Engineering an Empire is a television documentary miniseries that originally aired on the History Channel. The series explores the engineering and/or architectural feats that were characteristic of notable societies and cultures. It is hosted by Peter Weller, who is most famous for playing the titular role in RoboCop (1987). When the series was made he had recently earned a master's degree in Roman and Renaissance art at Syracuse University. The show started as a documentary about the engineering feats of Ancient Rome and later evolved into a series. It originally ran for one full season of weekly episodes. A video game, History: Egypt – Engineering an Empire, was released in 2010.

Reception

Engineering an Empire received critical acclaim. The premiere "Rome" won two Emmys after being nominated in four categories. Tracy Spurrier of the Archaeological Institute of America gave the episode "Egypt" a positive review and praised the show's live action and CGI reenactments of building the ancient monuments. However, she was disappointed about the absence of the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Episodes