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Mary Beard takes us beyond the politics of power and succession and into the palace corridors to shine an intimate spotlight on the rulers of the Roman empire. From Julius Caesar to Alexander Severus, she examines the facts and fictions about these rulers, asking what they did and why, and how we have got such a lurid view of them. What power did emperors actually have? How did they face their subjects? And was the Roman palace really so bloodstained?

Hosted by Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian’s chief culture writer
Produced by Ginny Hooker and Maddie Earle for Guardian Live

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