Eight Days That Made Rome: Crossing the Rubicon

Bettany Hughes looks at the day in 49BC that Julius Caesar led his army across the River Rubicon. By doing so he ignored the orders of the Roman Senate, and effectively declared war on his rivals in Rome. In time, it would prove a fatal blow to the Republic - the system of elected officials that had governed for nearly half a millennium. Hughes analyses Caesar's character and reveals how new theories about his health shed light on his decision-making, while archeological finds recently dredged from a Dutch river reveal the true genocidal horror of his conquest of Gaul. Dramatisations featuring Jack Ellis, Nathan Dean Williams and Bashar Rahal bring the key moments to life