MUMBAI/BANGALORE: This month, The History Channel brings its viewers up close and personal with Rome. The civilisation has been ruled by visionaries and tyrants whose accomplishments ranged from awe-inspiring to deplorable.

The broadcaster is featuring a two-hour special series Rome: Engineering an empire and four films Augustus, St. Peter, Nero and Spartacus every Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm. The aim is to to highlight the power, grandeur and conflict of Rome. 

Rome: Engineering an empire's airs on 3 and 4 June at 10 pm. This special two-hour series chronicles the rich history of the Roman Empire from the reign of Caesar in 44 B.C. to its eventual fall around 537 AD, detailing the remarkable works of architecture and technology in between that helped Rome leave an indelible mark on the world.

St. Peter with Omar Sharif in the title role airs on 10 June at 8 pm. The saint changed Roman History. On 17 June at 8 pm viewers can watch Emperor Nero , which reveals the true picture of the lonely, tormented man behind the monstrous mask . This film depicts Nero's transformation from a pragmatic ruler into a tyrannical monster, who while watching Rome burn on one hand, on the other presented the severed head of an ex-wife to a future wife as a gift, murdered his mother and allegedly burned much of Rome to the ground to make room for a new palace.
Goran Visnjic and Rhona Mitra star in Spartacus, which airs on 24 June at 8 pm. It depicts a legendary slave's rise from a gladiator to a hero in Spartacus.