Hail Caesar spans three continents and seven centuries to tell the saga of the Roman Empire and the men who shaped it. Its army dominated the known world and its culture forms the heart of Western Civilization. At its peak, the Roman Empire extended from Persia to England, from the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, and throughout its history, its fate rested in the hands of individuals-men of genius and courage, madness and ambition. Hail Caesar would be useful for classes on Western Civilization, the Classics, Ancient History, Ancient Culture, Geography, Political Science and Civics. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

Hadrian: Emperor of the Golden Age

He overturned centuries-old policies, declaring an end to expansion and abandoning far-flung territories. Hadrian was an enthusiastic patron of the arts, a champion of the common Roman and a tireless diplomat who toured the entire Empire. But this "Golden Age" was not free from conflict-ancient accounts suggest that over half of a million Jews were killed when Hadrian sent the army to quell an insurrection in Judea.

• appalled
• assimilate
• auxiliary
• capricious
• compliant
• coup
• deftly
• elite
• faction
• imminent
• irrelevant
• ostentatiously
• pacify
• predetermination
• provincial
• relented
• retinue
• successor
• taboo
• vulnerable

1. Hadrian's father died when Hadrian when a young boy. How did his father's death influence his future?

2. The Roman Empire sought to assimilate or co-opt the elite classes of their conquered territories. Why did the Romans do this? How did it help to maintain stability in the Empire?

3. Hadrian's family was not from Italy but from Spain. How did Hadrian and his family become part of the Roman elite?

4. What was the role of the Roman Army in maintaining power?

5. Hadrian was a successful soldier and excelled on the battlefield. How did his exploits as an officer in the Roman Army contribute to his political career?

6. How and why did Hadrian become emperor?

7. One of the hallmarks of Hadrian's reign was the cessation of Roman expansion. Why did Hadrian stop the expansion of the Roman Empire?

8. Why did the Roman Senate plan a coup to depose Hadrian? How was the coup thwarted?

9. Hadrian's armies built a wall on the island of Great Britain. What was the purpose of this wall? What was its symbolic value?

10. What was Hadrian's legacy for the Roman Empire?

1. Research and recreate a map of the Roman Empire during Hadrian's reign.

2. Using descriptions provided in the program, and a bit of imagination, create a portrait or clay bust of Hadrian to display in the Roman Senate.

Air Dates

• July 25, 2001