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Monuments in books, films and games

How stepped monuments entered world culture: the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, the "Epic of Gilgamesh", Bruegel's painting, Hollywood sword-and-sandal epics, "Star Wars", strategy and adventure computer games. Below are three separate lists: books, cinema and video games; within each list the works are sorted by popularity.

26monuments on the site

3media: books, films, games

≈120mentions in the selection

How popularity was calculated

A single common metric runs through everything — pageviews of the English Wikipedia article over 12 months (September 2025 – August 2026), monthly average: it applies to books, films, games and the monuments themselves alike. Industry-specific metrics are given as well: box office, the number of editions in Open Library, Steam reviews, charts and print runs. Because the metrics differ, the order may shift slightly — discrepancies are flagged right in the rows. We included only what could be confirmed by a source: where a monument's appearance on screen or in the text could not be proven, there is a "not confirmed" note.

1. Books and literature

From Sumerian poems and the Bible to historical novels of the 20th–21st centuries. The "🎬" symbol means that a film or series was made from the book (it appears in the "Cinema" section).

No.	Work	Popularity	Monument and its role in the story
1	"Epic of Gilgamesh" Akkadian poem, 2nd–1st millennia BCE; Russian translation by I. Dyakonov	104,887 views/month; 123,832 Goodreads ratings	Uruk: the city walls and the Eanna sanctuary — the real topography of the narrative. 🎬 the Quay Brothers animation (1985), the anime "Gilgamesh" (2003–04)
2	Book of Genesis, chs. 10–11 The Bible	40,728 views/month; the complete Bible has been translated into 807 languages	Babylon: the building of the tower and the confusion of tongues — the primary source of the Etemenanki story. 🎬 "The Bible: In the Beginning…" (1966)
3	Book of Jonah The Bible	monument metric: the article Nineveh — 35,000 views/month	Nineveh: the city is the goal of the prophet's mission and the place of his repentance. 🎬 "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie" (2002)
4	J. L. Borges, "The Library of Babel" (1941)	17,576 views/month	⚠ "Babylon" here is a metaphor, not a ziggurat: an infinite library with neither a tower nor a confusion of tongues
5	Book of Esther The Bible	monument metric: the article Susa — 16,800 views/month	Susa: the action unfolds right in the Persian capital of Shushan. 🎬 "One Night with the King" (2006), "Esther and the King" (1960)
6	Ted Chiang, "Tower of Babylon" (1990)	5,034 views/month (a one-off spike of 36,585 in November 2025)	The action takes place physically on the tower: a miner climbs a spiral staircase for four months and breaks through the vault of heaven. Awards: Nebula 1990, Hugo nomination 1991
7	Aeschylus, "The Persians" (472 BCE)	the oldest surviving Greek drama; numerous editions and translations	Susa: the tragedy is set at the court of Xerxes, where news of Salamis arrives
8	Thea von Harbou, "Metropolis" (1925)	3,233 views/month; 2,182 Goodreads ratings	The parable of the builders of the Tower of Babel as the novel's key idea. 🎬 "Metropolis" (1927), in which the tower is modelled on Bruegel's painting
9	Lord Byron, "Sardanapalus" (1821) a tragedy in blank verse	4 editions in Open Library; stage versions by C. Kean (1840) and C. Calvert (1875)	Nineveh: the play is set right in the ancient Assyrian capital — the fall of the monarchy and of its last king. It inspired a painting by Delacroix
10	Gary Jennings, "Aztec" (1980)	13 editions in Open Library	Teotihuacan: the hero stops in the city and meets Montezuma II there
11	Edwin Atherstone, "The Fall of Nineveh" (1828–1868) a poem in 30 books	an entry in Open Library and Wikidata	Nineveh: the war of the Medes and Babylonians against the Assyrians, and the fall of the city
12	Josiah Mason Ward, "Come with Me Into Babylon" (1902)	full text at archive.org (OL13815033W)	Nineveh: a historical novel about the fall of the city
13	Nicholas Guild, "The Assyrian" (1987) and "The Blood Star" (1989)	4 + 2 editions; Kirkus reviews	The Assyrian royal court in the age of Esarhaddon and the young Ashurbanipal. ⚠ Nineveh and Assur are not named directly in the text
14	A. H. Layard, "Nineveh and Its Remains" (1849)	20–32 editions in Open Library	Nimrud and Nineveh: the book that brought Assyrian ruins into European culture (Layard excavated Nimrud believing it to be Nineveh)
15	Max Frisch, "Homo Faber" (1957)	25 editions in Open Library	Palenque: the hero arrives by train from Campeche and finds himself at a "full moon festival" among the ruins. 🎬 "Voyager" (1991, dir. V. Schlöndorff)
16	Pauline Gedge, “Scroll of Saqqara” (1990)	14 editions in Open Library	Djoser: the hero is Prince Khaemwaset, High Priest of Ptah, who historically restored the step pyramid; the action is set in the Memphite–Saqqara necropolis
17	Jim Butcher, “Changes” (2010) The Dresden Files, book 12	10 editions in Open Library	Chichen Itza: the climax of the novel is the ritual of the Red Court and the rescue of the hero's daughter
18	John Lloyd Stephens, “Incidents of Travel in Yucatán” (1843) and “…in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatán” (1841)	14 and 17 editions in Open Library	Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Palenque: classic descriptions with Catherwood's engravings, through which Europe learned of these cities
19	W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear, “People of the River” (1992) and the Cahokia quartet (2014–2022)	2 editions (according to Open Library), the “North America's Forgotten Past” series	Cahokia: historical novels about the “mound-builder empire” on the Mississippi, c. 1080–1100
20	Francis Spufford, “Cahokia Jazz” (2023)	5 editions; Sidewise Award 2023	Cahokia in an alternate history of the 20th century — the capital of a Native American state. ⚠ There are no ancient mounds in the plot
21	Charlie Higson, “Hurricane Gold” (2007) Young Bond, book 4	8 editions in Open Library	Palenque: the characters explore the ruins and spend the night in the tower of the ancient city
22	Norah Lofts, “Esther” (1951); T. Tenney and M. Olsen, “Hadassah” (2004); Rebecca Kohn, “The Gilded Chamber” (2004) and other novels about Esther	7, 6 and 6 editions in Open Library	Susa: the Persian court and harem through the eyes of Esther. 🎬 “Hadassah” was adapted for the screen as “One Night with the King” (2006)
23	Costanza Casati, “Babylonia” (2024)	a Sunday Times bestseller	Assyria in the age of Semiramis. ⚠ The sources make no direct link to Nineveh
24	Ancient texts: “Eridu Genesis”, “Nanna-Suen's Journey to Nippur”, “Gilgamesh and Aga”, the “Sumerian King List”	canonical texts; 2 editions of the poem about Nanna-Suen	Eridu is named the first city; Nippur is the destination of the moon god's journey; Kish is the rival city of Uruk and the first city after the flood; Sippar is among the antediluvian cities
25	“Alix Senator”, vol. 11: “L'Esclave de Khorsabad” (2020) graphic novel, J. Martin, V. Mangin, T. Démarez	2 editions in Open Library	Khorsabad is named in the title of the volume; the city's precise role in the plot has not been verified

