Boris Johnson and the Dream of Rome

Despite ruling a vast empire, the Romans didn't do everything at the point of a sword. Boris Johnson looks at how the Romans ran a united Europe, and ponders challenges facing the European Union. The journey takes him to Rome itself, the ancient harbour city of Ostia, Provence and the Rhineland. Are there lessons for modern Europeans to learn?

Visits to Ephesus, Istanbul, Rome, France and Germany help Boris to see how the Roman Empire fostered a sense of common identity among its vast population, many of whom wallowed in luxury, and perpetuated the cult of the Emporer. It lasted for over 400 years in western Europe, but what can we learn from the Empire's decline and fall in relation to today's bureaucracy and expansion of the European Union?