In a time of frequent invasions and competition among warring tribes, the ancient cities of the Roman Empire stood as pillars of strength, beauty, and sophistication.

Across the empire, these cities provided the grounds for a flourish of cultural activity among the diverse civilizations brought together under Roman law. Although archaeological studies have shown that other advanced cultures such as the ancient Greeks and the Etruscans preceded the Romans, these societies did not endure. What lessons did the Roman learn from their predecessors? If, as some experts believe, much of the art and architecture now considered Roman in origin actually owes its inspiration to these preceding societies, what features of our own modern cities do we then owe to the ingenuity of the Romans?

Join A&E for an exploration of these and many other fascinating question in Ancient Rome And Its Mysterious Cities.

The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was probably the largest, and certainly the most famous, of the libraries of the ancient world. It flourished under the patronage of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and functioned as a major center of scholarship, at least until the time of Rome's conquest of Egypt, and probably for many centuries thereafter.