Alongside these stand scholarly and travel books, without which the cultural history of the monuments is incomplete: Harriet Crawford, “Ur: The City of the Moon God” (2015), Paul Kriwaczek, “Babylon” (2010), Roman Ghirshman, “Tchoga Zanbil: La Ziggurat” (1966) and D. T. Potts, “The Archaeology of Elam” (1999/2016) — there is no fiction at all about Chogha Zanbil, only these monographs.

2. Cinema

Feature films, television series and documentaries. The metric is views of the article about the film on English Wikipedia; for major releases, worldwide box office is given. The mark “📖” means that the film is based on a book from the first list.

No.	Film / series	Popularity	Monument and what is visible on screen
1	“Star Wars. Episode IV: A New Hope” (1977, G. Lucas)	128,603 views/month	Tikal — the filming location for the Rebel Alliance base: the ancient city plays the fictional moon of Yavin 4. 📖 based on the 1976 novelisation
2	“Apocalypto” (2006, M. Gibson)	109,215 views/month; $120.7 million	A Maya step pyramid: the sacrifice at its summit is the key scene. The specific city is not named
3	“007: Spectre” (2015, S. Mendes)	101,989 views/month; $880.7 million	Palenque: according to reports in the Mexican press, a second unit shot aerial scenes at Palenque — ⚠ the final cut has not been confirmed
4	“Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981, S. Spielberg)	101,062 views/month; $389.9 million	A prologue in the Peruvian jungle: an overgrown stepped temple-pyramid, from which a golden idol is stolen
5	“Predator” (1987, J. McTiernan)	94,461 views/month	Palenque: principal photography began in the jungle at Palenque, Chiapas (March 1986)
6	“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016, G. Edwards)	76,144 views/month	Tikal: the city was used again for Yavin 4, but some scenes were shot on a set in Bedfordshire
7	“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008, S. Spielberg)	53,129 views/month; $787 million	The lost temple-city of Akator in the Amazon jungle — a giant step pyramid (a fictional monument)
8	“Metropolis” (1927, F. Lang)	52,312 views/month	A parable about the builders of the Tower of Babel; the skyscraper “New Tower of Babel” is an allusion to Etemenanki. 📖 based on the novel by T. von Harbou (1925)
9	“Andor”, season 2 (2025, TV)	52,694 views/month	Tikal: the second season was shot there as well, for Yavin 4
10	“The Road to El Dorado” (2000, DreamWorks)	35,394 views/month; $76.4 million	The artists studied Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Tulum as reference for the animation — the monuments themselves were not filmed
11	“Moonraker” (1979, a Bond film)	33,612 views/month	Tikal is documented as a filming location; which temples appear on screen is not specified
12	“The Fountain” (2006, D. Aronofsky)	23,315 views/month; $16.5 million	A Maya temple-pyramid in the jungle; in synopses it is wrongly placed “in South America”
13	“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” (2019)	18,659 views/month; $120.6 million	The lost Inca city of Parapata in the Peruvian jungle (modelled on Paititi)
14	“Intolerance” (1916, D. W. Griffith)	13,081 views/mo.; $1.75 million in box-office revenue	The Babylonian sets are spectacular, but no individual ziggurat or tower can be identified in the frame — ⚠ unconfirmed
15	“Chariots of the Gods” (1970, after E. von Däniken)	9,247 views/mo.	Palenque: the sarcophagus lid of the Temple of the Inscriptions (the tomb of Pakal) is read as an “astronaut” — the film's key visual argument
16	“The Bible: In the Beginning…” (1966, J. Huston)	4,675 views/mo.; $34.9 million	Babylon: the tower episode — Nimrod orders a ziggurat to be built and shoots an arrow into the sky. 📖 after the Book of Genesis
17	“Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie” (2002)	4,300–6,100 views/mo.	Nineveh: the city gates and walls, the streets, the king's palace — an animated reconstruction of the city. 📖 after the Book of Jonah
18	“Secret of the Incas” (1954)	2,797 views/mo.; $1.4 million	Peru: Cusco and Machu Picchu — the first Hollywood shoot directly on the monument
19	“Kings of the Sun” (1963, J. Lee Thompson)	1,899 views/mo.	Chichen Itza: a story about the conquest of the city; the location scenes were shot at Chichen Itza. 📖 after the novelisation of the same name
20	“Sentinels of Silence” (1971, R. Amram)	253 views/mo.; two 1972 Oscars — the only such case in history	A helicopter flyover of four monuments on the site at once: Teotihuacan, Palenque, Chichen Itza, Uxmal (narration by Orson Welles)
21	“Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb” (2020, Netflix)	745 views/mo.	The necropolis of Saqqara: the excavation of the tomb of the priest Wahtye. ⚠ No source confirms that the step pyramid itself appears on screen
22	“500 Nations” (1995, CBS, hosted by K. Costner)	550 views/mo.	Cahokia: the first episode shows “the largest city in what is now the United States before 1800” and its earthen platforms
23	“Merdeka 17805” (2001, Japan–Indonesia)	233 views/mo. (id.wikipedia)	Borobudur: in the story the protagonists declare their love at the top of the temple — the tiers and stupas are right there on screen
24	«Analog Trip» (2019, YouTube Premium)	125 views/mo.	Borobudur: in episodes 2–3 the participants climb the steps to the summit and examine the reliefs

