The Best of Ancient History & Myth (Roughly chronological)
by mikefrankdebelius | created - 30 Jun 2016 | updated - 16 Jan 2022 | PublicI am trying to build a list of the best films / TV shows that show history over time. The current list is focused on the Mediterranean and Greco-Roman World, but this is mainly due to availability. I would like to expand it to other parts of the world as well, always looking for advice on choices...
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1. Quest for Fire (1981)
R | 100 min | Adventure, Drama
This story takes place in prehistoric time when three tribesmen search for a new fire source.
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud | Stars: Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nicholas Kadi, Rae Dawn Chong
Votes: 24,108 | Gross: $20.96M
~80,000 BCE
2. The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)
R | 98 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A young Cro-Magnon woman is raised by Neanderthals.
Director: Michael Chapman | Stars: Daryl Hannah, Pamela Reed, James Remar, Thomas G. Waites
Votes: 6,961 | Gross: $1.95M
~40,000 BCE
3. Land of the Pharaohs (1955)
Approved | 106 min | Adventure, Drama, History
A 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.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Jack Hawkins, Joan Collins, Dewey Martin, Alexis Minotis
Votes: 4,762 | Gross: $1.50M
~2,566 BCE
4. The Eloquent Peasant (1970)
21 min | Short, Drama
Based on one of the major literary texts survived from the Middle Kingdom, the classical period of Egyptian literature, The Eloquent Peasant is a combination of a morality/folk tale and a ... See full summary »
Director: Chadi Abdel Salam | Stars: Ahmad Anan, Ahmad Hegazi, Ahmed Marei
Votes: 235
~2,200 BCE
5. Clash of the Titans (1981)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Family
Perseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
Director: Desmond Davis | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith
Votes: 47,718 | Gross: $41.09M
~1,600 BCE
6. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
G | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Family
The legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.
Director: Don Chaffey | Stars: Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith
Votes: 31,025 | Gross: $4.58M
~1,500 BCE
7. Medea (1969)
Not Rated | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy
After 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?
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini | Stars: Maria Callas, Massimo Girotti, Laurent Terzieff, Giuseppe Gentile
Votes: 5,486
-1499 BCE
8. The Egyptian (1954)
Approved | 139 min | Drama
In 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.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Gene Tierney, Michael Wilding
Votes: 4,456
~1400 BCE
9. Hercules (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Having 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.
Director: Brett Ratner | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes
Votes: 164,332 | Gross: $72.69M
~1,350 BCE
10. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
PG-13 | 150 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The defiant leader Moses rises up against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver
Votes: 179,168 | Gross: $65.01M
~1,300 BCE
11. Electra (I) (1962)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
Living in exile after the death of their father, the grown children of a murdered and usurped king converge to exact eye-for-an-eye revenge.
Director: Michael Cacoyannis | Stars: Irene Papas, Giannis Fertis, Aleka Katselli, Theano Ioannidou
Votes: 1,813
~1,250 BCE
12. Immortals (2011)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.
Director: Tarsem Singh | Stars: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt, Stephen Dorff
Votes: 176,398 | Gross: $83.50M
1,228 BCE
13. Troy (2004)
R | 163 min | Adventure, Drama
An 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.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Julian Glover
Votes: 570,161 | Gross: $133.38M
~1,200 BCE
14. The Trojan Women (1971)
GP | 105 min | Drama
The women of Troy face enslavement after the fall of their city.
Director: Michael Cacoyannis | Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave, Geneviève Bujold, Irene Papas
Votes: 1,698 | Gross: $0.11M
~1,185 BCE
15. The Odyssey (1997)
PG-13 | 88 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Follows Odysseus on his wanderings back to Ithaca following the Trojan War.
Stars: Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini, Bernadette Peters
Votes: 16,095
~1,185 BCE
16. Nostos: The Return (1989)
85 min | Adventure, History
At the end of the war, Odysseus, the wandering hero, with his companions begins his sail back home to the Mediterranean. The conclusion of his adventure is delayed by many natural obstacles... See full summary »
Director: Franco Piavoli | Stars: Luigi Mezzanotte, Branca de Camargo, Alex Carozzo, Paola Agosti
Votes: 518
17. Sacrifice (2010)
R | 122 min | Drama, History
To save the only child of the Zhao Family, whose entire clan was massacred at the hands of a nefarious minister, a doctor sacrifices his own son; after the Zhao child grows up, the doctor becomes intent on seeking his vengeance.
Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: You Ge, Xueqi Wang, Xiaoming Huang, Bingbing Fan
Votes: 2,488
~550 BCE
18. Confucius (2010)
TV-MA | 125 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life story of the highly-influential Chinese philosopher, Confucius.
Director: Mei Hu | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Xun Zhou, Jianbin Chen, Quan Ren
Votes: 3,988
~525 BCE
19. Amrapali (1966)
119 min | Fantasy, History
A victory over neighboring state Vaishai has always eluded Magadh Samrat Ajaatshatru despite being winning and taking control over all neighboring states. He attacks Vaishali only get ... See full summary »
Director: Lekh Tandon | Stars: Vyjayanthimala, Sunil Dutt, Premnath Malhotra, Bipin Gupta
Votes: 275
~500 BCE
20. 300 (2006)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama
In 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.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West
Votes: 863,805 | Gross: $210.61M
480 BCE
21. 300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama
Greek 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.
