List of films set in ancient Rome
This article lists films and tv shows set in the city of Rome during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, or the Roman Empire. The films only partly set in Rome are so noted.
The founding of Rome
Films set during the founding of Rome include:| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Duel of the Titans | 1961 | based on the legend of Romulus and Remus with Steve Reeves as Romulus and Gordon Scott as Remus |
| The Avenger | 1962 | based on Virgil's Aeneid with Steve Reeves as Aeneas: a story of the hero leading escaped survivors of the Trojan War to new land in Italy |
| The First King | 2019 | in archaic Latin; directed by Matteo Rovere |
| Romulus (TV series) | 2020 | Italian TV series, loosely based on the myth of Romulus |
The Roman Kingdom
Reign of [Tullus Hostilius]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Duel of Champions | 1961 | with Alan Ladd as Horatius and Robert Keith as Tullus Hostilius |
The Roman Republic
Early Roman Republic
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Le vergini di Roma | 1961 | French-Italian film, including characters of Etruscan king Porsenna and Mucius Scaevola |
| Hero of Rome | 1964 | with Gordon Scott as Gaius Mucius Scaevola |
| Coriolanus: Hero without a Country | 1964 | with Gordon Scott as Gaius Marcius Coriolanus |
| Brennus, Enemy of Rome | 1963 | about the Battle of the Allia and sack of Rome in 387 BC, with Gordon Mitchell as Brennus |
[Second Punic War]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Cabiria | 1914 | a monumental Italian production, touching on Hannibal's campaign in Italy, the siege of Syracuse and Battle of Zama, featuring such characters as Masinissa; also the first Maciste film |
| Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal | 1937 | about the career of Scipio Africanus up to his defeat of Hannibal at the Battle of Zama |
| Jupiter's Darling | 1955 | with Howard Keel as Hannibal and George Sanders as Fabius Maximus |
| Hannibal | 1959 | Italian post-war production about Hannibal's campaign in Italy including the Battle of Cannae. Stars Victor Mature. |
| The Loves of Salammbo | 1960 | loosely based on the novel Salammbô by Gustave Flaubert. |
| L'assedio di Siracusa | 1960 | on the siege of Syracuse, with Rossano Brazzi as Archimedes |
| Hannibal | 2006 | TV docudrama directed by Edward Bazalgette, with Alexander Siddig as Hannibal |
[Third Punic War]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Cartagine in fiamme | 1960 | after the novel by Emilio Salgari, dir. by Carmine Gallone |
2nd century BC
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Scipio the African | 1971 | about the later life of Scipio; directed by Luigi Magni, with Marcello Mastroianni as Scipio the African, Silvana Mangano as Aemilia Tertia and Vittorio Gassman as Cato the Elder |
| The Centurion | 1961 | about the Battle of Corinth (146 BC), with John Drew Barrymore as Diaeus |
| Revolution | 2006 | docudrama about of the reforms of Tiberius Gracchus |
[Third Servile War]
[Julius Caesar]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Gaius Julius Caesar | 1914 | a silent film, directed by Enrico Guazzoni |
| Julius Caesar Against the Pirates | 1962 | a tale of Caesar being caught by pirates and asking for help to get back to Rome |
| Caesar the Conqueror | 1962 | an Italian film about the career of Julius Caesar and his Gallic Wars |
| Giants of Rome | 1964 | Italian-French adventure film set in the Roman warfare against Vercingetorix, with Richard Harrison as Claudius Marcellus |
| Julius Caesar | 1950 | . This is a film adaptation of Shakespeare's play |
| Julius Caesar | 1953 | deals with the assassination of Julius Caesar and the Liberators' civil war, with Marlon Brando as Mark Antony and John Gielgud as Gaius Cassius Longinus. This is a film adaptation of Shakespeare's play |
| Slave of Rome | 1961 | set in Gaul during the Gallic Wars |
| Revolt of the Barbarians | 1964 | set shortly after the Gallic Wars |
| Julius Caesar | 1970 | deals with the assassination of Julius Caesar and the Liberators' civil war |
| Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar | 1999 | French film based on the several Goscinny and Uderzo's Asterix comic-book stories |
| Druids | 2001 | the life and career of Vercingetorix, a Gallic adversary of Rome in the film of Jacques Dorfmann |
| Asterix at the Olympic Games | 2008 | French film loosely adapted from the Asterix at the Olympic Games comic book, with Alain Delon as Caesar |
| Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia | 2012 | film is based on comic-books: Asterix in Britain and Asterix and the Normans |