Documentaries about the monuments themselves

Terra X / ZDF, “The Ghost of Uruk: In Search of King Gilgamesh” (2008) — filming in the area of Uruk and a computer reconstruction of the city.
BBC Two, “Chronicle”: “Nimrud: The Story of a Dig” (1966) — Max Mallowan and Mortimer Wheeler on the excavations at Nimrud.
“Il était une fois la Mésopotamie” (1998, Arte) — about Botta and Victor Place, the excavations at Khorsabad and the Assyrian discoveries.
“The Road to Nasiriyah” (2010) — the looting of monuments in southern Iraq after 2003, filmed in the area of Nasiriyah (Ur, Larsa).
“Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat” (Iran, 2010, DEFC) and a segment on Chogha Zanbil in the BBC series “The Art of Persia” (2020) — the only screen appearances of the Elamite ziggurat.
Treasures Decoded: “The Real Tower of Babel” (2017) — the archaeology of Etemenanki in Iraq; “Babylon: Tower to Heaven” (2026, ZED).
“Iraq. Longing for Paradise” (Russia, 2002) — filming of the ziggurat of Ur, Babylon, Nimrud and Nineveh.
Archival footage of the excavations at Nippur (Penn Museum, 1935 and 1951–1952) — unedited field material from the expedition.
“The 30th Degree of Northern Latitude” — an Iranian–Chinese documentary project with filming at the site of Tepe Sialk.
“Robbing the Cradle of Civilization” (2003, Canada) and “Erasing Memory: The Cultural Destruction of Iraq” — films about the looting of Iraqi museums and monuments after 2003.
“Resia Boroboedoer” (1929, Dutch East Indies) — a feature film set entirely in Borobudur: the characters search the temple for an urn holding the Buddha's ashes.
“Secrets of the Dead: The Lost Kings of Teotihuacan” (PBS) — the excavation of the tunnel beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan.

3. Video games

The most generous medium for stepped monuments: here they are a wonder under construction, a playable level and a city-state all at once. The ranking metric is reach (the number of Steam reviews and sales figures); views of the Wikipedia article about a game are given in brackets.

