Movies and TV

A wealth of movies is waiting for teachers to use them in their classrooms. We aim to provide useful overviews, written by archaeologists and other experts, which illustrate when and how movies and TV shows adhere to or veer from genuine archaeological, historical, and mythological evidence. Background information on archaeological and historical sources will be included along with tips for teachers who would like to show excerpts, scenes, and whole movies to their students. For a survey and history of movies about antiquity, see Jon Solomon's The Ancient World in Cinema (2001, Revised and Expanded Edition, New Haven: Yale University Press).

Movie titles with an asterisk next to them already have reviews or other information provided here.

• 10,000 B.C. (2008, Warner Bros.) *

  • A Mammoth Waste by Zach Zorich (May/June 2008)

• 300 (2006, Warner Bros. Pictures) *

  • Spartans Overwhelmed at Thermopylae, Again by Eugene N. Borza (March 22, 2007)

• The 300 Spartans (1962, Fox Home Entertainment)
• Alexander (2004, Warner Bros. Pictures) *

  • Commentary: Alexander by Dr. Eugene Borza (December 1, 2004)
  • Alexander the Underwhelming by Mark Rose (November 23, 2004)

• Alexander the Great (1956, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer- MGM)
• Amistad (1997, Dreamworks)
• Anastasia (1956, Fox Home Entertainment) (1997, Disney)
• Androcles and the Lion (1953, Home Vision Entertainment)
• Apocalypto (2006, Icon Entertainment) *

  • Is Apocalypto Pornography? by Traci Ardren (December 5, 2006)
  • Orcs in Loincloths by Andrea Stone (January 3, 2007)
  • Betraying the Maya by David Freidel (March/April 2007)
  • Conversation: Mel Gibson's Maya (January/February 2007)

• The Awakening (1980, Warner Studios)
• The Bible (1966, Twentieth Century Fox)
• Barabbas (1962, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment)
• Ben Hur (1959, Warner Studios)
• The Buccaneer (1958, Paramount Pictures)
• The Body (2001, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment)
• Carry on Behind (1975, Jef Films Int.)
• Captain from Castile (1948, Twentieth Century Fox)
• Citizen Kane (1941, Warner Home Video)
• Clan of the Cave Bear (1986, Warner Studios)
• Clash of the Titans (1981, Warner Home Video)
• Cleopatra (1963, Twentieth Century Fox)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment)
• The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb (1980, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment)
• David and Bathsheba (1951, Twentieth Century Fox)
• Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954, Twentieth Century Fox)
• Fall of the Roman Empire (1964, Best Film and Video 2)
• Fool’s Gold (2008, Warner Bros.)*

  • From the President: Tinseltown Treasure by C. Brian Rose (May/June 2008)

• Gladiator (2000, Universal Studios) *

  • Sandals, Sweat and Swords by Spencer P.M. Harrington (May 11, 2000)

• Glory (1989, Columbia Tristar Studios)
• Gone With the Wind (1939, Warner Studios)
• The Grapes of Wrath (1940, Twentieth Century Fox)
• The Greatest Story Ever Told (1969, MGM and Universal Studios)
• Hannibal (Victor Mature, 1960, Vci/Ffi)
• Helen of Troy (1956, Warner Studios)
• Hercules (1997, Disney)
• History of the World, Part 1 (1981, Twentieth Century Fox)
• Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Paramount Home Videos); Temple of Doom (1984, Paramount Home Videos); Last Crusade (1989, Paramount Home Videos) *

  • Real Archaeologists Wear Whips by Maryann Johanson (November/December 2003)

• Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008, Paramount Pictures)*

  • The Man in the Fedora by Mark Rose (May 20, 2008)

• Ivanhoe (1952, Warner Home Video)
• Jason and the Argonauts (1963, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment)
• Judgment at Nuremberg (1962, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
• Julius Caesar (1970, Commonwealth United Entertainment)
• Kid in King Arthur’s Court (1995, Tapestry Films)
• King Arthur (2004, Buena Vista Home Video)
• King of Kings (1961, MGM and Universal Studios)
• Land of the Pharaohs (1955, Warner Home Video)
• Lara Croft, Tomb Raider (2001, Paramount Pictures) *

  • Excavating with Bullets by Mark Rose (June 14, 2001)

• Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life (2003, Paramount Pictures) *

  • Taking a Stab at the Past by Mark Rose (July 24, 2003)

• Last Emperor (1987, Columbia Tristar Video)
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962, Columbia Tristar Video)
• Monty Python and the Life of Brian (1979, Anchor Bay Entertainment)
• Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail (1975, Columbia Tristar Studios)
• Mulan (1998, Disney)
• The Mummy (1932, Universal Pictures)
• The Mummy (1999, Universal Studios)
• The Mummy Returns (2001, Universal Studios) *

  • Multimedia: Mummy Dearest by Kristin M. Romey, Mark Rose, and Amélie Walker (July/August 2001)

• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008, Universal Pictures) *

  • Third Time's Not the Charm by Samir S. Patel (July 30, 2008)
  • Conversation: The Mummy Rises Again (July/August 2008)

• National Treasure (2004, Walt Disney Pictures)
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007, Walt Disney Pictures) *

  • From the President: Tinseltown Treasure by C. Brian Rose (May/June 2008)

• The Odyssey (1997, Hallmark Home Entertainment)
• One Million B.C. (1940, Nostalgia Merchants)
• One Million Years B.C. (1966, Fox Home Entertainment)
• Passion of the Christ (2004, Fox Home Entertainment) *

  • Movie Commentary: Two Archaeologists Comment on The Passion of the Christ (March 1, 2004)
  • Letter from Jerusalem: Hollywood Holy Land by Sandra Scham (March/April 2004)

• Prince Valiant (1954, Fox Home Entertainment)
• Quest for Fire (1982, Fox Home Entertainment)
• Quo Vadis (1951, Warner Studios)
• Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad (1994, Xenon Studios)
• The Robe (1953, Twentieth Century Fox)
• The Road to El Dorado (2000, DreamWorks SKG)
• Roots (1977, Warner Studios)
• Samson and Delilah (1949, Paramount Studios)
• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982, Image Entertainment)
• Scaramouche (1952, Warner Home Video)
• Schindler's List (1993, Universal Studios)
• Secret of the Andes (2001, Mti Home Video)
• The Shanghai Gesture (1942, Image Entertainment)
• Sodom and Gomorrah (1963, Twentieth Century Fox)
• Spartacus (1960, Universal Studios)
• Sphinx (1981, Warner Studios)
• The Sword in the Stone (1963, Walt Disney Productions)
• The Ten Commandments (1956, Paramount Studios)
• Tombstone (1993, Hollywood Pictures)
• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, Warner Home Video)
• Troy (2004, Warner Home Video) *

  • Movie Commentary: Assessing the Evidence for the Trojan Wars (May 1, 2004)
  • Troy's Fallen! by Mark Rose (May 14, 2004)

• Valley of the Kings (1954, Warner Studios)
• The Wind and the Lion (1975, Warner Studios)

TV Series/Mini-series

• Cleopatra (1999, Babelsberg/Hallmark)
• I, Claudius (1976, BBC)
• John Adams (2008, HBO)
• Rome (2005, HD Vision/BBC/HBO)

Would you like to recommend a movie? Please email the title of the movie to education@aia.bu.edu.