What if climate change and pandemics were the real causes of the decline of the Roman Empire? Scientists from a range of disciplines are accumulating clues to show that three successive waves of deadly epidemics and powerful temperature drops could have caused the collapse of the Empire — and draw frightening parallels to today.
Film Interviewees
- Benoit Rossignol – Professor of Roman History, Panthéon-Sorbonne University
- Véronique Boudon-Millot – Head of Research, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
- Ulf Büntgen – Dendrochronologist, University of Cambridge
- Igor Sljusarenko – Archaeologist, University of Novossibirsk
- Michael McCormick – Professor of Medieval History, Harvard University
- Elena Korotkikh – Lab Manager, Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine
- Paul Mayewski – Director, Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine
- Benoit Ode – Archaeologist
- Paul Raynaud – Archaeologist, University of Montpellier / CNRS
- Nolwenn Germain – Archaeo-anthropology Student
- Johannes Krause – Archaeogeneticist, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Secrets of the Dead: The End of the Romans is a co-production of Iliade Productions, Les Films de l’Odyssée, and ARTE France, in association with THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. Written and directed by Frédéric Wilner. Narrated by Jay O. Sanders. For Secrets of the Dead: Benjamin Phelps is supervising producer. Stephanie Carter is executive producer. Stephen Segaller is executive in charge.
Original production funding for The End of the Romans was provided by the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC) – COSIP and CVSA programs, and by The WNET Group’s PERIL & PROMISE multiplatform initiative.
Funding for Secrets of the Dead is provided by public television viewers.