No.	Game	Popularity	Monument in the game
1	Minecraft (2011)	>400 million copies sold	The official “Jungle Pyramid” structure has three tiers, but the palette carries no Mesoamerican code: the stepped form is there, a specific monument is not
2	Civilization VI (2016, Firaxis)	379,343 Steam reviews; 12,380 views/mo.	Etemenanki — a wonder under construction (Portugal Pack, March 2021; the Babylon Pack had no wonders); Sumer's unique improvement “Ziggurat” — the only visible ziggurat in the game; the wonders Chichen Itza and Huey Teocalli; Cahokia — a trading city-state (Gathering Storm, 2019) with the “Cahokia Mounds” improvement. Borobudur does not appear in the sixth game
3	Forza Horizon 5 (2021, Playground Games)	281,740 Steam reviews	The pyramids of Teotihuacan are a real feature on the map of Mexico: the player's home stands “a stone's throw from the complex”, and there is a PR area called “Pyramid of the Moon”
4	Civilization V (2010)	210,893 Steam reviews	The Chichen Itza wonder; the Borobudur wonder (Brave New World, 2013: +5 faith and three missionaries); the Mayan unique building “Pyramid”; Cahokia — a city-state (Gods & Kings). The walls of Babylon are modelled on the Ishtar Gate
5	Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (2019)	182,523 Steam reviews	Buildable wonders: the Aztecs have "Templo Mayor" (the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan), the Maya have "Temple of the Great Jaguar" — that is Tikal Temple I. In the Return of Rome campaign (2023) real cities appear on the maps: Uruk, Nippur, Kish, Sippar, Borsippa, Larsa and Susa
6	Total War: Warhammer III / II (2022/2017)	148,742 / 121,474 Steam reviews	A fantasy case: the lizardmen have buildable step pyramids and a "Holy Ziggurat" — a Mesopotamian form in a fictional world
7	Assassin's Creed Origins (2017)	129,009 Steam reviews	The Saqqara region: the Step Pyramid of Djoser is a ground-level location with a synchronization point on the summit and an underground burial chamber. In Discovery Tour mode there are two separate tours: "The Step Pyramid Complex of Djoser" and "Inside Djoser's Step Pyramid"
8	Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)	88,436 reviews; 8.9 million copies	The Peruvian Amazon and the lost city of Paititi (a terraced Inca complex), and a Maya prologue on Cozumel. ⚠ There is no canonical step pyramid in the South American part
9	Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)	78,623 Steam reviews; >11 million copies	The most pyramid-rich game in the series: Palenque is a playable multiplayer map, as are the temples of Tulum and other Maya cities of Yucatan
10	Civilization VII (2025)	62,105 Steam reviews	Buildable wonders based on several of the site's monuments at once: Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad, Assyria Pack), Monks Mound (Cahokia), Pyramid of the Sun (Teotihuacan; the model is based on the Pyramid of the Moon), Mundo Perdido (Tikal) and Borobudur. Ur, Susa and Ashur are villages of independent powers
11	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition (2020)	55,037 Steam reviews	The Aztec Nobles' Hut building modeled on the Temple of Quetzalcoatl; the "Maya Pyramids" technology
12	Chants of Sennaar (2023, Rundisc)	34,826 Steam reviews	The entire space of the game is a spiral ziggurat inspired by the myth of the Tower of Babel ("Sennaar" is the Greek form of Shinar)
13	Humankind (2021, Amplitude)	28,833 Steam reviews	The Babylonian city center is modeled on the reconstruction of Etemenanki; the Maya district K'uh Nah is based on Temple I at Tikal, and the center of Maya cities on the palace of Palenque; the wonders are the "Pyramid of the Sun" and the Hanging Gardens; the Mississippians have a "Sacred Mound" district
14	Age of Mythology: Retold (2024; expansion Obsidian Mirror, 2026)	23,540 Steam reviews	The Quetzalcoatl wonder is the Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza; in the expansion the Aztecs get a buildable "Great Temple" — "a rising pyramid whose steps…"
15	Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (2024, MachineGames)	20,716 reviews; >4 million players; Metacritic 87	The Ziggurat of Ur is the final story location in Iraq, with collectible "Ziggurat Notes"
16	Rise of Nations: Extended Edition (2014)	15,908 Steam reviews	The buildable wonders "Hanging Gardens" (Babylon) and "Temple of Tikal" (Tikal)
17	Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (2018; original 1997)	15,663 Steam reviews	The Mesopotamian wonder: in the 1997 version it is the ruins of the Ziggurat of Ur, while in the Definitive Edition and Return of Rome it is a reconstruction of Etemenanki. The scenarios "The Conquest of Nineveh" (Nineveh, Nimrud) and "Raid on Babylon"
18	Assassin's Creed III (2012)	14,210 reviews; >12 million copies	The memory "The Ruins at Cerros": the real Maya city of Cerros in Belize, with its step pyramids
19	Total War: Rome Remastered (2021)	13,791 Steam reviews	Susa is a settlement in the province of Elymais. Babylon, Nineveh, Ur and Uruk do not exist as cities in the game
20	Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023)	12,350 Steam reviews	The Ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar Quf) is a synchronization point on the hilltop, with a "Historical Site" entry
21	Old World (2021/2022, Mohawk Games)	6,904 Steam reviews	The buildable wonders "The Great Ziggurat" and the Ishtar Gate (confirmed by the developer's patch notes); playable Babylonia and Assyria
22	Total War: Pharaoh + the Dynasties update (2023/2024, Creative Assembly)	5,420 Steam reviews	The main Mesopotamian find: real cities on the campaign map — Ur, Uruk, Nippur, Babylon, Sippar-Amnanum, Borsippa, Dur-Kurigalzu, Ashur, Nimrud, Nineveh, Susa — and five monuments with 3D models: the Great Ziggurat of Ur, the White Temple of Anu at Uruk, the ziggurat of Enlil at Nippur, Etemenanki and Chogha Zanbil; plus a "Step Pyramid of Djoser" monument
23	Pharaoh (1999) and Pharaoh: A New Era (2023, remake)	5,393 Steam reviews (A New Era)	The "Saqqara" mission (Djoser and Imhotep), with the goal of a "medium step pyramid"; the step pyramid is a separate monument type with five sizes
24	Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (2010)	4,796 reviews; >1 million copies; Metacritic 85	The whole game is a complex of Maya and Aztec temples in Yucatan; the companion Totek is a playable Maya warrior
25	Serious Sam: The Second Encounter (2002, Croteam)	≈3,500 reviews (Classic version)	Levels literally titled "Ziggurat" and "Tower of Babel" (the Babylonian block), as well as the Palenque and Teotihuacan levels
26	Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (2012)	3,289 Steam reviews (HD version)	Chichen Itza as a fully playable location: the pyramid of Kukulcan (El Castillo) serves as a viewpoint, with the Great Ball Court and the sacred cenote nearby
27	Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (2005, Ubisoft)	2,818 Steam reviews	The whole world of the game is Babylon: the "Hanging Gardens" level, and the finale is a climb up the Tower of Babel and a battle at its summit. ⚠ This is the biblical tower, not a reconstruction of Etemenanki
28	Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008)	≈2,300 Steam reviews; >3 million copies; Metacritic 80	Southern Mexico inspired by Uxmal: the levels "Xibalba" and "Land of the Dead"
29	Tomb Raider: Legend (2006)	>6 million copies	The level "Bolivia — Tiwanaku": the real Tiwanaku with a temple, a stairway and a pedestal (not a pyramid)
30	Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (1999, LucasArts)	Metacritic 75; no Steam reviews	Etemenanki from the inside: the player walks through the ruins of the ziggurat of Marduk; the German edition is titled "Indiana Jones und der Turm von Babel"
31	Retro games without Steam: Empire Earth (2001), Tombs & Treasure (1986, Falcom), 0 A.D. (an open-source project)	no Steam metrics	Empire Earth: the buildable wonders “Tower of Babylon” and “Ishtar Gates”, while the Priest Tower building “looks visually like the Tower of Babel”. Tombs & Treasure: the whole game takes place in Chichen Itza. 0 A.D.: the Persian wonder is the Hanging Gardens, and the Persians have a “Pāyaud” tower with a Babylonian look (⚠ a tower, not a ziggurat)
32	Sumerians (2023)	331 Steam reviews	The ziggurat is confirmed by the game description: “Build palaces, gardens, temples, and a great ziggurat”
—	Rejected and borderline	Ziggurat (2014) / Ziggurat 2 (2021) — 3 972 / 1 516; Titan Quest — 37 966	“Ziggurat” and “Ziggurat 2” — the name only (a fantasy labyrinth of mages); they should not be confused with the separate game ZiGGURAT (2012). Titan Quest: Babylon and the Temple of Marduk, but no ziggurat is confirmed. Nebuchadnezzar (2021): no ziggurat is confirmed. House of Ashes (2021): the “buried Sumerian temple” of Naram-Sin, without the word “ziggurat”. Babylon's Fall (2022): a “Ziggurat” tower in a fantasy world, servers shut down

