The History Channel has set a July 17 premiere for the premium docuseries Colosseum, which recounts the story of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire through the history of the iconic arena.

Spanning several hundred years, from the Colosseum’s opening day to the final gladiatorial games in the 5th century, the eight-part series will examine the history and culture of the Roman Empire from a variety of perspectives by focusing on eight key characters — all of them based on real people from history, and selected from a range of diverse backgrounds and social standings. Spotlighting one character per episode, the series will use dramatic recreations to bring their stories to life, and will also feature commentary from leading experts on and scholars of the Roman Empire.

Colosseum is produced for the History Channel by October Films and Motion. Jim Greayer serves as showrunner for October Films, while Johanna Woodford Gibbon is series producer. Jos Cushing, Chris Muckle and Matt Robins are executive producing for October, and the executive producers for Motion are Richard Foster and Chet Fenster. Eli Lehrer, Mary E. Donahue, Mike Stiller and Brooke Townsend serve as executive producers for the History Channel. A+E Networks retains worldwide distribution rights.