| Dragon Blade | 2015 | By 48 BC, The Roman Republic enters the Silk Road under the command of General Tiberius who leads the Romans against Rebel forces of Huo An and the Han dynasty |
| Julius Caesar | 2002 | |
| Empire | 2005 | |
| Rome | 2005 | deals with the assassination of Julius Caesar and the Liberators' civil war |
| Caesar | 2006 | docudrama about the Gallic Wars and Caesar's Civil War |
| Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom | 2023 | with Vincent Cassel as Caesar. It is the first live-action Asterix film not based on any of the comic albums |
Cleopatra
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Cléopâtre | 1899 | French film made by Georges Méliès, the earliest known version considered to be lost, retrieved 2005 |
| Antony and Cleopatra | 1908 | a film starring Maurice Costello and Florence Lawrence |
| Cléopâtre | 1910 | French film by Henri Andréani and Ferdinand Zecca |
| Cléopâtre | 1912 | new silent version after the play of Victorien Sardou |
| Marcantonio e Cleopatra | 1913 | Italian production from the era of the silent film, directed by Enrico Guazzoni |
| Cleopatra | 1917 | American film with Theda Bara as Cleopatra |
| Cleopatra | 1928 | the second American version |
| Cleopatra | 1934 | with Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra |
| Caesar and Cleopatra | 1945 | with Vivien Leigh as Cleopatra and Claude Rains as Julius Caesar, after the play by G. B. Shaw |
| Serpent of the Nile | 1953 | directed by William Castle with Rhonda Fleming as Cleopatra |
| Two Nights with Cleopatra | 1954 | with Sophia Loren as Cleopatra |
| Le legioni di Cleopatra | 1959 | Italian film directed by Vittorio Cottafavi |
| A Queen for Caesar | 1962 | Italian film, starring Pascale Petit |
| Cleopatra | 1963 | including the Battle of Actium and the Final War of the Roman Republic, with Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, Richard Burton as Mark Antony and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar |
| Carry On Cleo | 1964 | a parody of J. Mankiewicz's Cleopatra with Sid James as Mark Antony, set in the reign of Julius Caesar |
| Asterix and Cleopatra | 1968 | Belgian-French animated film, as well as Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra a French/Italian film based on the same source, Goscinny and Uderzo's 1963 comic-book Asterix and Cleopatra |
| Antony and Cleopatra | 1972 | a film starring Charlton Heston and Hildegarde Neil |
| Antony and Cleopatra | 1974 | a television version of a Royal Shakespeare Company production starring Richard Johnson and Janet Suzman |
| Antony and Cleopatra | 1981 | a television version produced as part of the BBC Television Shakespeare starring Colin Blakely and Jane Lapotaire |
| The Cleopatras | 1983 | BBC TV 8-episode series on the latter part of the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty |
| Cleopatra | 1999 | with Leonor Varela as Cleopatra and Timothy Dalton as Julius Caesar, based on the book by Margaret George |
| Rome | 2005 | portrays Cleopatra’s rejection of her brother Ptolemy XIII as a co-ruler as well as her relationships with Roman figures including Julius Caesar and Marc Antony |
| Cleopatra | 2007 | Brazilian film with Alessandra Negrini as Cleopatra and Miguel Falabella as Julius Caesar |
The Roman Empire
Reigns of [Augustus] and [Tiberius]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Barabbas | 1953 | Swedish version, the first based on the novel by Pär Lagerkvist |
| The Robe | 1953 | based on the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas, with Richard Burton as Marcellus and Jean Simmons as Diana |
| Demetrius and the Gladiators | 1954 | sequel to The Robe |
| Desert Desperadoes | 1959 | Herodian Kingdom of Judea during the reign of Herod the Great |
| Barabbas | 1961 | American version, dir. by Richard Fleischer, starring Anthony Quinn |
| Alone Against Rome | 1962 | peplum film directed by Luciano Ricci and starring Lang Jeffries and Rossana Podestà |
| Massacre in the Black Forest | 1967 | about the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest |
| Los cántabros | 1980 | about the Cantabrian wars with Paul Naschy as Marcus Agrippa |
| Imperium: Augustus | 2003 | |
| Empire | 2005 | TV series |
| Rome | 2005–2007 | 22-episode TV series, a joint British-American-Italian production on Rome's transition from Republic to Empire |
| The Inquiry | 2006 | with Max von Sydow as Tiberius |
| Barabbas | 2012 | the latest version based on the Lagerkvist's book, dir. by Roger Young, starring Billy Zane |
| Barbarians | 2020–2022 | German historical war drama series about the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest |
