Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen: Myth versus Reality

An unparalleled exploration of films set in Ancient Rome, from the silent Cleopatra to the modern rendition of Ben-Hur.

No sooner had the dazzling new technology of cinema been invented near the end of the 19th century than filmmakers immediately turned to ancient history for inspiration. Nero, Cleopatra, Caesar, and more all found their way to the silver screen and would return again and again in the decades that followed. But just how accurate were these depictions of Ancient Rome?

In Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen: Myth versus Reality, Gregory S. Aldrete and Graham Sumner provide a fascinating examination of 50 films set in Ancient Rome, analyzing each for its historical accuracy of plot, characters, costumes and sets. They also divulge insights into the process of making each movie and the challenges the filmmakers faced in bringing the Roman world to vivid cinematic life. Beginning with the classics from the dawn of cinema, through the great golden age of sword-and-sandals flicks in the 1950s, to the dramatic epics of the modern day, Aldrete and Sumner test the authenticity of Hollywood’s version of history.

Featuring remarkable custom-made paintings depicting characters as they appeared in film and how they should have appeared if they were historically correct, Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen delivers an invaluable perspective of film and history. This unique collaboration between professional illustrator and award-winning Roman historian offers a deeper understanding of modern cinema and brings Roman history to life.

Gregory S. Aldrete is Professor of History and Humanistic Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, USA. His enthusiasm for the ancient world is reflected in his many publications which include Floods of the Tiber in Ancient Rome and Daily Life in the Roman City.

GREGORY S. ALDRETE is Associate Professor of History and Humanistic Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. He is the author of Gestures and Acclamations in Ancient Rome (1999), and editor of The Ancient World volume in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life (Greenwood, 2004).

Lindsay Powell is the author of Combat: Roman Soldier versus Germanic Warrior (Osprey Publishing, 2014), as well as Eager for Glory: The Untold Story of Drusus the Elder, Conqueror of Germania (Pen and Sword, 2011), Germanicus: The Magnificent Life and Mysterious Death of Rome's Most Popular General (Pen and Sword, 2013) and Marcus Agrippa: Right-Hand man of Caesar Augustus (Pen and Sword Books, 2015).

Lindsay is a regular contributor to Ancient Warfare magazine and his articles on armies, battles and generalship of the Roman period have appeared in Exercitus, Military Heritage, Strategy & Tactics and on TheHistoryNetwork.org. His appearances include BBC Radio and History Channel. He is a veteran of the acclaimed Ermine Street Guard re-enactment society, a registered charity. Lindsay divides his time between Austin, Texas and Wokingham, UK.