Films on Ancient History and Culture

Mirra, a young girl whose parents were killed by the Assyrians, was found by Zoroaster, the prophet, near her slaughtered people. He leads her to Nineveh ruled by King Sardanapalus. A love is born between her and Shammash, brother of the king. Sardanapalus loves her too and realizing that this passion could create discord with his brother appoints Shammash king of Babylon and sends him there with Mirra. Nevertheless, brothers still feud over Mirra and the treacherous and ruthlessly ambitious General Arbace plots against both siblings. There are some anachronisms that detract from the film's historicity, but the inclusion of Zoroaster is welcome.

De Mille's second effort to film EXODUS, with the whole film concentrating on ancient Egypt and the Sinai. It was filmed thee with an all-star cast

C.B. De Mille's early version of the tale Moses and the exodus from Egypt. Like 1928's NOAH'S ARC, about half of the screen takes place in modern times. The film is divided into two parts: a prologue recreating the biblical story of the Exodus and a modern story concerning two brothers and their respective views of the Ten Commandments.

AMPHYTRION is a unusual film to be made in Germany in the Nazi era. It is a lively musical comedy based on a mythical tale told by the Roman Plautus and the French Moliere, both specialists in comedy. The story is presented in this way. Anxious Theban women are waiting for their men to come back from a war. The God Jupiter (Zeus) is attracted to one of them: Alkmene. He goes to earth and tries to seduce her as himself, an old man. Failing in this, he disguises himself as Amphitryon (Alkemene's husband and the Theban commander) and tries again. The next morning Amphitryon and his men come back from the war; he suspects adultery and wants a divorce. Jupiter's wive Juno (Hera) now also comes to earth and clears things up.

Based upon Euripides' tragedy, the film recounts the suffering of Troy in the wake of the Greek sacking of the city. Hecuba, Queen of the Trojans and mother of Hector, one of Troy's most fearsome warriors, looks upon the remains of her kingdom. Andromache, widow of the slain Hector and mother of his son Astyanax, believes that she must raise her son in the war's aftermath; however, Talthybius, the messenger of the Greeks, comes to the ruined city, and tells them that King Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus have decreed that Hector's son Astyanax must die — the last of the male royalty of Troy must be executed to ensure the extinction of the line. Cassandra, Hecuba's daughter who has been driven insane by the ravages of war, waits to see if King Agamemnon will send her into concubinage, while Helen of Troy, waits to see if she will live.

This film, also known as QUEEN OF BABYLON, is based upon the legends of the Assyrian consort, Shammuramat. Semiramis, a beautiful peasant girl, is take as a wife of an oppressive King, although she loves a Chaldean. According to the film Semiramis and the Chaldean overthrows the King, and under her Babylon reaches one of its periods of greatest splendor.