| Domina | 2021–2023 | TV series that charts the life and rise of Livia Drusilla, the powerful wife of the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar |
The Life of [Jesus]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| La vie et la passion de Jésus-Christ | 1903 | French Pathé production |
| Ben-Hur | 1907 | the first known version adapted from the famous Lew Wallace novel, dir. by Sidney Olcott |
| From the Manger to the Cross | 1912 | American film shot on location in the Middle East, dir. by Sidney Olcott |
| La vie et la passion de Jésus-Christ | 1914 | French Pathé remake |
| Intolerance | 1916 | silent film told in several time-periods with a segment set in 27 AD leading to the Crucifixion |
| Three Ages | 1923 | a parody of Intolerance starring Buster Keaton also with its own Roman section |
| Ben-Hur | 1925 | silent film dir. by Fred Niblo, starring Ramon Novarro |
| King of Kings | 1927 | |
| Golgotha | 1935 | |
| Salome | 1953 | directed by William Dieterle |
| The Sword and the Cross | 1958 | the relationship between Maria Magdalene and Jesus Christ |
| Ben-Hur | 1959 | a monumental Hollywood production directed by William Wyler, starring Charlton Heston; partly set in Rome |
| King of Kings | 1961 | |
| Pontius Pilate | 1962 | with Jean Marais as Pontius Pilate |
| Monty Python's Life of Brian | 1979 | dir. by Terry Jones |
| The Last Temptation of Christ | 1988 | dir. by Martin Scorsese, with Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ |
| The Gospel of John | 2003 | A 3-hr account narrated by Christopher Plummer word-for-word from The Good News Bible. |
| Ben-Hur | 2003 | animated version of the novel by Lew Wallace |
| The Passion of the Christ | 2004 | dir. by Mel Gibson, with Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ; recorded in original languages |
| Ben Hur | 2010 | miniseries by Steve Shill |
| Ben-Hur | 2016 | new American version in 3-D directed by Timur Bekmambetov with Jack Huston as Ben-Hur |
| In the Name of Ben Hur | 2016 | an adventure film directed by Mark Atkins, with Adrian Bouchet as Judah Ben Hur |
| Risen | 2016 | a biblical drama in Spanish-US coproduction, dir. by Kevin Reynolds with Cliff Curtis featuring Yeshua |
| The Chosen | 2017–2025 | a series about the life of Jesus through the eyes of his followers |
| The Book of Clarence | 2023 | It follows a struggling down-on-his-luck man named Clarence living in A.D. 33 Jerusalem who looks to capitalize on the rise of Jesus Christ, by claiming to be a new Messiah sent by God, in an attempt to free himself of debt and start a life of glory for himself. |
Reigns of [Caligula] and [Claudius]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Agrippina | 1910 | directed by Enrico Guazzoni |
| Messalina | 1924 | directed by Enrico Guazzoni |
| I, Claudius | 1937, never completed | with Charles Laughton as Claudius. This is an adaptation of Robert Graves's novels "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God". |
| The Affairs of Messalina | 1951 | with María Félix as Messalina |
| Messalina | 1960 | dir. by Vittorio Cottafavi, with Belinda Lee as Messalina |
| The Caesars (TV series) | 1968 | 6 episodes: Augustus; Germanicus; Tiberius; Sejanus; Caligula; Claudius |
| I, Claudius | 1976 | BBC TV series with Derek Jacobi as Claudius. |
| Caligula | 1979 | with Malcolm McDowell as Caligula |
| Caligula... The Untold Story | 1982 | produced, directed and shot by Joe D'Amato |
| Britannia | 2018–2022 | British TV series of a fictional account of the Roman conquest of Britain |
Reign of [Nero]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Quo Vadis | 1901 | the earliest adaptation made by Lucien Nonguet and Ferdinand Zecca |
| Quo Vadis | 1913 | the second silent version directed by Enrico Guazzoni |
| Quo Vadis | 1924 | Italian production directed by Georg Jacoby and Gabriellino D'Annunzio, with Emil Jannings as Nero |
| The Sign of the Cross | 1932 | with Charles Laughton as Nero |
| Fiddlers Three | 1944 | British production, starring Tommy Trinder, Sonnie Hale and Francis L. Sullivan as the Emperor Nero |
| Quo Vadis | 1951 | American production with Peter Ustinov as Nero |
| Nero and the Burning of Rome | 1953 | directed by Primo Zeglio |
| The Silver Chalice | 1954 | starring Paul Newman |
| Nero's Mistress | 1956 | Italian comedy film directed by Steno |
| The Ten Gladiators | 1963 | Italian film directed by Gianfranco Parolini |
| Challenge of the Gladiator | 1965 | Italian film directed by Domenico Paolella |
| Fire Over Rome | 1965 | Italian film directed by Guido Malatesta |
| The Romans | 1965 | classic Doctor Who season 2 ep. 4 |
| Fellini Satyricon | 1969 | fantasy drama loosely based on Petronius's work |
| Satyricon | 1969 | fantasy drama based on Petronius's work |
| Quo Vadis | 1985 | TV miniseries directed by Franco Rossi |
| Quo Vadis | 2001 | Polish superproduction directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz |
| Quo Vadis | 2002 | TV six-part series following the main Polish production |
| Nero | 2004 | AKA "Imperium: Nero", part of the Imperium series. Directed by Paul Marcus |
| Nero | 2006 | docudrama about reign of Nero |
| Seneca – Oder: Über die Geburt von Erdbeben | 2023 | German biographical drama directed by Robert Schwentke, with John Malkovich as Seneca |
[Boudica]'s Revolt
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| The Viking Queen | 1967 | film loosely based on the revolt of Boudica |
| Warrior Queen | 1978 | TV series about the revolt of Boudica |
| Boudica | 2003 | film about the revolt of Boudica |
| Boudica | 2023 | film about the revolt of Boudica |
Eruption of [Mount Vesuvius]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| The Last Days of Pompeii | 1913 | a silent film directed by Mario Caserini and Elioterio Rudolfi |
| The Last Days of Pompeii | 1935 | American film loosely based on the lord Lytton's novel |
| The Last Days of Pompeii | 1950 | French film |
| The Last Days of Pompeii | 1959 | dir. by Mario Bonnard & Sergio Leone |
| 79 A.D. | 1962 | written and directed by Gianfranco Parolini and starring Brad Harris |
| Up Pompeii! | 1969–1970 | BBC TV Series |
| Up Pompeii | 1971 | set in 79 AD, yet anachronistically shows Nero still reigning 10 years after his death |
| The Last Days of Pompeii | 1984 | ABC-TV miniseries |
| Pompeii: The Last Day | 2003 | British docudrama directed by Peter Nicholson |
| Imperium: Pompeii | 2007 | part of the Imperium series |
| The Fires of Pompeii | 2008 | new Doctor Who series 4 ep. 2 |
| Pompeii | 2014 | a romantic disaster film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson |
Flavian Dynasty
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Gold for the Caesars | 1963 | During the reign of Domitian |
| Revolt of the Praetorians | 1964 | directed by Alfonso Brescia in his directorial debut and starred Richard Harrison |
| The Dacians | 1967 | Romanian film about Domitian's Dacian War, with Pierre Brice |
| Masada | 1981 | TV miniseries about the siege of Masada in the First Jewish-Roman War, dir. by Boris Sagal |
| Age of Treason | 1993 | A fictitious story about Marcus Didius Falco, an "informer" who navigates the tough back alleys of Rome with the help of gigantic ex-gladiator Justus, to find the killer of a man whose family was close to the newly enthroned Emperor Vespasian. |
| The Apocalypse | 2000 | telefilm about Jesus Christ's last surviving disciple and his writings and visions, starring Richard Harris as St John of Patras and Bruce Payne as Domitian |
| Rebellion | 2006 | docudrama about First Jewish–Roman War |
| Roman Mysteries | 2007–2008 | ten-part TV series for youngsters, directed by Paul Marcus |
| Those About to Die | 2024 | The series chronicles the world of gladiators in Ancient Rome |
Reign of [Trajan]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| The Column | 1968 | Romanian film about Trajan's Dacian Wars |
Reign of [Hadrian]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Le schiave di Cartagine | 1956 | directed by Guido Brignone |
| The Eagle of the Ninth | 1977 | a six-part BBC mini-series, based on the novel by Rosemary Sutcliff, starring Anthony Higgins |
| Centurion | 2010 | an action film based on the massacre of the Ninth Legion, directed by Neil Marshall |
| The Eagle | 2011 | adaption of the novel The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff, directed by Kevin Macdonald |
Reign of [Antoninus Pius]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Androcles and the Lion | 1952 | set in 161 AD, after the play by George Bernard Shaw |
Reign of [Commodus]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| The Rebel Gladiators | 1962 | directed by Domenico Paolella |
| The Fall of the Roman Empire | 1964 | latter half set in Rome, with Christopher Plummer as Commodus |
| The Two Gladiators | 1964 | Italian prequel of the next one, dir. by Mario Caiano |
| Sword of the Empire | 1964 | Italian peplum film directed by Sergio Grieco. |
| Gladiator | 2000 | latter half set in Rome, partly a remake of The Fall of the Roman Empire |
Severan Dynasty
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Three Swords for Rome | 1964 | Set during the reign of Elagabalus |
| Gladiator II | 2024 | Over two decades after the original events of Gladiator, Lucius—the grandson of Rome's former emperor Marcus Aurelius and son of Lucilla—lives with his wife and child in Numidia. Roman soldiers led by general Marcus Acacius invade, forcing Lucius into slavery. Inspired by the story of Maximus, as depicted in the original 2000 film, Lucius resolves to fight as a gladiator while opposing the rule of the young emperors Caracalla and Geta. |
Crisis of the Third Century
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Sign of the Gladiator | 1959 | – about the Palmyrene Empire of queen Zenobia and its re-annexation back to Rome |
| The Magnificent Gladiator | 1964 | Italian film being a tale of a gladiator from the times of emperor Gallienus |
Reign of [Diocletian]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Sebastiane | 1976 | Homoerotical version of the legend of St Sebastian; remarkable also as the first film entirely recorded in Latin. Directed by Derek Jarman. |
310–315 AD (Age of Constantine">Constantine the Great">Constantine)
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| The Fighting Gladiators | 1949 | aka Fabiola Italian film with Michèle Morgan |
| The Revolt of the Slaves | 1960 | based on the 1854 novel Fabiola by Nicholas Wiseman. |
| Constantine and the Cross | 1962 | up to the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312, with Cornel Wilde as Constantine the Great |
| The Fall of Rome | 1963 | an Italian peplum-film, the story based on persecution of Christians after the death of Emperor Constantine |
| Constantine | 2006 | docudrama about the rise of Constantine |
Reign of Julian">Julian (emperor)">Julian
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Giuliano l'Apostata | 1919 | Italian historical drama film directed by Ugo Falena, starring Guido Graziosi and Ileana Leonidoff. Set in the 4th century, it is a biographical film about the Emperor Julian, known as Julian the Apostate for his rejection of Christianity. |
[Attila the Hun]
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Attila | 1954 | with Anthony Quinn as Attila the Hun and Sophia Loren as Justa Grata Honoria |
| Sign of the Pagan | 1954 | with Jack Palance as Attila the Hun |
| Tharus Son of Attila | 1962 | directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero |
| Attila | 2001 | a joint American-Lithuanian production with Gerard Butler as Attila the Hun |
Late Empire
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Revenge of the Barbarians | 1960 | about the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 AD |
| Revenge of The Gladiators | 1964 | the Vandal sack of Rome |
| Kampf um Rom I | 1968 | on the struggle in Italy ruled by the Ostrogoths, after the novel by Felix Dahn |
| Kampf um Rom II : Der Verrat | 1969 | continuation of the German production |
| Thais | 1984 | Polish film, after a story by Anatole France on an episode from the life of the 4th-century Alexandria |
| Titus Andronicus | 1985 | fictional story of a general in the Roman army, based on the tragedy by William Shakespeare; BBC TV version dir. by Jane Howell |
| Titus | 1999 | adaptation by Julie Taymor with Anthony Hopkins as Titus Andronicus |
| King Arthur | 2004 | |
| The Voyage Home | 2004 | based on the poem De reditu suo by Rutilius Claudius Namatianus |
| The Fall of Rome | 2006 | docudrama about the sack of Rome by Alaric's Visigoths |
| The Last Legion | 2007 | loosely inspired by the 5th-century collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the legendary-fantastic elements from the history of Britain, with Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley |
| Agora | 2009 | Spanish film with Rachel Weisz starring as Hypatia, a female philosopher and savant from Alexandria |
| Restless Heart: The Confessions of Saint Augustine | 2010 | a biographical film about Augustine of Hippo, dir. by Christian Duguay |
| Decline of an Empire | 2014 | about "the Christian saint who defied the Empire", with Peter O'Toole as Cornelius Gallus |
Undated
| Title | Release date | Notes |
| Roman Scandals | 1933 | Eddie Cantor's dream sequence. |
| A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | 1966 | Film version of the Musical Play – inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus, specifically Pseudolus, Miles Gloriosus and Mostellaria |
| The Arena | 1974 | – a story of two female gladiators from the arena of Brundisium, dir. by Steve Carver |
| History of the World, Part I | 1981 | the section "The Roman Empire" of this broad satire is set in Rome |
| Amazons and Gladiators | 2001 | Australian action/adventure film of Roman times |