Lost Treasures of Ancient Rome: Channel 4 release date, trailer, and which historical events will be featured?

Lost Treasures Rome is a six-part documentary series that will follow a team of archaeologists and history experts at excavation sites across the ancient Roman world.

As they unearth priceless artefacts and explore ancient sites, the teams will shed more light on how the Roman Empire operated and what life was like for Romans of all stripes.

The Channel 4 series will bring to life the long-vanished Roman world, exploring everything from naval battles to one of the most infamous natural disasters in history.

What is Lost Treasures of Ancient Rome about?

The series is grounded in the expertise of the experts that feature in each episode and guide us through the evidence they literally dig up.

Episode one will take place in Pompeii where the archaeologists will hope to find out more about those who lived and died in the historic city.

Pompeii which had an estimated population of 12,000 in 79 AD, the year it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

The flow of burning ash released by the explosion preserved many of the bodies of those who died and made Pompeii a popular spot for archaeological research.

Among the discoveries of the archaeologists is a sacrificial skull, and the mummified body of a person who could have been a freed slave.

The team also explored the tunnels underneath the city’s central bathhouse.

The second episode will see the archaeologists find traces of an historic naval battle off the coast of Sicily and retrieve a long-lost battleship from the depths.

Experts featured in the series include Professor Monika Trümper, Professor Antonella Coralini and Archaeologist Mario Grimaldi who feature in the Pompeii episode, and Dr. Boris Dreyer and Dr. Eve MacDonald, who feature in episode two.

When did the Roman Empire exist?

In Roman mythology, Rome is said to have been founded in 753 BC when two brothers, Romulus and Remus, built the city together.

The legend goes that after an argument, Romulus killed his brother and named the city after himself.

The Roman Republic existed from 509 BC-27 BC and was one of the earliest examples of a democratic government in world history. It wasn’t totally democratic, of course - the Romans kept slaves for one thing.

The Roman Empire was founded in 27 BC when Augustus Caesar declared himself the Emperor of Rome.

The Roman Empire as we think of it lasted just 500 years and is recognised to have fallen in 476 AD, though its power had been weakened for decades by then.

However, the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire struggled on until 1453, collapsing with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans.

Lost Treasures of Ancient Rome will focus primarily on the 500 year period of the traditional Roman Empire.

When is Lost Treasures of Ancient Rome on TV?

The series premieres on Channel 4 on 25 June at 8pm and the second episode will air at 7pm on 2 July.

Episodes will be available to watch on All 4 shortly after they are first broadcast.