MovieChat Forums > King of Kings (1961) Discussion > A nod to Beth Horan

A nod to Beth Horan

posted 8 years ago by candelman4
3 replies | jump to latest

I always thought that the Battle of Beth Horan, where the Jews almost annihilated a Roman Legion in 66 ACE would be a great subject to depict on screen. After the Battle of the Teutoberg Forrest, it was probably the most devastating defeat the Romans received from a subject people. Even though this battle came decades after Christ, the screenwriters must have been aware of Beth Horan, since the ambush that Barabas executes against the Romans in the film had many similarities with the actual Beth Horan battle.

[–] bastasch8647 8 years ago

Thanks for that interesting historical note - yeah, it would make an impressive film ... I've seen a documentary about the Teutoberg Forest battle, and even though done for the small screen, it was still gripping, as I'm sure a Beth Horan dramatic film could be... However, if the following is the battle to which you are referring, it seems to have taken place in Old Testament times - long before Romans entered the historical picture:

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Battle-Beth-Horon

http://biblehub.com/topical/b/beth-horon.htm

Could you possibly be thinking of some other battle, or perhaps a battle at a place that has similar spelling to "Beth Horan"...?

[–] candelman4 8 years ago

There were several battles of Beth Horon, the biblical one you referenced, the one during the Maccabee War in 166 BCE and the one against the Romans that I referenced. The topography was obviously prime ambush territory.

[–] bastasch8647 8 years ago

Okay - thanks for the clarification.

:)