What never made it into games

Iran's Chogha Zanbil was long considered “unusable in games”, but in Total War: Pharaoh it does appear after all — as a separate monument with a three-dimensional model. These monuments, however, are entirely absent from games: Huaca del Sol (the Moche pyramids), Tepe Sialk, Eridu (city names in lists only), the Ezida temple at Borsippa, the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal at Nimrud and the Great ziggurat of Ashur (it exists only as the text of a “dynastic deed”). Uxmal appears only indirectly — as the prototype of the Yucatán levels in Tomb Raider: Underworld, without its name being mentioned.

4. Other art forms

Painting, music and the stage — where the Tower of Babel lives apart from books and cinema.

No.	Work	Popularity	What it is
1	«Rivers of Babylon» — The Melodians (1970), Boney M. (1978)	11,210 views/month; No. 1 in the UK for 5 weeks, No. 1 in South Africa for 11 weeks; >2 million copies in Britain	Psalm 137 on the Babylonian captivity: “by the rivers of Babylon”. One of the ten best-selling songs in the history of Great Britain
2	Pieter Bruegel the Elder, “The Tower of Babel” (1563, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)	8,557 views/month	Considered the most famous and most copied image of the tower. Its companion piece, the “Little Tower of Babel”, is in Rotterdam. The tower in Lang's “Metropolis” was modeled specifically on Bruegel's painting
3	M. C. Escher, the engraving “Tower of Babel” (1928)	458 views/month	The tower as pure geometry; the viewpoint is placed above the tower, and the verse Gen. 11:7 is marked in the corner
4	Athanasius Kircher, “Turris Babel” (1679)	429 views/month	A scholarly reconstruction of the tower, a calculation of its “physical impossibility” and a theory of 72 proto-languages; its fame rests on a single engraving
5	Anton Rubinstein, the opera “Der Thurm zu Babel” (premiered 1870)	no metrics collected	The canonical stage work on the subject of the tower: no widely known drama about the Tower of Babel exists

5. By monument

The same material from the other side: what world culture is linked to each of the site's 26 monuments. An empty line means that no mentions could be found.

Uruk

Iraq · a Sumerian city, the “home city” of Gilgamesh

Books: “The Epic of Gilgamesh” (the walls and the sanctuary of Eanna); R. Silverberg, “Gilgamesh the King” (1984); L. Zeman's retelling trilogy (1991–1995)
Film: Terra X / ZDF, “The Ghost of Uruk: In Search of King Gilgamesh” (2008) — filming at the settlement site and a computer reconstruction of the city
Games: Total War: Pharaoh (2023/2024) — Uruk as a settlement on the map and the monument “White Temple of Anu” with a three-dimensional model; Age of Empires II: DE — Return of Rome (2023) — Uruk in the campaign about Sargon. In other strategy games it is only the city's name

Eridu

Iraq · the oldest city of Sumer

Books: The “Eridu Genesis” — a Sumerian myth in which Eridu is named the first city, entrusted to Enki
Film: no films or documentaries found
Games: no game shows the settlement site: Eridu appears only in city lists (Civilization III and VI, Humankind as “Eridug”), and it is absent from Total War: Pharaoh

Ur (Etemenniguru)

Iraq · the best-preserved Sumerian ziggurat

Books: O. S. Card, “Sarah” (2000) — Sarah's life as a “princess of Ur”; H. Crawford, “Ur: The City of the Moon God” (2015)
Film: “Iraq: Longing for Paradise” (2002) — filming of the ziggurat; “The Road to Nasiriyah” (2010) — the Nasiriyah area after the looting of 2003
Games: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (2024) — the ziggurat of Ur as the final location; Total War: Pharaoh — Ur as a playable faction and the monument “Great Ziggurat of Ur” with a model; Age of Empires (1997) — the Mesopotamian wonder is modeled on the ruins of the ziggurat of Ur (in the Definitive Edition it was replaced by a reconstruction of Etemenanki)

Nippur

Iraq · the cult center of Enlil

Books: “The Journey of Nanna-Suen to Nippur” — a Sumerian poem in which the city is itself the destination of the moon god's journey
Film: archival field footage from the University of Pennsylvania expedition (1935, 1951–1952)
Games: Total War: Pharaoh — Nippur as a settlement and the monument “Ziggurat of Enlil” with a three-dimensional model; Age of Empires II: DE — Return of Rome — Nippur as a fortified city in the “Divine Will” scenario

Kish

Iraq · the first city after the flood according to the “Sumerian King List”

