The Romans believed in many different gods and goddesses. There was a god or goddess in charge of everything imaginable. Mars, for example, was the god of war. This meant he was a strong fighter and held the soldiers closest to heart. A Roman soldier would, hence, most likely pray to Mars for strength in battle. Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, intelligence and learning. Not many soldiers would ask her for help - rather, a schoolboy may ask her to help him learn his grammar or understand his mathematics! Additionally, the emperor would ask her to give him wisdom so that he might rule the country wisely. And so, the Romans, indeed, had hundreds of different gods. This entire collection of all their gods was called the Pantheon. In the year AD 312 something very important happened, something which should change Roman religion forever. The emperor Constantine the Great said he had received a sign from the god of the Christians in a dream the night before he had an important battle. Emperor Constantine won this battle and thereafter showed his gratitude to the Christian god by turning his entire empire over to this new religion. So successful was emperor Constantine at this conversion that the Roman empire remained Christian forever. If the countries of the western world are largely Christian today, then it is because of emperor Constantine's decision. The Lost Gods documentary series takes a thought-provoking look at these ancient empires and their vanished religions. The series was shot on High Definition at locations in 11 different countries and written and presented by Irish author and television personality Christy Kenneally. Each half-hour episode traces the rise and fall of one of six great civilizations: the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Maya, the Inca and the Celts. Kenneally follows the evolution of each culture's spiritual beliefs, examines the art and architecture created to honour the gods, and reveals the ultimate fate of these empires and their religions.