The 25 best movies set in the ancient world

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator has everything one could want from a movie set in the ancient world: a Roman general who becomes a gladiator and rises to overthrow a corrupt emperor, plenty of action set pieces, and truly spectacular CGI that creates ancient Rome in all of its beauty, splendor, and violent brutality. 

Russell Crowe turns in a career-defining performance as the main character, Maximus, though Joaquin Phoenix is also fiendishly delightful as the corrupt and mad Emperor Commodus. Though released in 2000, Gladiator was a call-back to an earlier period of filmmaking, and it helped to inspire many imitators throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s. 

When it was released in 1959, Ben-Hur was a true cultural phenomenon. Starring Charlton Heston as the title character — a Jewish prince betrayed by his friend who becomes a chariot racer and ultimately bears witness to the Crucifixion of Christ — it is a testament to the power of old Hollywood filmmaking in the days of its decline. Sweeping, beautiful, and epic in every sense of the world, it is the type of movie designed to move the viewer to tears with its wrenching pathos. Its climactic chariot race remains one of the most recognizable moments in the history of Hollywood, and the movie deserved every one of its many Oscars (it is currently tied with Titanic and The Return of the King for total number of wins). 

The release of Cecil B. DeMille’s Samson and Delilah in 1949 heralded the return of the ancient world to the screen. It’s a movie filled with blood, desire, and a doomed romance, as the beautiful but cunning Delilah (played by Hedy Lamar) schemes against Samson (Victor Mature), the strongest man among the Israelites. Among other things, the movie is notable for its lush use of Technicolor to convey the primal nature of its story, which is about the fundamental clash between the Philistines and the Israelites and between feminine and masculine forces. 

Bloody and violent yet strangely beautiful in its own blunt way, 300  tells the story of the Spartans who set out to defend their homeland of Greece against the invading Persians. The movie takes some notable (and egregious) liberties with historical facts, but there are moments when it is almost painterly. Gerard Butler also delivers a scenery-chewing performance as Leonidas, and Lena Headey is quite good as Queen Gorgo, demonstrating the same kind of steely strength that she would also have in such abundance several years later when she took on the role of Cersei in Game of Thrones. 

Few conflicts have been the subject of more artistic works than the Trojan War. In the early 2000s, after the success of Gladiator, the ancient world was big business, and Troy sought to give audiences a more historically accurate telling. Among other things, it excludes the presence of the gods (who were such a notable presence in Homer’s The Iliad ). What it lacks in gods, however, it makes up for with early-’00s star power. In addition to Brad Pitt as the Greek hero Achilles, it also stars Orlando Bloom as Paris, Eric Bana as Hector, and even such legendary greats as Brian Cox as King Agamemnon and Peter O’Toole as King Priam. 

Among the many films which followed the success of Gladiator was Alexander,  directed by Oliver Stone and starring Colin Farrell as the title character, one of the most famous conquerors of antiquity. Stone peels away the layers of myth surrounding Alexander the Great, giving modern audiences a rich, at times flawed and confusing, psychological portrait of this most enigmatic man. Farrell gives a remarkably textured and compelling performance as Alexander, and his undeniable chemistry with the other members of the cast, particularly Jared Leto’s Hephaistion, helps the modern viewer to understand the role these people played in the great man’s life. 

Movies don’t come more epic than The Ten Commandments, the sprawling and majestic movie from Cecil B. DeMille, arguably the finest purveyor of epic movies during Hollywood’s Golden Age. As its title suggests, The Ten Commandments tells the story of Moses, played by Charlton Heston, from his time as an Egyptian prince through his exile and efforts to free his fellow Hebrews from Egyptian bondage. The movie is a testament to just how much the old studios were willing to invest in big-budget spectacles, and both Charlton Heston and Yul Brunner, who plays the sinister, stubborn pharaoh Rameses II, deliver strong performances, as does Anne Baxter as the seductive and cruel Nefertiri. 

The Bible: In the Beginning was one of the last of the big-budget biblical spectacles of the classic Hollywood era. This is rather ironic since it is in many ways about the founding myths of Western civilization, covering the most important events in the Book of Genesis. It includes several powerful set-pieces, including the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the moment when Abraham (here played by George C. Scott) very nearly sacrifices his own son at his God’s command. Haunting and elegiac, The Bible: In the Beginning is a fitting send-off to one of the 20th century’s most notable and successful genres. 

