Goofs

When Commodus and Livius are holding the torch during Marcus Aurelius' funeral pyre, their hands move further away from the flame between shots.

The Barbarians are shown repeatedly burning the left hand of Timonides with a stick from the fire. This would have left second and third degree burns and cost the use of the hand. A few scenes later Timonides is shown addressing the Senate and both hands are fine .

It is general opinion that Marcus Aurelius was not assassinated, neither by poison, as in THE FALL, nor by asphyxiation, as in Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR. Instead the general conclusion is that MA died of disease, aggravated by exhaustion after endless years of constant fighting.

Timonides wears a cross, identifying him as a Christian. Neither Marcus Aurelius nor the later pagan Emperors accepted open Christians as officials at any level, never mind close to them.

Warfare with Germans and other tribal peoples was continuous. Most had no wish to be assimilated into Roman values, which were alien to them.

Contrary to most people's opinion, the idea of Co-emperors did not arise much later, under Diocletian. In fact, Marcus Aurelius began as Co-emperor with Lucius Verus. They ruled jointly from 161 to 169, when Lucius Verus died, after which Marcus Aurelius ruled alone until 180.

Although most soldiers in the ancient world wore their swords on the opposite hip from their sword arm, the Roman Legionnaires used a short sword called a gladius which they wore on their right hip. Depictions of this have led some viewers to believe that the entire Roman army was left handed.

Roman soldiers are shown using stirrups, which were not actually used in Europe until four centuries after the period of the film.

As Marcus Aurelius' body is carried outside to the funeral pyre, the sounds of the drumbeats do not continuously match the actions of the drummers.

The poison from the knife used by Cleander would still have got onto his side of the apple.