Echoes of Rome: New BBC Series Warns of Civilizational Collapse – and Our Own
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The fall of Rome, a specter haunting history, is revisited in the BBC’s latest landmark series, Civilisations: Rise and Fall, prompting uncomfortable parallels to our own era. As the documentary illustrates, the seeds of societal destruction are often sown from within, a chilling observation as contemporary challenges mount.
The series, narrated by Sophie Okonedo, departs from previous iterations – Kenneth Clark’s 1969 Civilisation and the 2018 follow-up featuring Simon Schama, Mary Beard, and David Olusoga – by focusing not on ascent, but on the decline of four ancient powers: Rome, Egypt, the Aztecs, and the samurai of Japan. Each faced a similar fate, succumbing to pressures that resonate disturbingly with present-day concerns.
A Familiar Descent
The documentary highlights a confluence of factors contributing to these collapses: climate catastrophe, war, pandemic, mass migration, the corrosive effects of colonization, and, crucially, gross inequality. As one commentator succinctly puts it, “The seeds of a society’s destruction are sown within it.” This isn’t merely historical observation; it’s a direct address to modern civilization.
Civilisations: Rise and Fall utilizes a compelling blend of expert analysis and dramatic re-enactments. Diverse voices, including Antony Gormley discussing a 550-year-old Aztec turquoise skull and Alastair Campbell examining the Ptolemies’ toxic dynasty, offer fresh perspectives. However, the series acknowledges a certain tension, with the re-enactments sometimes lacking substantive dialogue, potentially leaving viewers craving the depth found in series like Game of Thrones, Shōgun, or Gladiator.
Artifacts of a Fallen World
The narrative is anchored by a selection of cultural artifacts housed in the British Museum. A 2,050-year-old head of Augustus, the Rosetta Stone illuminating Cleopatra’s decisions, and a lethal samurai sword all serve as tangible links to the past. Yet, the series notably avoids addressing the complex history of how these treasures came to reside in a single institution, a significant omission given ongoing debates surrounding repatriation. A companion piece, Empire with David Olusoga, is recommended to explore this crucial context.
The series powerfully illustrates the dangers of concentrated wealth. The ornate silver Projecta casket (AD350-400), featured in the first episode, exemplifies how the vast fortunes of Rome’s elite 1% diverted resources from the imperial coffers, ultimately contributing to the empire’s downfall. “Wealth inequality is the most common and crucial element in societal collapse,” explains Luke Kemp of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. “It corrodes the social fabric…hollows out societies, leaving them to be a brittle shell which can be cracked asunder by numerous different shocks.”
A History of Prejudice
Civilisations: Rise and Fall doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths. A 1,875-year-old terracotta theatre mask, revealing deep-seated Roman prejudices towards northern peoples, exposes the racist origins of the term “barbarian.” Derived from the ancient Greek bárbaros, the term originally described languages incomprehensible to the Greeks and Romans, highlighting a pattern of othering and exclusion that continues to resonate today.
The series employs a dramatic countdown format – “15 years until the fall…eight years…two years…The Fall!” – to emphasize the inexorable march of history. This approach marks a departure from earlier, more contemplative documentaries, reflecting a growing sense of urgency. As Kemp observes, “Every civilisation throughout history has had an expiry date.”
This realization, coupled with the apocalyptic tone of much contemporary media, suggests a collective fascination with our own potential demise. We appear, the series implies, to be drawn to a state of extreme anxiety, perhaps recognizing ourselves in the echoes of past collapses. Civilisations: Rise and Fall serves as a stark reminder that the past holds not just lessons, but a mirror reflecting our present – and a warning about our future. The series is currently available on BBC Two and iPlayer.
