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A History of Mixing and Mixed-up History
Deciphering the Real Story
On May 17, 2008, ArkeoTopia organized its second public ArkaeoMovies event at the Studio des Ursilines in Paris.
Focusing on the 2007 film from Doug Lefler, The Last Legion, Yvan Barat, an archaeologist at the service archéologique départemental des Yvelines (archaeological services for the Yvelines region), and the ArkeoTopia team broke down the portrayals presented in the film to the audience’s delight.
Emphasizing the film’s quirks as well as the elements that highlighted the reality of the period, Yvan Barat straightened out the portrayals in the film so that they corresponded to the 5th century CE, the period when the story takes place. He reminds us that, “if the character Odoacer, the chief of the Goths, really existed, he would have been a Roman general. Far from the hairy and disheveled cliché presented in the film, he certainly would have dressed in the Roman style.”
From this point on, while the film revolves around real political stakes from the period between Rome and the “barbarians,” their depiction is pure fiction, sometimes stretching into complete heroic fantasy in terms of set dressings. This is how a fortified village and Vortigen’s castle appear in front of us, “archetypal images suited to Disney-style fairytales, in a location where archaeological remains give evidence of reused roman buildings in the insula style.”
With humor, Yvan Barat reminded us, first of all, that the idea of a lineage of Caesars should be rejected. This designation does not correspond to a family name, but to a title. Then, emphasizing that although Caesar likely owned a sword, it never had the role as some ancestor to Excalibur presented in the film, and even less so the properties ascribed to it. There are, however, swords attributed to Caesar, one of which resides in the temple of Mars Ultor in Rome.
Despite the idea being original from a cinematic perspective, and consistent given that the legendary Arthur would have lived around the 5th century CE, and the last Caesar’s life dates back to the 6th century CE, Yvan Barat highlighted that no familial connection should be understood between the last Caesar and Arthur. Discussions with the audience continued on Hadrian’s wall during this period, as well as the weaponry and different fantastical elements shown in the film such as castes of female warriors, etc.
As before, the whole team thanks the participants who filled out the satisfaction questionnaire which was distributed with the reference sheet. Thanks to your comments, we are able to determine whether we are meeting your expectations. This knowledge supports our work.
It’s on this humorous and entertaining note that the 2007-2008 ArkaeoMovies season comes to an end. The ArkeoTopia team will see you for another unique ArkaeoMovies event on Friday September 26, 2008 during the European Researchers’ Night (La Nuit Européenne des Chercheurs). On that night, while avoiding Hollywood-style clichés, ArkeoTopia will lead you on a path of discovery focused on the men and women who make archaeology happen, using televised documentaries, and the lived experience of archaeologists who will be there to speak with the audience. Don’t hesitate to keep an eye on the upcoming events section on the website for further information and we’ll see you for “L’Archéologie fait son cinéma” next season.
To find out more about ArkeoTopia feel free to check out our association’s “About Us” page, and don’t hesitate to contact us via our contact form.
