Crossing the Rubicon (S01E03)

After triumphing over its formidable opponent Carthage and quelling a slave uprising led by Spartacus, Rome found itself in a precarious position. The military leaders who achieved these victories gained significant power, prompting Julius Caesar to pursue his own ambitions at the expense of the republic. Historian Bettany Hughes takes us on a journey to that pivotal day in 49 B.C. when Caesar crossed the Rubicon River, defying Roman law and setting the stage for the shift from a republic to an empire dominated by one ruler.