Starting, somewhat arbitrarily, with Caesar's assassination, the documentary then moves backward in time to Caesar's first engineering triumph, the bridging of the Rhine (in 10 days, no less, as the hapless German tribes watched in awe from the other side). The documentary then follows a chronological format through subsequent Emperors and their various building projects, including baths, aquaducts, the Pantheon, and Hadrian's Wall.

Filled with the History Channel's usual expert assortment of talking heads (including, improbably, Robocop's Peter Weller, now a Professor at Syracuse University), and featuring copious location footage, as well as recreations and some good CGI, Rome: Engineering an Empire provides an entertaining assortment of fact and character that should edify most viewers.

The DVD

Video:
The unenhanced 1.78:1 image is crisp and film-like, having been shot on HD video. Why History Channel and its brethren National Geographic and, to a lesser extent, Discovery Channel, have not upgraded to enhanced DVD releases is anyone's guess, but I for one wish they would.

Sound:
The stereo soundtrack is fine, though occasionally the narrator gets buried under the generally excellent underscore.

Extras:
A 20-minute broadcast special simultaneously hyping this show and the miniseries Rome is enjoyable, if not spectacular, providing some behind the scenes footage of both productions.

Final Thoughts:
When one realizes that Rome's building agenda created still-standing cities across Europe (including London and Paris), and that many of Rome's engineering innovations are still in use today, the focus of this documentary ostensibly about ancient history seems fully relevant. This well-shot and informative piece provides generally excellent detail and is certainly a worthwhile rental.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet