It's unclear why Hollywood had a sudden interest in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Ninth Spanish Legion in 177 C.E., but we got a few movies about it anyway and this is one of the best. A worldwide audience also means we can continue to widen our gaze beyond ancient Greece and Rome. Modern production studios are frequently turning to the ancient world to tell new stories, proving the genre never died. That's not to say every new entry on this list was filmed in black and white and buried in a pile of VHS tapes. Updated on December 18th, 2020 by Kristy Ambrose: There is no peace for history buffs or movie lovers, and the combination of the two means we have to update this list to include a few more rare and wonderful finds.

These movies don't get everything right, but there's a lot to be said for how they recreate the background, setting, and people of bygone civilizations. Since then, the ancient world, on film, has branched out to include comedies, war stories, and serious dramas. Vintage movies about ancient times were usually about Rome and always involved certain famous historic characters that general audiences would already recognize. RELATED: 10 Most Expensive TV Series Ever Made Mundane information, like clothing, architecture, or daily social protocol often isn't enough to make a movie, and that's where some of the relative anachronism can happen. Some of the physical evidence of these bygone times survives and we can piece together how people lived. After a certain amount of time passes, the line between history and legend becomes a little fuzzy.

About time movie clips