Cleopatra — starring Rex Harrison as Caesar, Richard Burton as Mark Antony, and Elizabeth Taylor herself as the titular queen — is one of the costliest productions ever made by Hollywood. There’s no denying that it is a powerful and, at times, moving film, as it chronicles Cleopatra’s affair with two of the mightiest men of ancient Rome. The fact that Burton and Taylor were also carrying on an affair during the filming of the project gives their on-screen romance an extra layer of flare, and there’s no doubt that the movie helps the modern viewer appreciate Cleopatra’s enduring allure, which hasn’t faded with the passing of the centuries.  

Though it might not be as well remembered as some biblical epics, The Robe was notable for being one of the very first movies to be shot and exhibited in widescreen, changing the history of the cinema. It follows a narrative very common to the genre, in which a Roman centurion, who was responsible for seeing Christ crucified, ultimately experiences the power of conversion and finds himself falling afoul of the Roman Emperor Caligula. Richard Burton is perfectly cast as the tormented centurion, while Victor Mature is similarly superb as Demetrius, who is the first to discover the transfiguring power of salvation. 

Channing Tatum might have established his career as a bit of a beefcake, but he has repeatedly shown that he also has what it takes to be a legitimate dramatic actor. In The Eagle,  he plays Marcus Flavius Aquila, a Roman soldier who journeys north of Hadrian’s Wall to try to reclaim one of the eagle standards, lost when his father’s legion was defeated. Filled with breathtaking scenery and a surprisingly strong performance from Tatum — as well as Jamie Bell, who plays Marcus’ slave, Esca — The Eagle manages to be true to the traditional Hollywood epic tradition while also telling a surprisingly intimate story.

Demetrius and the Gladiators is notable for being a sequel to The Robe (one of the few times the midcentury epics received this kind of treatment). As the title suggests, it follows Victor Mature’s Demetrius as he has to contend with not only the death of his former master but also his declining faith in Christianity itself. Surprisingly thoughtful for a genre more frequently known for its emphasis on muscles and masculinity, Demetrius and the Gladiators contends with the vexed question of survivor’s guilt, though Demetrius’ faith in Christianity is ultimately restored by the end of the movie (but only after he becomes a gladiator).

Darren Aronofsky has long been a director with his own unique vision, and he brings this to bear in Noah. As its title suggests, it focuses on the biblical figure who built an ark to withstand the flood God used to purge the world in the Old Testament. Russell Crowe delivers a powerful and stirring performance as the patriarch, a man tormented by what is certain to befall his fellow members of humanity in the face of God’s wrath. Aronofsky’s movie immerses the viewer in this terrifying world in which life itself hangs in the very balance. 

The passionate love between David and Bathsheba of the Old Testament is one of the most notable romances in the Old Testament. Here, they are portrayed by Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward. The movie, which bears their name, aims to capture the tumultuous nature of their affair and its political consequences for David’s reign and the nation of Israel. Aided by a surprisingly mature screenplay and lush (if somewhat subdued) Technicolor aesthetics, David and Bathsheba is a thoughtful rumination on the nature of adultery and God’s forgiveness. 

Given how popular the ancient world was in the cinema of the 1950s and 1960s, it was inevitable that Hollywood would turn its attention to Alexander the Great. In this case, he is played by Richard Burton, who grants the ancient conqueror a sort of sad and tragic grace. Less bombastic than some other movies set in ancient Greece, Alexander the Great provides a textured psychological portrait of one of history’s larger-than-life figures, and it demonstrates the extent to which the vicious rivalry between his parents helped to shape his personality and may have set him on the path to greatness. 

Stanley Kubrick was one of the most visionary directors of his generation, and he brought his own creative genius to bear on Spartacus. However, there’s no question that Kirk Douglas really shines in this movie, playing the title character, the Roman enslaved person who led a surprisingly successful rebellion against his Roman masters. Gritty and violent and yet also oddly beautiful at times, the movie is a testament to the power of the human spirit to yearn toward freedom, even when an oppressive power does everything that it can to crush it. 

