The pre-Gladiator Roman movies were dominated by
Cleopatra
Ben Hur
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire
Spartacus
They were seen as the big budget "sword and sandal" epics that sold box office money in the 50's and 60's. Roman era stuff disappeared until the 80's, when it came back in a few mini-series (The Last Days of Pompeii, etc.) and then Gladiator came along, and they were popular all over again.

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