Join Professor Alice Roberts as she travels over a thousand miles through Italy, France and Spain in search of a greater understanding of the Roman Empire and its legacy. From Naples to Pompeii, Rome to Turin, Nîmes to Narbonne and Tarragona to Cartagena, Roberts visits sites both on and off the beaten track to reveal new perspectives on one of history’s greatest civilisations.

Along the way, she meets leading historians and archaeologists who bring the Roman world to life. Alice explores what life was like for ordinary citizens of the Roman Empire, as well as examining the key developments in technology, law, politics, health and education that remain to this day and how these fed into the birth, expansion and collapse of the empire. Drawing on extensive research from the TV series as well as Alice’s experiences from the journey, including her illustrations and personal anecdotes, author Jim Nally delivers more depth and context than the TV series possibly could, with up-to-date discoveries and facts about one of history’s greatest empires.