Books: “Gilgamesh and Aga” — the conflict between Uruk and the king of Kish; mentioned in the “Eridu Genesis” and the “Sumerian King List”
Film: none found
Games: Age of Empires II: DE — Return of Rome — Kish as the heavily fortified city of King Ur-Zababa in the “The Chosen One” scenario (an official screenshot of the city exists). Kish is absent from Total War: Pharaoh

Larsa

Iraq · a city of the Isin-Larsa period

Books: no fiction found — archaeology only
Film: “The Road to Nasiriyah” (2010) — filming at the monuments of the Nasiriyah area, including Larsa
Games: Age of Empires II: DE — Return of Rome — Larsa as the strongest city-state of the enemy alliance in the “Divine Will” scenario. Larsa is absent from Total War: Pharaoh

Sippar

Iraq · the city of the sun god Utu

Books: The "Eridu Genesis" — Sippar among the five antediluvian cities
Film: none found
Games: Age of Empires II: DE — Return of Rome — Sippar as a city in the northeast of the map in the "The Chosen One" scenario; Total War: Pharaoh — the settlement of Sippar-Amnanum. In Civilization VII the Assyrians have the city of Kar-Sippar, a reference to Sippar

Babylon (Etemenanki)

Iraq · the seven-tiered tower of Marduk, the biblical Tower of Babel

Books: The Book of Genesis (chs. 10–11); H. R. Haggard, "Belshazzar" (1930); M. Potter, "Ishtar of Babylon" (1902); M. Cameron, "Babylon" (2023); K. Barnett-Gramckow's trilogy (2004–2005); I. Efremov, "Thais of Athens" (1972); P. Kriwaczek, "Babylon" (2010)
Film: "Metropolis" (1927); "The Bible: In the Beginning…" (1966); "Alexander" (2004); "Intolerance" (1916) — ⚠ with no identifiable ziggurat; the documentary Treasures Decoded (2017), "Babylon: Tower to Heaven" (2026)
Games: Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (1999) — the player walks inside the ruins of Etemenanki; Civilization VI — Etemenanki as a buildable wonder (Portugal Pack, 2021) and the Sumerian "Ziggurat" improvement; Total War: Pharaoh — a playable Babylon and the monument of Etemenanki; Humankind — the center of the Babylonian city is modeled on the reconstruction of Etemenanki; Old World — the wonder "The Great Ziggurat" and the Ishtar Gate; Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones — the final ascent of the Tower of Babel; Serious Sam: The Second Encounter — the levels "Ziggurat" and "Tower of Babel"; Chants of Sennaar (2023); Empire Earth and 0 A.D. — Babylonian wonders

Borsippa

Iraq · the Ezida ziggurat, identified with the Tower of Babel in the 19th century

Books: no fiction; all that survives is the 1857 controversy over the "Borsippa inscription" (J. Oppert)
Film: none found
Games: Age of Empires II: DE — Return of Rome — Borsippa as a compact fortified city in the "The Chosen One" scenario; Total War: Pharaoh — a settlement with a cult center. The Ezida temple as a separate object has not been found in any game

Aqar Quf (Dur-Kurigalzu)

Iraq · a Kassite ziggurat near Baghdad

Books: only the excavation reports of Taha Baqir (1940s)
Film: none found
Games: Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023) — a synchronization point on the summit of the Aqar Quf mound and the entry "Historical Site: Dur-Kurigalzu"; Total War: Pharaoh — Dur-Kurigalzu as a provincial capital with a port and a cult center

Ashur

Iraq · the ancient capital of Assyria

Books: H. Rassam, "Asshur and the Land of Nimrod" (1897) — documentary prose about the excavations
Film: no films or documentaries have been found, even in Germany, whose expedition worked there
Games: Total War: Pharaoh — Ashur as a provincial capital and a playable Assyria. ⚠ The Great Ziggurat of Ashur exists only as the text of a "dynastic deed"; there is no model

Nimrud (Kalhu)

Iraq · an Assyrian capital with the palace of Ashurnasirpal

Books: O. Layard, "Nineveh and Its Remains" (1849) — it was Nimrud that was the main object of his excavations; M. Mallowan, "Nimrud and Its Remains" (1966)
Film: BBC Two, "Chronicle": "Nimrud: The Story of a Dig" (1966); an ISIS video about the destruction of the Northwest Palace (April 2015)
Games: Age of Empires (1997) and its Definitive Edition — Nimrud as a separate enemy city in the "The Conquest of Nineveh" scenario; Total War: Pharaoh — a settlement of the Aranzah province. The Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal has not been found as a model

Nineveh

Iraq · the last capital of Assyria

Books: The Book of Jonah and the Book of Nahum; J. Byron, "Sardanapalus" (1821) — the action is set in Nineveh itself; E. Atherstone, "The Fall of Nineveh" (1828–1868); J. M. Ward (1902); N. Guild, "The Assyrian" (1987); C. Casati, "Babylonia" (2024)
Film: "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie" (2002) — Nineveh as a city; "Il était une fois la Mésopotamie" (1998); "La regina di Ninive" (1910); a chronicle of the destruction of 2014–2016
Games: Age of Empires (1997) and the Definitive Edition — Nineveh as the objective of the "The Conquest of Nineveh" mission: the wonder in the city has to be destroyed; Total War: Pharaoh — a settlement of the Aranzah province; in Civilization VII Nineveh is the capital of the Assyrians

Khorsabad (Dur-Sharrukin)

Iraq · the fortress capital of Sargon II

Books: the graphic novel "Alix Senator", vol. 11, "L'Esclave de Khorsabad" (2020)
Film: "Il était une fois la Mésopotamie" (1998) — the story of the excavations by Botta and Victor Place; an archival photograph of a lamassu from 1852
Games: Civilization VII (Assyria Pack, 2025) — Dur-Sharrukin as a buildable wonder of the Antiquity Age with its own three-dimensional model; it works as a fortified district. Khorsabad is absent from Total War: Pharaoh (a game about the Bronze Age)