Director: Noam Murro | Stars: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson
Votes: 315,804 | Gross: $106.58M
480 BCE
22. One Night with the King (2006)
PG | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History
In Biblical times, a girl disguises her Jewish origins when the Persian king comes looking for a new bride among his subjects.
Director: Michael O. Sajbel | Stars: Tiffany Dupont, Luke Goss, John Noble, Omar Sharif
Votes: 7,828 | Gross: $13.40M
465 BCE
23. Battle of the Warriors (2006)
R | 133 min | Action, Drama, War
Story centers on a battle during China's Warring States Period, a series of civil wars, which spanned from the 5th to the 3rd century B.C. Based on a popular Japanese manga, which was in turn based a Japanese novel inspired by Warring States history in China.
Director: Chi Leung 'Jacob' Cheung | Stars: Andy Lau, Ahn Sung-ki, Zhiwen Wang, Bingbing Fan
Votes: 4,405
370 BCE
24. Alexander (2004)
R | 175 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Alexander, the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest army leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Angelina Jolie
Votes: 176,609 | Gross: $34.30M
356 BCE
25. Asoka (2001)
R | 180 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The epic tale of King Asoka's life is recounted.
Director: Santosh Sivan | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Danny Denzongpa, Hrishitaa Bhatt
Votes: 15,206 | Gross: $0.70M
304 BCE
26. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 187,600 | Gross: $53.71M
227 BCE
27. Spartacus (1960)
PG-13 | 197 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The 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.
Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton
Votes: 143,114 | Gross: $30.00M
73 BCE
28. Spartacus (2010–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
The life of Spartacus, the gladiator who lead a rebellion against the Romans. From his time as an ally of the Romans, to his betrayal and becoming a gladiator, to the rebellion he leads and its ultimate outcome.
Stars: Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett, Daniel Feuerriegel
Votes: 256,849
73 BCE
29. Rome (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
Stars: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, Kerry Condon
Votes: 185,240
52 BCE
30. Augustus: The First Emperor (2003 TV Movie)
R | 178 min | Drama, History, Romance
Caesar Augustus tells of how he became the emperor to his reluctant daughter, Julia following the death of her husband Agrippa.
Director: Roger Young | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Charlotte Rampling, Vittoria Belvedere, Benjamin Sadler
Votes: 1,453
49 BCE
31. I, Claudius (1976)
Not Rated | 50 min | Biography, Drama, History
The personal and governmental affairs of the Julio-Claudian dynasty at the beginning of the Roman Empire, as recalled by one of its rulers.
Stars: Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed
Votes: 19,356
12 BCE
32. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,745 | Gross: $20.05M
0 CE
33. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
R | 127 min | Drama
Depicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov
Votes: 251,022 | Gross: $370.78M
33 CE
34. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
R | 164 min | Drama
The life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Paul Greco
Votes: 63,074 | Gross: $7.63M
33 CE
35. Barabbas (1961)
Approved | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
Governor 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.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Arthur Kennedy, Katy Jurado
Votes: 7,021 | Gross: $6.32M
33 CE
36. Caligula (1979)
Unrated | 156 min | Drama, History
A 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.
Director: Tinto Brass | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, Helen Mirren, Teresa Ann Savoy
Votes: 38,339 | Gross: $23.44M
37 CE
37. Pompeii (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A 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.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Votes: 116,592 | Gross: $23.22M
62 CE
38. Centurion (2010)
R | 97 min | Action, Drama, History
A splinter group of Roman soldiers fight for their lives behind enemy lines after their legion is devastated in a guerrilla attack.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, Olga Kurylenko, Andreas Wisniewski
Votes: 86,339 | Gross: $7.89M
117 CE
39. The Eagle (2011)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, István Göz
Votes: 74,041 | Gross: $19.49M
140 CE
40. Secret of the Three Kingdoms (2018– )
45 min | Drama, History
An alternative history version of one of the Three kingdoms era plots focusing on the rivalry between the last Han emperor and Cao family.
Stars: Jianci Tan, Xuan Dong, Uvin Wang, Jie Dong
Votes: 117
41. Gladiator (2000)
R | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
Votes: 1,618,959 | Gross: $187.71M
180 CE
42. Red Cliff (2008)
R | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The first chapter of a two-part story centered on a battle fought in China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.).
Director: John Woo | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 48,483 | Gross: $0.63M
208 CE
43. Red Cliff II (2009)
142 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Second and final part of epic tale about a legendary battle that changed the course of China history.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 25,353 | Gross: $0.63M
220 CE
44. Agora (2009)
R | 127 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A 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.
Director: Alejandro Amenábar | Stars: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom
Votes: 73,028 | Gross: $0.62M
360 CE
45. The Last Legion (2007)
PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, History
As 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.
Director: Doug Lefler | Stars: Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Peter Mullan
Votes: 37,097 | Gross: $5.93M
450 CE
46. Excalibur (1981)
PG | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi
Votes: 67,130 | Gross: $34.97M
520 CE
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