Barabbas is significantly bleaker than most of the other epics made in the 1950s and 1960s, and this is perhaps because it focuses on Barabbas, the man who was pardoned so that Christ could be crucified. After his pardoning, Barabbas spends the rest of the movie trying to decide why he was spared his gruesome fate. Anthony Quinn gives the character a powerful and brooding energy. The film’s overall existentialism is a breath of fresh air in a genre that tends to rely on triumphalist messages rather than deeper philosophical questions. 

Nicholas Ray took quite a few risks when he set out to make an epic about the life and ministry of Jesus. Nevertheless, there is much that pays off in King of Kings, in which the blue-eyed Jeffrey Hunter plays Jesus himself. Ray’s film aims to reveal something about the man behind the icon of Christ, and, as such, it situates his life and ministry against the backdrop of the Roman Empire. It’s a visually stunning movie, and it is a testament to Ray’s skills as a director that he was able to leave his mark on a genre as crowded as the biblical epic. 

The 1950s was something of a golden age for movies about the ancient world, and perhaps no movie illustrates this more than Quo Vadis. Based on a 19th-century novel of the same name, it focuses on a Roman soldier who falls in love with a Christian maiden, only for both of them to fall afoul of the cruel and petulant Emperor Nero (played with relish by Peter Ustinov). Shot in brilliant Technicolor, Quo Vadis brings ancient Rome to life in spectacular fashion, transporting audiences back into this turbulent and brutal world, where all life hinges on the desires and whims of a madman. 

The Fall of the Roman Empire is one of the last big-budget epics of the middle of the 20th century. The story it tells is a tragic one, focusing as it does on the beginning of the end of Rome’s might. In the movie’s telling, this occurs during the unhinged reign of Emperor Commodus, who disregards his father’s wise method of ruling in favor of his own selfish and shortsighted desires. The only thing standing in his way is his former friend, Livius, who tries to prevent the downfall of the civilization he has spent his life serving, only to find his efforts thwarted by his friend-turned-enemy.

Cecil B. DeMille combined the sensationalistic and the moralistic better than almost anyone else in the industry. This skill is particularly on display in the 1932 film The Sign of the Cross, which, like many other biblical epics, focuses on a Roman soldier who falls in love with a virtuous Christian woman. Though their romance is supposed to be the center of the plot — and the movie is supposedly about the redemptive power of the Christian faith — it is, in reality, the brutal scene in the arena, complete with crocodiles, apes, and bulls, which was and remains most exciting about it. 

Solomon and Sheba is a movie all about excess: of desire, color, and even gender. Starring Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida as the title characters, it chronicles their intense yet destructive romance as the Queen of Sheba attempts to dominate Solomon (and, by extension, the land of Israel) with her form of pagan worship. Brynner and Lollobridiga give their all to the performance. The movie is the exuberant and sometimes excessive spectacle one expects from a biblical epic setting out to depict one of the most infamous affairs in biblical history.

As its title suggests, 300: Rise of an Empire is something of a prequel to the hit movie 300, though some of its events intersect with its predecessors. This film focuses primarily on the Greek warrior Themistocles as he attempts to protect his homeland from the Persians and their capable general, Artemisia. Though less excessive than its predecessor, Rise of an Empire never loses sight of the fact that it is still a pulpy movie. There is no denying that Eva Green is extraordinary as Artemisia, a fierce woman determined to gain vengeance against those who have wronged her. 

There are many reasons to love Monty Python’s Life of Brian, but one of the most important is its effective send-up of the biblical epic. Focusing on Brian, whose life constantly intersects with that of Jesus, the film brilliantly parodies almost every aspect of the popular epics throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Since this is Monty Python, the film is unsparing in its lampooning of religious platitudes, but this is precisely what gives it both its bite and its hilarious irreverence, which comes very close to being outright heresy.

Agora is one of the most thoughtful and philosophically rich of the antiquity-set films that emerged during the 2000s. Set in the waning days of the Roman Empire, it focuses in particular on the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria, one of the last pagans in an increasingly Christian world. Rachel Weisz delivers a stirring and haunting performance. She ably conveys the strength and fortitude of a woman determined to maintain the legacy of her pagan forebears, despite the formidable forces arrayed against her. A story of religious faith versus rational philosophy,  Agora is a film that remains astonishingly relevant to the modern world.