Chogha Zanbil

Iran · the Elamite ziggurat of Dur-Untash, a World Heritage Site

Books: no fiction at all: only the monographs of R. Ghirshman (1966) and D. T. Potts (1999/2016)
Film: the film "Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat" (Iran, 2010, DEFC) and a segment in the BBC's "The Art of Persia" (2020)
Games: Total War: Pharaoh — the only game that shows Chogha Zanbil: a separate outpost monument with a three-dimensional model (+5 legitimacy, +2 siege defense time). It has not been found in any other game

Susa

Iran · an Elamite and Achaemenid capital

Books: The Book of Esther; Aeschylus, "The Persians" (472 BCE); N. Lofts, "Esther" (1951); T. Tenney and M. Olsen, "Hadassah" (2004); R. Kohn, "The Gilded Chamber" (2004) and other novels about Esther
Film: "One Night with the King" (2006, 📖 based on the novel "Hadassah") and "Esther and the King" (1960) — the action is set in Susa, but filming took place in India and Italy
Games: Total War: Pharaoh — Susa as the capital of Northern Elam with a playable faction; Total War: Rome Remastered — a settlement of the Elymais province; Age of Empires II: DE — Return of Rome — a city-state in the "Divine Will" scenario; in Civilization VII Susa is an Elamite village

Sialk (Tepe Sialk)

Iran · a multi-layered settlement and a ziggurat platform

Books: neither fiction nor travel writing: the site was excavated only in 1933–1937, well after the age of classical Persian travel literature
Film: the Iranian–Chinese documentary project "The 30th Degree of Northern Latitude" — filming at the settlement site
Games: none found

Pyramid of Djoser (Saqqara)

Egypt · the earliest step pyramid, architect Imhotep

Books: P. Gedge, "Scroll of Saqqara" (1990) — set in the Memphis–Saqqara necropolis; J. Dubs, "Imhotep" (2010)
Film: "Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb" (2020, Netflix) — excavations in the Saqqara necropolis; ⚠ the appearance of the pyramid itself on screen has not been confirmed
Games: Assassin's Creed Origins (2017) — the step pyramid as a location of the Saqqara region, with a synchronization point on the summit and an underground burial chamber (two tours in Discovery Tour); Total War: Pharaoh — the monument "Step Pyramid of Djoser" on the map; Pharaoh (1999) and Pharaoh: A New Era (2023) — the "Saqqara" mission with the building of a step pyramid. In Civilization VI and VII there is no Djoser on screen — the "Pyramids" there belong to Giza

Teotihuacan

Mexico · the Pyramid of the Sun and the Avenue of the Dead

Books: G. Jennings, "Aztec" (1980); F. Dixon, "The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior" (1964) — the Hardy Boys at the pyramids of Teotihuacan; the novelization "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" (1966)
Film: "Sentinels of Silence" (1971) — a helicopter flyover; "Secrets of the Dead: Teotihuacan's Lost Kings" (PBS) — the tunnel beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent; "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" (1966, filmed among the ruins)
Games: Forza Horizon 5 (2021) — the pyramids of Teotihuacan right on the map of Mexico: the player's house next to the complex, and a PR Stunt called "Pyramid of the Moon"; Civilization VII — the wonder "Pyramid of the Sun", although the model is based on the Pyramid of the Moon; Humankind — the wonder "Pyramid of the Sun"; Serious Sam: The Second Encounter — levels set amid the scenery of Teotihuacan

Chichen Itza

Mexico · the pyramid of Kukulcan (El Castillo)

Books: J. Butcher, "Changes" (2010); A. Malkus, "The Dark Star of Itza" (1930, Newbery Honor); J. L. Stephens, "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan" (1843); the novelization "Kings of the Sun" (1963)
Film: "Kings of the Sun" (1963, location shooting at Chichen Itza); "Incidents of Travel in Chichen Itza" (1997, an ethnography of the equinox); "Sentinels of Silence" (1971)
Games: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (2012) — Chichen Itza as a fully playable location with the pyramid of Kukulcan, the Great Ball Court and a sacred cenote; Civilization V — the Chichen Itza wonder and the Maya unique building "Pyramid"; Civilization VI — the Chichen Itza wonder and the natural wonder Ik Kil (the cenote of Chichen Itza); Age of Mythology: Retold — the wonder of Quetzalcoatl, that is, the temple of Kukulcan; Tombs & Treasure (1986) — the whole game takes place in Chichen Itza

Tikal

Guatemala · Temples I and II on the Great Plaza

Books: F. Galich, "Tikal futura" (posthumous); the Star Wars novelization (1976), in which Tikal is not named, but the city served as the location for Yavin 4
Film: Star Wars: Episode IV (1977) — Tikal as Yavin 4; Rogue One (2016); Andor, season 2 (2025); Moonraker (1979)
Games: Age of Empires II — the Maya wonder "Temple of the Great Jaguar" is Temple I of Tikal, with its own three-dimensional model; Civilization VII — the wonder "Mundo Perdido" (the Lost World complex at Tikal); Humankind — the K'uh Nah district modeled on Temple I; Rise of Nations — the wonder "Temple of Tikal". ⚠ In the Star Wars games the real Tikal is not reproduced: Yavin 4 is a fictional moon

