How did a cluster of Iron Age huts grow into one of history's greatest civilisations? In the first episode of our series on the Roman Empire, we're joined by Dr. Simon Elliott to trace Rome's rise - from its humble origins on the banks of the Tiber to the moment Augustus became the first Emperor. Why did Rome thrive when so many competitors fell? What were the key battles, the turning points, the extraordinary individuals who shaped the story? Make sure to join us for our second episode next week, when Dame Mary Beard will shed some light on how this mighty civilisation was ruled. 0:00 Introduction 1:28 Why do we call it the Roman Empire? 2:02 What are the mythological origin stories of Rome? 3:40 What does archaeology tell us about early Rome? 5:13 What did Italy look like around 500 BC? 6:48 How did early Rome come to dominate its neighbours in Latium? 8:08 How did the Romans use defeat to adapt and improve their military? 9:00 How did Rome compare to the Greek states during the Athenian golden age? 11:32 Why did the early Roman Republic reject monarchy and kings? 12:29 How was Roman society and its political system structured? 13:29 What happened when Rome first fought the Hellenistic kingdoms? 16:17 When did Rome officially become a dominant regional power? 19:28 How did the Second Punic War test Roman survival? 20:59 How did the wealth of the Hellenistic world draw Rome east? 26:30 How did Marius reform the legions and give rise to independent warlords? 32:09 What is the importance of slave revolts? 34:57 How did Octavian defeat his rivals to become the Emperor Augustus? 38:49 What was the ultimate territorial extent of the Roman Empire? Produced by Mariana Des Forges, James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, edited by Matthew Wilson & the channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. You can find more Dan Snow's History Hit on the audio podcast here: https://podfollow.com/dan-snows-history-hit/view Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #DanSnowsHistoryHit #HistoryPodcast #RomanEmpire