Freedom 250 was our version of Caesar's 5th Rule

Historia Civilis is fucking fantastic. Like I cannot express just how incredible their series on the Roman Republic was. They use these little squares that move around to show events, but the animation includes little wiggles and movements that give so much character. The storytelling is amazing, giving you such an incredible idea of the personalities and motivations of everyone involved, but not at the expense of accurately conveying history—they'll often have an aside where they explain differing sources' opinions or why they portrayed something that way. The impact of seeing some of the characters making their fatal choices, especially towards the end of the series, hit me just as hard as in some of the very best fiction movies or books have. Maybe even harder, thanks to knowing it was real, and the dramatic irony of knowing the outcome ahead of time.