Ancients Behaving Badly

Ancients Behaving Badly is a British and Canadian produced documentary series that aired from November to December 2009 on the Canadian The History Channel and the American counterpart. The show focuses on the misdeeds of famous historical figures using forensic investigation, animated sequences, and historian interviews. Although events are depicted in a serious manner, the series has an occasionally tongue-in-cheek narrative style.

Episodes

Caligula

This young Roman emperor had a fearsome reputation as a sadist, a murderer...and a raving lunatic.

1 hr

Attila the Hun

A marauding barbarian with a reputation as one of history's monsters, even today Attila's name is a synonym for savagery.

1 hr

Julius Ceasar

The ruler whose ego was as big as his empire declares himself dictator of Rome for life--turning his allies to enemies in the process.

1 hr

Alexander the Great

The king of Macedonia considered himself a god; his admirers called him a military genius; his enemies considered him the devil. He used weapons of mass destruction of his day to defeat his enemies. What drove his quest for world domination and led him to massacre tens of thousands, including women and children and members of his own family?

1 hr

Nero

The Roman Emperor Nero, renowned for playing the fiddle whilst Rome burned, was infamous for cruelty, incest and murder.

1 hr

Hannibal

As a child, Hannibal from Carthage, modern-day Tunisia, was forced by his father to make a blood to destroy the Romans. His reputation as one of history's cruelest generals was earned as he ruthlessly slaughtered women and children along with tens of thousands of his own and enemy soldiers in the pursuit of defeating Rome. While he won several major battles, he curiously gave up before marching into Rome.

1 hr

Genghis Kahn

This Mongol destroyer set in motion the conquest of a quarter of the world's population with a body count in the millions.

1 hr

Cleopatra

The infamous Queen of Egypt, known for her legendary powers of seduction, would stop at nothing, even murdering her entire family, to get her own way. Driven by power and ambition, her life was dominated by a heady cocktail of sex and murder.

1 hr