The Year is 49 BC
Julius Caesar stands at the banks of the Rubicon River with his battle-hardened XIII Legion. Roman law is absolute: no general may cross this boundary with an armed force. To cross is treason. To retreat is political death. The Senate, led by Pompey, has demanded he disband his legions and return to Rome as a private citizen.
"The die is cast." The words hang in the cold January air. Every soldier watches. Every breath is history.
Civil war erupts across the Roman Republic. Pompey flees south to Brundisium as Caesar's forces advance with shocking speed.
The Republic fractures. Egypt becomes entangled as Pompey seeks refuge. Cleopatra enters the stage of world history.
The Roman Republic dies. An Empire is born. The concept of dictatorship transforms from emergency measure to permanent rule.
Narmer unifies Upper and Lower Egypt. Will the Two Lands remain one?
Ancient Egypt300 Spartans hold the pass at Thermopylae. Stand or retreat?
Ancient GreeceCaesar's fateful crossing. Republic or Empire?
Roman RepublicWilliam sails from Normandy. Harold waits at Hastings.
Medieval EuropeColumbus sails west. What lies beyond the horizon?
Age of DiscoveryParis rises. The old regime trembles. Liberty or terror?
French RevolutionApollo 11 approaches the lunar surface. Land or abort?
Space AgeFeatured Quest
Chang'an, 138 BC. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dispatches Zhang Qian on an impossible diplomatic mission westward through hostile Xiongnu territory. The journey will take thirteen years, but its consequences will reshape every civilization it touches. Trade routes, religions, technologies, diseases -- all will flow along the path you choose.
"The road is long. The empire's future rides with you."