History: Antiquity in Film
Listing all films seen that concern events and people from beginning of recorded human history up to late antiquity and early middle ages (c. AD 500).
See Also:
History: Before Time Began
History: Mediaeval & Modern Age in Film
History: Age of Discovery in Film
History: Contemporary Age
History: World War II
History: The Present Day
Listed in reverse chronological order, most recent first.
Estimated date at the film's start used.
See Also:
History: Before Time Began
History: Mediaeval & Modern Age in Film
History: Age of Discovery in Film
History: Contemporary Age
History: World War II
History: The Present Day
Listed in reverse chronological order, most recent first.
Estimated date at the film's start used.
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- DirectorDoug LeflerStarsColin FirthBen KingsleyAishwarya Rai BachchanAs the Roman empire crumbles, young Romulus Augustus flees the city and embarks on a perilous voyage to Britain to track down a legion of supporters.AD 475
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsRachel WeiszMax MinghellaOscar IsaacA historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of pursuing freedom while falling in love with his mistress, the philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.AD 391
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweJoaquin PhoenixConnie NielsenA former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.AD 180
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsSophia LorenStephen BoydAlec GuinnessThe death of Marcus Aurelius leads to a succession crisis, in which the deceased emperor's son, Commodus, demonstrates that he is unwilling to let anything undermine his claim to the Roman Empire.AD 180
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsChanning TatumJamie BellDonald SutherlandIn Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.AD 149
- DirectorSergiu NicolaescuStarsPierre BriceMarie-José NatGeorges MarchalThe Dacian kingdom lies at the eastern border of the Roman Empire.Only the river Danube separates the two mortal enemies.The Dacian king Decebalus knows that soon the vastly superior Roman legions will cross the river and attack Dacia.AD 85
- DirectorNeil MarshallStarsMichael FassbenderDominic WestOlga KurylenkoA splinter group of Roman soldiers fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is devastated in a guerrilla attack.AD 80
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsKit HaringtonEmily BrowningKiefer SutherlandA slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him.AD 79
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyAnthony MannStarsRobert TaylorDeborah KerrLeo GennAfter fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.AD 64
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsFredric MarchClaudette ColbertElissa LandiA Roman soldier becomes torn between his love for a Christian woman and his loyalty to Emperor Nero.AD 64
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsVictor MatureSusan HaywardMichael RennieIn first-century Rome, Christian slave Demetrius is sent to fight in the gladiatorial arena and Emperor Caligula seeks Jesus' robe for its alleged magical powers.AD 39
- DirectorTinto BrassStarsMalcolm McDowellPeter O'TooleHelen MirrenA dramatization of the ascent to Caesar and subsequent reign of Caligula, one of the most notorious leaders of ancient Rome. We see his ambition, his scheming, his perversion and decadence, his brutality and his lunacy.AD 35
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsJoseph FiennesTom FeltonPeter FirthIn 33 AD, a Roman Tribune in Judea is tasked to find the missing body of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead.AD 33
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsAnthony QuinnSilvana ManganoArthur KennedyGovernor Pontius Pilate gave the populace a choice to spare either Barabbas, a criminal, or Jesus, condemned as a heretic, from crucifixion. The masses chose Barrabas, and he is haunted by the image of Jesus for the rest of his life.AD 33
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsJim CaviezelMonica BellucciMaia MorgensternDepicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.AD 33
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsRichard BurtonJean SimmonsVictor MatureIn the Roman province of Judea during the 1st century, Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio is ordered to crucify Jesus of Nazareth but is tormented by his guilty conscience afterwards.AD 32
- DirectorErnest B. SchoedsackMerian C. CooperStarsPreston FosterBasil RathboneDavid HoltIn the doomed Roman city, a gentle blacksmith becomes a corrupt gladiator, while his son leans toward Christianity.AD 32
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsWillem DafoeHarvey KeitelBarbara HersheyThe life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross.AD 30
- DirectorWilliam DieterleStarsRita HayworthStewart GrangerCharles LaughtonAfter her banishment from Rome, Jewish Princess Salome returns to her Roman-ruled native land of Galilee, where prophet John the Baptist preaches against Salome's parents, King Herod and Queen Herodias.AD 30
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsCharlton HestonJack HawkinsStephen BoydAfter a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.AD 26
- DirectorGeorge StevensJean NegulescoStarsMax von SydowDorothy McGuireCharlton HestonAn all-star, large scale epic movie that chronicles the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.1 BC
- DirectorCatherine HardwickeStarsKeisha Castle-HughesShohreh AghdashlooOscar IsaacA drama that focuses on the period in Mary and Joseph's life where they journeyed to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.1 BC
- DirectorCharlton HestonStarsCharlton HestonHildegard NeilEric PorterAfter the murder of her lover Caesar, Egypt's queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor: Octavius.42 BC
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsLouis CalhernMarlon BrandoJames MasonThe growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.44 BC
