The creadle of Western civilization sustained remarkable technological advancement for over 1,000 years, including such masterpieces as the Tunnel of Samos and the Parthenon.

After a century of tremendous accomplishment, Greece's territorial ambitions were stymied by constant warfare - until Alexander ventured abroad and initiated the Hellenistic era.

The Aztecs became one of the greatest civilizations in hstory through brilliant military campaigns and technological mastery of their harsh environment.

Find out how Carthaginian engineers harnessed their extensive resources and manpower to develop some of the ancient world's most groundbreaking technology.

Centruy after century, China's regal emperors mobilized immense peasant armies to accomplish unfathomable feats - including the most ambitious contruction project ever completed.

From the Moscow Kremlin to St. Petersburg to the trans-Siberian railroad, examine the architecture and infrastructure that led to the rise and fall of the Russian Empire.

Through the centuries, the British Empire used extraordinary engineering technology to become an industrial and military titan, giving rise to such inventions as the first locomotive.

The engineering feats of the mysterious Persian Empire include a water management system, a paved cross-continent roadway, and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

By 900 AD, the once-glorious Mayan cities disappeared. Unravel the mystery surrounding this mythic civilization through its spectacular infratructure and architecture.

When France stood on the precipice of disaster, one of the most legendary military strategists in history arose from its ashes: Napoleon

As much of the world descended into the the Dark Ages, the Byzanine Empire emerged with ruthless might and supreme ingenuity, ruling over vast swaths of Europe and Asia.

After the deep sleep of the Dark Ages, it wasn't until the 11th-century that autonomous city-states emerged in Italy, revitalizing metropolises and paving the way for the Renaissance.

For more than 500 years, Rome was the most powerful and advanced civilization the world had ever known, ruled by visionaries and tyrants whose accomplishments ranged from awe-inspiring to deplorable. One characteristic linked them all - ambition - and the thirst for power that all Roman emperors shared fueled an unprecedented mastery of engineering and labor. This documentary special chronicales the spectacular and sordid history of the Roman Empire from the rise of Julius Ceasar in 55 BC to the eventual fall around 537 AD, detailing the remarkable engineering feats that set Rome apart from the rest of the ancient world.

Five thousand years ago - nearly two millennia before the Romans built their first mud huts - ancient Egypt's mighty pharaohs began commissioning and building monumental masterpieces whose scale, beauty, and sophistication still boggle the mind.

After the fall of Rome, Italy fell into a dark sleep, and wasn't reawakened until the 11th century. Autonomous city-states emerged and these tiny republics began to revitalize their cities and build on a massive level not witnessed since the rise of Rome. In the late 15th and 16th centuries, alliances among various city-states continually shifted as foreign superpowers tried to sink their claws into Italy. The masters who are best known for creating the works of art and architecture of the Renaissance, were also the greatest military and civil engineers of the time.