical figures: 100+ of the most famous people through history – in chronological order

The death of Domitian: how aristocrats conspired against the Roman emperor

A bust of Marcus Aurelius and a detail on Marcus Aurelius’s column in Rome

Marcus Aurelius: Rome’s reluctant killer

Marcus Aurelius: thinker or fighter?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Julius Caesar. (Photo by Getty Images)

Caesar's British gamble