- DirectorStuart BurgeStarsCharlton HestonJason RobardsJohn GielgudThe growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar, but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.44 BC
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsClaudette ColbertWarren WilliamHenry WilcoxonThe man-hungry Queen of Egypt leads Julius Caesar and Marc Antony astray, amid scenes of DeMillean splendor.48 BC
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczRouben MamoulianStarsElizabeth TaylorRichard BurtonRex HarrisonQueen Cleopatra VII of Egypt experiences both triumph and tragedy as she attempts to resist the imperial ambitions of Rome.48 BC
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsJeffrey HunterSiobhan McKennaHurd HatfieldThe temporary physical life of the Biblical Savior, Jesus Christ.63 BC
- DirectorStanley KubrickAnthony MannStarsKirk DouglasLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsThe slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.71 BC
- DirectorCarlo Ludovico BragagliaEdgar G. UlmerStarsVictor MatureGabriele FerzettiRita GamDuring the Second Punic War in 218 BC, Carthaginian general Hannibal attacks the Roman Republic by crossing the Pyrenees and the Alps with his vast army.215 BC
- DirectorSantosh SivanStarsShah Rukh KhanKareena KapoorDanny DenzongpaThe epic tale of King Asoka's life is recounted.230 BC
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRory CalhounLea MassariGeorges MarchalWhile holidaying in Rhodes, an Athenian war hero becomes involved in two plots to overthrow the tyrannical king: one from Rhodian patriots, and the other from sinister Phoenician agents.280 BC
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsColin FarrellAnthony HopkinsRosario DawsonAlexander, the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest army leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.285 BC
- DirectorRobert RossenStarsRichard BurtonFredric MarchClaire BloomThe life and military conquests of Alexander III of Macedon (July 20/21, 356 - June 10/11, 323 B.C.), commonly known as Alexander the Great.336 BC
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsGerard ButlerLena HeadeyDavid WenhamIn the ancient battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. They face insurmountable odds when they are betrayed by a Spartan reject.480 BC
- DirectorNoam MurroStarsSullivan StapletonEva GreenLena HeadeyGreek general Themistocles of Athens leads the naval charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.480 BC
- DirectorRudolph MatéStarsRichard EganRalph RichardsonDiane BakerA small Army of Greeks spearheaded by three hundred Spartans do battle with the whole invading Persian Army.480 BC
- DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsRichard GereEdward WoodwardAlice KrigeThe Biblical story of Israel's greatest King.1000 BC
- DirectorHenry KingStarsGregory PeckSusan HaywardRaymond MasseyAfter King David sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing from the palace roof, he enters into an adulterous affair which has tragic consequences for his family and Israel.1000 BC
- DirectorFerdinando BaldiRichard PottierOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesIvica PajerEleonora Rossi DragoKing Saul of the Israelites is visited in Jerusalem by the Prophet Samuel who foretells him that a war with The Philistines is inevitable and the shepherd David will become king.1040 BC
- DirectorHenry KosterStarsElana EdenStuart WhitmanTom TryonInspired by the scriptural tale. Moabitess priestess Ruth is drawn both to a Judean man and to his talk of a forgiving God. After tragedy strikes, she begins a new life in Bethlehem.1100 BC
- DirectorMichael CacoyannisStarsKatharine HepburnVanessa RedgraveGeneviève BujoldThe women of Troy face enslavement after the fall of their city.1200 BC
- DirectorBrett RatnerStarsDwayne JohnsonJohn HurtIan McShaneHaving endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord.1240 BC
- DirectorMario CameriniStarsSilvana ManganoKirk DouglasAnthony QuinnA movie adaptation of Homer's second epic, that depicts Ulysses' efforts to return to his home after the end of ten years of war.1249 BC
- DirectorRobert WiseRaoul WalshStarsStanley BakerRossana PodestàBrigitte BardotThe Iliad's story of the Trojan war, told from the Trojan viewpoint.1250 BC
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsBrad PittEric BanaOrlando BloomAn adaptation of Homer's great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.1250 BC
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsCharlton HestonYul BrynnerAnne BaxterMoses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.1290 BC
- DirectorDon ChaffeyStarsTodd ArmstrongNancy KovackGary RaymondThe legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.1300 BC
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsMaria CallasMassimo GirottiLaurent TerzieffAfter his quest to retrieve the fabled Golden Fleece, Jason returns to Greece with powerful sorceress Medea. However, when the king banishes her, it's only human that Medea plots her furious revenge. Can they escape her wrath?1300 BC
- DirectorDesmond DavisStarsLaurence OlivierHarry HamlinClaire BloomPerseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.1350 BC
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJean SimmonsVictor MatureGene TierneyIn ancient Egypt, a poor orphan becomes a genial physician and is eventually appointed at the Pharaoh's court where he witnesses palace intrigues and learns dangerous royal secrets.1355 BC
- DirectorRobert AldrichSergio LeoneStarsStewart GrangerPier AngeliStanley BakerSex, torture, and betrayal in Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot, leader of the Hebrews, believes that his people can co-exist with the Sodomites--a disastrous decision.1897 BC
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsJack HawkinsJoan CollinsDewey MartinA captured architect designs an ingenious plan to ensure the impregnability of the tomb of a self-absorbed Pharaoh, obsessed with the security of his next life.2560 BC