Palenque

Mexico · the Temple of the Inscriptions and the tomb of Pakal

Books: M. Frisch, "Homo Faber" (1957); C. Higson, "Hurricane Gold" (2007); J. L. Stephens (1841)
Film: "Predator" (1987, filmed in the jungles of Palenque); "007: Spectre" (2015, according to press reports); "Chariots of the Gods" (1970, the sarcophagus of Pakal); "Sentinels of Silence" (1971)
Games: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag — Palenque as a playable multiplayer map (an Abstergo simulation); Humankind — the center of Maya cities is "roughly based on reconstructions of the palace of Palenque"; Serious Sam: The Second Encounter — levels set amid the scenery of Palenque; in Civilization III the wonder "Temple of the Sun" is attributed to Kan Balam, the ruler of Palenque (an illustration only, with no model)

Uxmal

Mexico · the Pyramid of the Magician, Puuc style

Books: J. L. Stephens (1841 and 1843) — descriptions of the House of the Governor, the "Nunnery" and the Pyramid of the Magician; no fiction has been found
Film: "Las Ruinas de Uxmal" (1918, a silent documentary); "Peregrina" (1974, shot on location); "Sentinels of Silence" (1971); "The Road to El Dorado" (2000) — a reference for the animation
Games: Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) — the Yucatan levels are inspired by Uxmal, but the site is never named in the game. There is no separate game featuring a named Uxmal: it appears only in the city lists of Civilization IV–VII, Call to Power and Humankind

Huaca del Sol

Peru · a Moche adobe pyramid

Books: no fiction; only the archaeology of the Moche (Quilter, Donnan, de Bock)
Film: not a single film or documentary appearance has been found — the most "overlooked" monument on the site
Games: none found: neither the Moche huacas nor Chavin de Huantar appear in any game

Borobudur

Indonesia · a stepped mandala with 72 stupas

Books: L. Couperus, the travel essay "Oostwaarts" (1923) — a visit to Borobudur; Multatuli and Pramoedya Ananta Toer, contrary to expectations, do not mention Borobudur
Film: "Resia Boroboedoer" (1929) — the whole plot unfolds in the temple; "Merdeka 17805" (2001, a declaration of love on the summit); "Analog Trip" (2019, episodes 2–3); UNESCO/NHK documentaries about the bas-reliefs
Games: Civilization V: Brave New World (2013) — Borobudur as a buildable wonder (+5 Faith and three Missionaries, requires a Holy Site) and Civilization VII — a wonder of the Exploration Age. ⚠ In Civilization VI Borobudur is absent altogether: the frequently repeated claim to the contrary is wrong. It is missing from Humankind as well

Cahokia

USA · Monks Mound and the Mississippian urban culture

Books: W. M. Gear and K. O. Gear, "People of the River" (1992), and the Cahokia tetralogy (2014–2022); F. Spafford, "Cahokia Jazz" (2023); T. Pauketat, "Cahokia" (2009, non-fiction)
Film: "500 Nations" (1995, CBS) — the first episode, about "the largest city in the USA before 1800"; the video documentary "Cahokia — City of the Sun"; there are no feature films
Games: Civilization VI (Gathering Storm, 2019) — Cahokia as a trading city-state: its suzerain gains the right to build the "Cahokia Mounds" improvement (+3 Gold, amenities, food and housing from neighbouring districts); Civilization VII — the "Monks Mound" wonder of the Mississippians, with Cahokia as their capital; Humankind — the Mississippian civilisation with the "Sacred Mound" district (a flat-topped earthen mound) and the "Cahokia Raiders" unit; in Civilization V it is a city-state, with no mound shown

6. What is not confirmed

An honest list of the gaps is as much a part of the research as the finds.

Monuments without fiction and without films

No fiction at all: Nimrud, Ashur, Borsippa, Larsa, Aqar Quf, Sialk, Huaca del Sol.
No films at all: Eridu, Kish, Sippar, Borsippa, Aqar Quf, Ashur, Huaca del Sol; for Larsa there is only footage of the Nasiriyah area.
No games at all: the Huaca del Sol and Tepe Sialk. Eridu appears only as a city name in the city lists (Civilization, Humankind), while the temple of Ezida at Borsippa and the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal at Nimrud appear nowhere at all.

Disputed and unverified cases

Susa on screen is not the real thing. "One Night with the King" (2006) was shot in Rajasthan with a digital Persepolis, and "Esther and the King" (1960) in Italy: the real Susa never appears on screen.
Palenque in "Spectre". A second-unit shoot at Palenque is known from reports in the Mexican press; whether it made it into the final cut is not confirmed.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser on screen. In "Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb" it is the necropolis that is confirmed, not a view of the pyramid itself; "Land of the Pharaohs" (1955) and "The Egyptian" (1954) are about Giza and the Eighteenth Dynasty.
Fred Turner's novel "Nimrud" (2005) and "The Queen of Nineveh" (1929) are listed in catalogues as historical fiction, but their contents are not confirmed (and besides, Birs Nimrud is Borsippa, not the city of Nimrud).
Lovecraft and Bishop's "The Mound" is set in Oklahoma and does not mention Cahokia; Scott Smith's "The Ruins" (2006) is about invented ruins in Yucatan, not Palenque; Borges's "The Library of Babel" is a metaphor, not a ziggurat.
Geometry in games. About nine statements about the appearance of the models (temple silhouettes in Assassin's Creed IV, the pyramid in Xibalba, the "Pyramid Puzzle" on Cozumel, 3D models of Chichen Itza and Machu Picchu) were checked against descriptions, but not frame by frame.

The metrics were collected in September 2026: pageviews from the Wikimedia API (en.wikipedia, all-access/user, September 2025 – August 2026), box office from Wikipedia infoboxes, book ratings from Goodreads data, editions from Open Library, and game reviews from the official Steam API. Goodreads rating counts could not be obtained for some books: for those, the number of editions is given.

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