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History Lesson

Some well-known Jewish figures populate
PBS special examining the
Roman Empire in the first century.

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LINDA BACHRACK
Special to the Jewish News

idea of what 'empire' meant until that
point," she says.
The series begins with the rise of
•hough it spans more than
Caesar Augustus, who personifies the
100 years, from the assassi-
people he leads. He forges the image of
nation of Julius Caesar to
Roman grandeur and is capable of both
the prosperous rule of
brutal violence and tender compassion.
Emperor Trajan, the upcoming PBS
However, those who cross him pay the
special The Roman Empire in the First
price, including his rivals Marc Antony
Century feels like an intimate human
and Cleopatra, the poet Ovid, and his
saga.
daughter Julia.
The series tells the human stories
When Caesar dies, Tiberius struggles
associated with ancient Rome: stories of
to emulate his predecessor. His ultimate
love and loss, triumph and failure, from
decline ushers in the notorious Caligula,
both the famous and
and crises in Rome
obscure.
and the provinces.
It was the emper-
In Judea, a charis-
ors and slaves, the
matic leader named
poets and plebians
Jesus challenges the
who wrested order
religious and politi-
from chaos and built
cal establishment.
the most cosmopoli-
The second week
tan society the world
of the series finds
had ever seen, and
Caligula gone mad,
these individuals are
and the unexpected
brought to life in the
rise of Claudius to
four-part special.
greatness. Nero's dis-
Two consecutive
astrous rule shakes
episodes will air,
the empire to its
beginning at 8 p.m.,
foundation and
Wednesdays, July 18
Rome nearly burns
and 25.
to the ground, along
"In ancient Rome,
with the Temple in
we see ourselves
Jerusalem. The
through new eyes,"
"Jewish Revolt"
says Executive
begins in the Roman
Producer Lyn Goldfarb.
province of Judea — and
"The people that
"The people that lived then
Paul spreads the word of
lived then are
are amazingly like us, in a
Jesus through Roman
amazingly like us,"
way that doesn't exist again
lands.
says
Executive
for over 1,000 years."
Finally, the dynasty of
Producer Lyn
Like us, people were living
Augustus comes to an end
Goldfarb.
in a large, worldly society
and rival generals fight for
wrestling with what it means
supremacy. Titus becomes
to be a superpower. They
emperor, Mount Vesuvius
were dealing with questions of freedom,
erupts and buries Pompeii, and in 98
the rights of man, the role of women,
C.E., Trajan, born in Spain, becomes
the rights of immigrants.
Rome's emperor.
Viewers will meet Augustus, Julius
Goldfarb is an award-winning pro-
Caesar, Caligula and Nero. They'll see
ducer, director and writer of major tele-
three Jewish figures — Jesus and his dis-
vision and film productions. E
ciple Paul, and Josephus, a Jewish rebel
who wrote a complete history of the
The Roman Empire in the First
Jews, from the unique perspective of the
Century airs 8 10 p.m.
Romans.
Wednesdays, July 18 and 25, on
Goldfarb's favorite character in the
PBS. Check your local listings.
series is Claudius. "He overcame so
many obstacles and transformed the
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