Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome

A 2004 Discovery Channel Documentary hosted by John Shrapnel.

Able to inspire wonder and awe in all who gazed upon them, The Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome - the Pantheon, the Aqueducts of Rome, the Via Appia, the Baths of Caracalla, Trajan's Markets, Circus Maximus and the Colosseum - were the works of great men who translated fantastic visions into the epitome of human achievement. These visionaries included ambitious Emperors like Hadrian and engineers with revolutionary ideas such as Apollodorus. By the second century AD, Rome had become the 'caput mundi' - the head of the world. Architectural marvels with a clear civic purpose such as roads and aqueducts stood alongside constructions of great beauty and immense luxury. They transformed Rome into one of the greatest cities of classic antiquity and the Roman Empire into a vast monument to the genius of its architects. We recreate Rome's ancient streets, fly over its aqueducts and walk beneath the shadow of her impressive arches. By investigating the minds of the emperors, architects and engineers behind them, we reveal the mysteries of constructions that changed the world.