Julius Caesar is a 2003 miniseries about the life of Julius Caesar. The series begins in 82 BC when Julius Caesar is 18 years old. He is out in the town with his daughter Julia (who in real history was not yet born) when news comes that Lucius Cornelius Sulla is just outside the city walls and intends to take the city with his army. The guards sent with the news post death lists on the senate door. When he sees his father-in-law's name he rushes to his house to try to help him escape. Pompey arrests him and takes him to Sulla. Caesar's mother, Aurelia, asks Sulla to show him mercy; out of respect for her, he promises to let Caesar live if he divorces his wife, Cornelia but Caesar refuses. Sulla lets him go but orders Pompey to kill him and bring his heart to him. Pompey follows Caesar and tells him to leave Rome, which he does. Pompey buys a swine's heart from the market and tells Sulla that the heart is Caesar's. Caesar is captured by pirates who intend to ransom him for money. When the Romans crew sent with the message of the ransom don't return, the pirates plan to kill him. Caesar bargains to fight one of them for an extra day and wins, then has a seizure and the pirates believe him worthless, deciding to throw him in the sea; just in time the Roman boat returns with the money and they let Caesar go. Back in Rome, Sulla dies of a heart-attack and Caesar is allowed to return home. While he was gone Cornelia became very ill and Julia befriended the young daughter of Caesar's rival Marcus Porcius Cato, Portia, her brother Marcus and their cousin Brutus. When Cornelia dies from her illness, Caesar swears at her funeral that he will make Rome a better place. Around this time the same pirates who held him captive cut off the grain supply. The senate send Pompey to deal with the problem after Caesar convinced them that he will not take the city with his army like Sulla did. Several years later Pompey returns to Rome and Caesar has achieved the consulship. On the day of Pompey's triumph Julia, Portia and Marcus decide to go and Portia insists on dragging Brutus along with them. At the triumph, Caesar has another seizure but is aided by Calpurnia, daughter of a wealthy man in Rome. At Pompey's welcome home party, while Pompey gets on well with Julia, Caesar notices Calpurnia who he doesn't remember from their encounter before. Caesar swears to his mother that he will make a name for himself. Julia realizes that her father needs an alliance and offers to marry Pompey in order to obtain his legions. Pompey agrees and he marries Julia. In marrying her, he agrees to allow Caesar to take his legions to Gaul, despite the fact that the senate wished to send Cassius. Calpurnia tells Caesar that she knows about his "falling sickness" and he confesses that it shames him. Before he goes to Gaul, Caesar marries Calpurnia and the two of them remain in contact through letters. While sacking a town in Gaul, Caesar comes across a strong-willed warrior who refuses to give in to the Romans attacking his home. He tells Caesar his name is Vercingetorix. Caesar asks him why he is willing to die for something that will be destroyed no matter what, and the warrior replies "because it is mine". Admiring his strength of will, Caesar lets him go, giving him a horse. However, later on, the same warrior chief summons a huge army to fight Caesar's legions at the Battle of Alesia. Outnumbered and surrounded, Caesar's army nevertheless emerges victorious. Meanwhile, in Rome Julia dies in childbirth, and Pompey begins to turn against Caesar who he fears is becoming too powerful. He allies with Cato to attack Caesar politically. Caesar sends Mark Antony to talk to the Senate, but this makes the situation worse. Pompey begins planning to attack Caesar before he can march to Rome, but is too late. Caesar makes his way back to Rome and crosses the river Rubicon with his army. Pompey, Cato and Brutus immediately decide to leave to regroup their own troops in Greece. Upon his return to Rome Caesar is made dictator. He then catches up with and defeats Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus, who then flees to Egypt. After the battle Caesar pardons the captured soldiers of Pompey, including Brutus to whom he says that if anyone wants peace they shall have it. Pompey arrives in Alexandria and is immediately killed by the regent for the boy king Ptolemy XIII in Egypt. When Caesar arrives he is given Pompey's head as a gift but is not pleased to know of Pompey's death. Then Cleopatra VII meets and seduces Caesar, and before he leaves he installs her as rightful Queen of Egypt over her brother Ptolemy. Going on to Utica to find Cato and his son, Caesar wins the Battle of Thapsus. Upon hearing of his allies' loss Cato, who didn't fight in the battle, commits suicide by falling on his sword. With the Civil War over, Caesar returns to Rome with his new ally Cleopatra and their son Caesarion. This disturbs several of the senators, who plot against Caesar thinking he wants to become King. Cassius, the principal mover of the plot, convinces his brother-in-law Brutus, who was spared earlier by Caesar, to join them and end Caesar's reign as Dictator. Calpurnia has a dream about Caesar's death and begs him not to attend the Senate that day but he ignores her advice. When he takes his seat on the Ides of March, the plotting senators mob Caesar, stab him several times and then flee from the building. Calpurnia learns of the plot from Brutus's wife Portia and rushes to the Senate to find him dying alone on the floor.

Abram lives in Harran, a rich city. His wife Sarai (Barbara Hershey) is childless, and their only heir is Eliezer of Damascus. One day he hears the voice of God, who says that he must leave Harran and travel to an unknown land. God promises to make a great nation from him and renames him Abraham and his wife Sarai as Sarah. The pattern for the plot is the Genesis chapters 11–25.

BAREFOOT IN ATHENS is a Hallmark Hall of Fame television film based upon a 1951 play by Maxwell Anderson. It deals with the circumstances leading to Socrates' trial and death. A great cast.

The film depicts the Gallic invasion of Italy and the capture of all of Rome except Capitoline Hills, which was saved by a gaggle of geese, whose honking warned its Roman defenders from a sneak assault by the Celts. The Romans got them to withdraw form the rest of Rome by negotiating a humiliating peace with a large indemnity. The Gauls were said to be led by Brennus, which may be his title of BRAN or BREN, which means king.

This was a pilot of a proposed TV show starring a pre-STAR TREK William Shatner. In 330 BC and Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia and one of the greatest military minds of all time, begins his march through Persia. Soon he would battle the Persian army in his first direct engagement with King Darius III, a pivotal event in his journey to conquering much of the known world. However, before facing his great rival Alexander must first face down his own war weary army and dissent from his internal rivals.

The twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah prosper because of their great deposits of salt, which are mined by an army of slaves. The decadent citizens, who have become wealthy by trading salt, live in luxury and use slaves as servants and for violent games of entertainment. After a night of revelry, Astaroth, the Prince of Sodom, tells slave girl Tamar to carry a message to the king of the Elamites, with whom he plans to overthrow his sister, Bera, Queen of Sodom. Returning from her meeting in the desert with the Elamite leader, Tamar is captured by a Sodomite patrol. Queen Bera demands the name of her co-conspirator. Tamar refuses to speak under interrogation and Bera has her and her two young sisters killed. Meanwhile, Lot leads his family and a Hebrew tribe through the desert, hoping that he can find a permanent home for his people along the fertile banks of the River Jordan. By contrast with the people of the twin cities, the Hebrews are presented as a pious and austere people with high moral standards. As the Hebrews approach their destination, Lot meets the beautiful Ildith, who luxuriates in a litter while a group of slave girls in chains precede her over the rocky terrain. Lot assumes that Ildith owns these women. She tells him that she is also a slave, albeit the chief of the Queen of Sodom's body slaves. Lot tells her that owning slaves is evil. Once Lot and his people reach the Jordan, he negotiates the use of the land on one side of the river with Queen Bera, promising her both grain and defense should Sodom's desert enemies attack. In a surprising turn, she gives Lot Ildith, who does not wish to leave the queen or her life of luxury in Sodom. Astorath is disgusted and baffled by his sister's easy terms with the Hebrews. However, he soon turns his attentions to Lot's flirtatious daughter, Shuah . Ildith dislikes the rough conditions of the Hebrew camp, but soon befriends Lot's daughters. She and Lot also fall in love and plan to marry. Meanwhile, Shuah and Astaroth begin a secret affair. Lot's other daughter, Maleb and his headstrong lieutenant, Ishmael, also plan a marriage. Lot and Ildith's wedding day celebrations are interrupted by an Elamite attack. Although the Hebrew farmers and the Sodomite soldiers fight valiantly, they are nearly defeated by the fierce nomadic warriors. In a last, desperate measure, Lot orders that the dam that the Hebrews have built be broken. His quick thinking saves the twin cities and the Hebrews, but the camp and the crops are destroyed. However, the flood waters reveal that the Hebrew camp is also the site of a vast salt deposit. Lot now believes that the Hebrews can move out of the wilderness and live among the Sodomites ("separate, but in their full view", he cautions) by selling salt. Some time later, Lot and Ildith now live in luxury in Sodom. Sodomites and Hebrews both revere Lot and seek his judgment. Ishmael however, believes that Lot has succumbed to luxury and instead should liberate Sodom's mine slaves. Lot disagrees and advises Ishmael to wait, believing that the Sodomites will change their ways in time. Ishmael does not heed Lot and unsuccessfully tries to set the slaves free, believing that the Hebrews will harbour them. Instead the Hebrews shut their doors on the desperate escapees who are soon recaptured and sentenced to death. As the newly appointed minister of justice, Lot must now sentence Ishmael. However Ishmael is only one of Lot's problems, as he is confronted by the jealous Astaroth, who tells him that not only has he slept with both of Lot's daughters, but that Ildith had known and kept the affairs secret. An outraged Lot kills Astaroth. At this point, Queen Bera's plot becomes clear: she used the Hebrews to destroy the Elamite threat and also used Lot to rid her of her scheming brother. Lot becomes deeply remorseful that he has not only killed but he led his family and people into sin. Bera has him taken to prison. While Lot asks God for forgiveness and guidance, two angels appear to tell him that God is displeased with the twin cities and will destroy them. Lot pleads with the angels to spare the city if he can find just ten Sodomite citizens who will repent and leave the cities with him. The angels agree and free both Lot and Ishmael from prison after warning Lot that anyone leaving Sodom who looks back will be struck down as well. Meanwhile, many recaptured slaves are tortured to death on the wheel. Queen Bera exclaims "But wait, the entertainment has just begun", as Lot appears seeking ten righteous Sodomites. Although he has God's consent, Lot finds it impossible to persuade any Sodomite citizens to follow him; only the slaves are willing to accompany him. Even his own daughters, who believe Lot a hypocrite, at first refuse. Ildith, however, convinces them to leave, hoping that they will someday understand their father and his greatness as a leader. Shuah goes only grudgingly, telling Lot that she hopes to see him suffering, as she does now that Astaroth is dead. Immediately after the Hebrews and Sodomite slaves leave, God assails Sodom with earthquakes and lightning. Queen Bera retreats with her slave Orphea to her palace, where they are killed under the collapsing pillars. The Sodomites flee into the streets, still committing vile and selfish acts to save themselves or exploit the chaos, and are killed by collapsing buildings and fire. Meanwhile, Ildith now wishes she were back in Sodom. Despite her love for Lot, she cannot accept his God, choosing to believe in Lot rather than in a Divine plan. Despite Lot's warnings, Ildith looks back at Sodom. God turns her into a pillar of salt just as He destroys the city with a final fiery explosion. Lot collapses in grief. Maleb and Shuah attempt to comfort Lot. Distraught, he staggers off with the Hebrews, who wander the desert once more.

