A Roman ambassador goes to Corinth , but the protests raise against Roman domination, wounding an imperial Centurion named Caius Vinicius ( Jacques Sernas known as Paris in Elaine of Troy by Robert Wise). He is saved and recuperated thanks the gorgeous Hebe ( Genevieve Grad of Louis De Funes' Gendarme of Saint Tropez series ) daughter of the anti-Roman ruler , the astute Critolaus (Gianni Santuccio) . Hebe is being unsuccessfully wooed by the ruler's second-in-command , the nasty Diaeus ( John Drew Barrymore, Drew Barrymore's father). Hebe sends the Centurion to heal at the house of Callicrates (Nando Tamberlani) who supports the pacific existence with Romans . Artemide ( Gianna Maria Canale , starring in another historic film : Teodora), spouse of Callicrates, also falls in love for the Centurion but Caius Vinicius is double-crossed , tortured and jailed . Hebe then agrees to marry Diaeus if he will save the Roman's life but then a Roman army comes to fight Corinthian forces. The Roman consul Mummius (Andrea Fantasia ) and general Metellus (Gordon Mitchell , star in various Hercules), with infantry and cavalry advanced into the Peloponnese against the revolutionary government of the Achaean League commanded by Diaeus (John Drew Barrymore of The Trojan Horse) and takes place an epic final battle and Corinth is finally destroyed and fired in some cheesy scenes.
This acceptable Peplum contains emotions , drama , a love story and overwhelming images of battles . Spectacular production design and breathtaking final fighting with thousands of extras . The picture is regularly directed by Mario Costa an expert on adventure and cloak and sandal genre . The film is partially based on historic events that happened of the following manner : The Battle of Corinth was a battle fought between the Roman Republic and the Greek state of Corinth and its allies in the Achaean League in 146 BC, that resulted in the complete and total destruction of the state of Corinth which was previously so famous for its fabulous wealth. The 140's BC was a decade when Rome proved its military superiority to its neighbors. In 146 BC the Romans stormed the city of Carthage and set it ablaze. The Romans spent the spring of 146 taunting the Greeks. That winter a group of Greek cities retaliated against Rome, leading to a war that doomed the city of Corinth. The Roman consul Mummius, with 23,000 infantry and 3,500 cavalry (probably two legions plus Italian allies) with Cretans and Pergamese, advanced into the Peloponnese against the revolutionary government of the Achaean League. The Achaean general Diaeus camped at Corinth with 14,000 infantry and 600 cavalry (plus probably some survivors of another army beaten earlier). The Achaeans made a successful night attack on the camp of the Roman advance guard, inflicting heavy casualties. Encouraged by this success they offered battle the next day but their cavalry, heavily outnumbered, did not wait to receive the Roman cavalry charge but fled at once. The Achaean infantry however held the legions until a picked force of 1000 Roman infantry charged their flank and broke them. Some Achaians took refuge in Corinth, but no defense was organized because Diaios fled to Arcadia. Corinth was utterly destroyed in this year by the victorious Roman army and all of her treasures and art plundered. The annihilation of Corinth marked a severe departure from previous Roman policy in Greece and it is perhaps telling that Carthage shared a similar fate in this same year. Rome could no longer pretend that they were conquering the world in self defense. With Greece under Rome's control, a new chapter was added to Rome's history called the Greco-Roman Era .
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