8 Days That Made Rome

S01E04 Rome's First Emperor

After Julius Caesar's assassination, his great-nephew, just 18 years old, seized the opportunity to navigate the precarious power dynamics of Rome and ultimately became its first emperor, Octavian, also called Augustus. His expansive 44-year reign had profound implications, but a pivotal event in 32 B.C. set everything in motion. Host Bettany Hughes explores the audacious moment when Octavian orchestrated the theft of Mark Antony's private will and revealed its contents to the Senate, a daring move that would change the course of history.