Five great Roman leaders and one barbarian chieftain guide this series about the rise and fall of the greatest civilization the world has ever seen. They are Tiberius, Caesar, Nero, Vespasian, Constantine and the reluctant conqueror, Alaric, the Visigoth king who brought the empire to its knees. While their actions founded, grew and ultimately led to the destruction of a civilization, Rome — the great empire itself — is the series' star. 

Production Notes

Locations:

• To give an accurate feel of the locations for the six stories the series was shot in three countries — Bulgaria, Morocco and Tunisia.
• A 40-foot container was used to transport the props and costumes from location to location. It traveled by land and across sea through 14 different countries.
• 470 flights were booked for cast and crew for the Tunisian filming alone.
• The series filmed on two different Roman sets — one re-creating old Rome in Boyana, Bulgaria; the other, later Rome at Hammamet in Tunisia.
• The series also filmed on Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven set in Morocco. It was used to re-create ancient Jerusalem.

Props:

• 110 metal Roman swords, made by craftsmen in Mumbai, India
• 150 rubber swords for stunts and fighting (100 of which were destroyed during filming)
• 205 shields, 20 metal daggers
• 6 fake daggers for stunts and stabbing (of both the retractable-blade and rubber variety)
• 16 rubber clubs and sticks for beatings

Makeup:

• On the first day of the Nero shoot 11 murders had to be scheduled and shot, so it’s of little surprise that 42 pints of fake blood were used — of various degrees of thickness and color; and 110 pounds of silicone were used to make the prosthetic molds for the fake body parts.
• The series consumed 25 bottles of sunscreen in Tunisia alone.
• Beards didn’t come into fashion until later in the history of the empire (after Hadrian). Before then, slaves sometimes wore beards but were laughed at by wealthier Romans as they thought they couldn’t afford to shave.
• Prostitutes wore blond wigs to denote their profession.

Costumes:

• 3,680 feet of undyed fabric were used in the making of the costumes for filming on Caesar alone.
• 57 pounds of dye was used to color the costumes for the series.
• Over 400 pairs of shoes were worn out.
• Caesar’s breastplate was used by five other characters in the series. His mantle was cut up and turned into scarves for soldiers.
• During the series Carthaginian costumes were cut up and turned into garb for Germanic warriors.
• Jewish priests’ tunics were decorated and turned into the robes of Christian women.
• Jewish prayer shawls became togas for Roman pagan priests.