Conan the Barbarian is a great mythical adventure tale that seems to have many archaeological facts inter-woven into its plot. Especially with themes of religion, where the essence of character's ethos and pathos become even more outstandingly portrayed.
Within the Hasmonean kingdom as a reference I think this ancient period deals with the control of political power via religious competition. This seems the main battle within Conan the Barbarian movie plot where the ethos and pathos of self righteous actions are being controlled. Hence the use of suicide to demonstrate this overwhelming power by the leaders, or priests, of the snake cult. I think that this movie plot is a tangent theme of the quote, "might makes right", where the movie quote, "Riddle of Steele", is grounded in the knowledge of doing business, political fairness (striking of coinage), and mass production of metal weapons.
Within the Hasmonean kingdom as a reference I think this ancient period deals with the control of political power via religious competition. This seems the main battle within Conan the Barbarian movie plot where the ethos and pathos of self righteous actions are being controlled. Hence the use of suicide to demonstrate this overwhelming power by the leaders, or priests, of the snake cult. I think that this movie plot is a tangent theme of the quote, "might makes right", where the movie quote, "Riddle of Steele", is grounded in the knowledge of doing business, political fairness (striking of coinage), and mass production of metal weapons.