A modern Greek adaptation of Aristophanes' comedy on the battle of the sexes made into a musical comedy. During the Peloponnesian War, two resourceful women, the idealistic Athenian, Lysistrata, and the brave Spartan, Lampito, have declared a state of total abstinence from sex, until their men make peace. Will their ambitious plan bear fruit? Beware that this film is loaded with ribald language in the lyrics and prose, as well as a good deal of nudity.

The film is based on the Greek Old Testament Book of Judith. During the siege of the Jewish city of Bethulia by the Assyrians, a widow named Judith has a plan to stop the war as her people suffer starvation and are ready to surrender. The widow disguises herself as a harem girl and goes to the enemy camp, where she beguiles a general of King Nebuchadnezzar, whose army is besieging the city. Judith seduces Holofernes, then while he is drunk cuts off his head with a sabre. She returns to her city, a heroine.

Set in third century BC China, the story of THE EMPEROR'S SHADOW revolves around the relationship between Ying Zheng, the King of Qin, and later the First Emperor; and the musician Gao Jianli. Gao Jianli's mother was the king's wet nurse when the young king was a hostage in the Zhao state, but they were separated after the former returns to Qin to become king. After reaching adulthood, Ying Zheng embarks on a series of wars to fulfill his plan of unifying China. He kidnaps Gao Jianli from the Yan state to compose a powerful anthem for his new state. The two conflict over the new composition, the construction of grand public works, Ying Zheng's ruthless mass killing policies, and Ying Zheng's daughter, Princess Yueyang.

This film, also known as QUEEN OF BABYLON, is based upon the legends of the Assyrian consort, Shammuramat. Semiramis, a beautiful peasant girl, is taken as a wife of an oppressive King, although she loves a Chaldean. According to the film Semiramis and the Chaldean overthrow the King, and under her, Babylon reaches one of its periods of greatest splendor.

An unusual fantasy in which the fate of the world depends on the rivalry between the Spirit of Man and Satan over their interpretation if historical events. The Spirit of Man supports the traditional view of history, while Devil presents a "woke" version of history.

This is based upon the legends of the Assyrian consort, Shammuramat. During the reign of Semiramis, the beautiful queen of the Assyrian people, Assyria reaches one of the periods of greatest splendour, and to crown her successes she gives the order to build the great city of Babylon. A young woman of the court of great political ambition, Semiramis falls in love with Kir, a prince enslaved who reciprocates. Kir, king of the Dardanians, is defeated in combat by General Onnos during a military campaign launched by the latter against Nineveh in Assyria. Reduced to slavery, Kir is taken with other slaves to the capital where the general presents his prizes to King Minurte. Semiramis persuades Minurte to offer him Kir and also obtains a domain. She employs her slaves, including Kir, to build a city that becomes Babylon. Meanwhile, she leads political machinations and alliances with Kir and Onnos in order to overthrow Minurte and take her place on the throne. The conspirators manage to take Kir from the queen and convince him that he has been betrayed by Semiramis with another man. Furious, Kir takes charge of the conspiracy against his beloved. Discovering the truth, Semiramis poisons Kir by making him drink from a poisoned cup. Later, during the funeral, the queen is shot by an arrow thrown by the conspirators. The bodies of the two lovers are then burned together, united in death.

Greeks set sail to Troy, since the prince Paris has abducted the Spartan Princess Helen, wife of Menelaus. In the fighting stands the invincible hero Achilles, who leads his Myrmidons to assault. Now in the tenth year of the war, Troy has not yet been destroyed. For the contention of a slave, Agamemnon, king of the Greeks offends Achilles because of a female slave and the hero withdraws from the war, creating confusion in the army. The Trojans in fact have the opportunity to drive out the Greeks at sea and so Patroclus, Achilles' best friend wears, without the knowledge of Achilles, his divine armor to instill courage in the Myrmidon soldiers. But Patroclus is killed by the Trojan prince Hector: Achilles rages, killing many Trojans, including the same Hector.

This is part 1 of 4 of a television miniseries coproduced by French, German, Italian, and Yugoslav companies. It narrates Odysseus' journey, told in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. After he battles in the Trojan War for a decade, Odysseus spends another 10 years trying to return home to Ithaka and to his wife, Penelope.

The film depicts the elements of the Third Punic War, which ended with the destruction of Carthage.

This silent epic is set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War (218–202 BC). It follows a melodramatic main plot about an abducted little girl, Cabiria, and features an eruption of Mount Etna, heinous religious rituals in Carthage, the alpine trek of Hannibal, Archimedes' defeat of the Roman fleet at the Siege of Syracuse and Scipio maneuvering in North Africa.

A tale based upon the conflict between the kings of Upper and Lower Egypt that led to the Unification of Egypt under the Pharaoh circa 3000 B.C.

A 1961 Film about the battle of Thermopylae that inspired Frank Miller to create the graphic novel, "300", and to produce 2004's "300.