Shows / Ancient Warfare Podcast
Ancient Warfare Podcast
Discussions from Ancient Warfare Magazine. Why did early civilisations fight? Who were their Generals? What was life like for the earliest soldiers? Ancient Warfare Magazine will try and answer these questions. Warfare minus two thousand years.
Episodes
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA193 - How did Generals plan campaigns?
Murray tackles this question from Jorn Schneider, 'How did generals plan campaigns and how did armies find out where to go without maps?'
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA192 - What Mattered Most in Ancient Warfare – Murray's Take
Murray is once more without Jasper but give us his opinion on what he thinks mattered most in Ancient Warfare. Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA191 - When do ancient sources agree but you call foul?
Murray is on his own this week and tackles this question sent in by Patron of the podcast Paul, 'Name one event in Ancient Warfare where the majority of the…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW190 - What do you think was the most important factor in ancient warfare?
While we wait for the latest episode of the magazine to be released, Murray suggested the Ancient Warfare team address one of the questions sent from a…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA189 - How did ancient armies inspire loyalty among their troops?
Anne asks 'how did ancient armies and generals inspire (coerce?) loyalty among the troops?' Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA188 - How did the Romans and others counter the firepower and mobility of horse archer armies?
Patron of the podcast Carlos sent us this question, 'what were the methods used by groups like the Romans or any of the Near East powers to counter the…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA187 - How much military intelligence did the ancients use?
Murray gives his thoughts on this question sent in by Greg 'There are quite a few examples of the use of recon and scouting from ancient warfare (perhaps more…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW186 - The Biggest Recent Developments in Ancient Warfare
We regularly receive emails for Jasper and Murray with suggestions for Ancient Warfare Answers. Greg asked 'what have been the biggest developments or changes…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA185 - What made slings so suited to Ancient Warfare?
Adam asks 'Slings are an iconic weapon of the ancient period, but don't seem to have been used much in later periods. What made them so suited to ancient…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA184 - Was the Grass Crown really that rare?
Murray answers this question sent in from Micius. Do you think the "Grass Crown" was really a rare award or that it just wasn't written about very often for…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA183 - Did the Silver Shields lose effectiveness as they grew old?
Murray tackles this question on the Silver Shields. Do we have any evidence that the Silver Sheilds' actual combat effectiveness began to diminish as they grew…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW182 - Warfare in the Age of Homer
'To the Greeks and Romans, the Trojan War was the beginning of all warfare and set the standards for the expected behaviour of all men. How does the epic fit…
Ancient Warfare PodcastHow did Hannibal supply his troops in the Alps and Italy?
In our last episode before a short hiatus for Christmas, Jasper tackles this question on Hannibal's logistics that was sent in by Anne one of the Patrons of…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW180 - Bar Kokhba
In AD 132 began the bloody struggle between two strong-willed leaders over who would rule a nation. Ancient Warfare Magazine regular Lindsay Powell has a new…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA179 - What were the different types of ships used by the Romans navy?
What were the different types of ships used by the Romans navy? Did they only use triremes? Jasper tackles this question from from Douglas Gatto. Why not…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA178 - Were there units recruited from a specific area in the Hellenistic period?
Josh sent this question in for Murray to ponder over. During the Roman period, we have evidence of reasonably specific units based on (original) area of…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW177 - The Batavian Revolt
Untaxed, but burdened by Rome's demands for ever more infantry and cavalry from their small tribe, the Batavians use the chaos of AD 69 to revolt. It would…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA176 - How were Roman marines equipped, how did they fight?
Daniel asks, 'I was curious about Roman marines. I see them depicted in video games the same as a classic 1st century legionary, but with their red clothing…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA175 - Could Alexander have convinced his men to head further into India?
Murray answers this question, sent in from Manvir. Could Alexander have convinced his men to head further into India? Was one reason for turning back the fear…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA174 - Did Ancient Armies wargame in any fashion we would recognize?
Jasper tackles this question from one of our patrons. 'Did Ancient Armies wargame in any fashion we would recognize? Either in the armchair sense, or…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA173 - What is one battle where sources agree but you don't?
Thanks to Paul for sending this in, 'what is one battle where sources agree but you don't?' It is a great question and one we may revisit on a full episode of…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA172 - Why didn't the Persians react faster to the invasion of 336 BC?
Murray is flying solo again this week. He tackles the question 'why didn't the Persians react faster to the invasion of 336 BC?'. Patreon…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW171 - The Bronze Lie: Shattering the Myth of Spartan Warrior Supremacy
Ancient Warfare regular Myke Cole has a new book available, The Bronze Lie. In this episode of the podcast Murray and Mark discuss the book with Myke. 'The…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA170 - Who were the Thureophoroi and how did they fight?
We got this question from Nathan, 'who were the Thureophoroi, where were they from and how did they fight?' Support us on Patreon…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA169 - How did Hannibal feed his elephants in the Alps?
Patron of the podcast Anne asks, what do we know about how Hannibal supplied his troops during his campaigns, particularly through the Alps? With elephants!'…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA168 - How did the Romans turn angry defeated warriors into compliant slaves?
Murray answers this question sent in by Brian 'The romans took a lot of slaves when they won a battle but how did they turn an angry defeated warrior into a…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW167 - Special Operations in antiquity
'If ancient soldiers were trained at all, it was generally for fighting in a formation in the battle line. But on rare occasions, generals would train and use…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA166 - How effective was psychological warfare in the ancient world?
Patron of the podcast Joshua asks 'I often read about certain battles, sieges, or encounters being influenced through psychological warfare. How effective was…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA165 - Which was the fastest army in the ancient world traveling over land?
Patron of the podcast Ian asks 'which was the fastest army in the ancient world traveling over land? Herodotus mentions the Spartan relief force that raced to…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW164 - Ancient Warfare Fiction
With the summer holiday season in full swing for all the team (except Murray in Australia), we thought we'd discuss everyone's favourite fiction books, which…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA163 - Why did so many figures intertwine a heroic lineage into their ancestry?
Andrew sent us this question, 'I was wondering how the intertwining of heroic figures into people's lineage, was viewed by the common people.' Murray gives us…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA162 - Could Hannibal have won the second punic war?
Could Hannibal have won the second punic war? Jasper is busy putting the magazine together so Murray gives us his opinion. Patreon…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA161 - How important was luck?
Alex, part of our patreon community asks 'how much do you feel that luck played a role in ancient combat? Theoretically luck would be more of a factor in the…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA160 - What sorts of saddles were used in the ancient world?
Zoe on patreon asks, 'we know about the four horned saddles the Roman cavalry used but do we have any idea of what sorts of saddles might've been used…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA159 - What was the difference between Auxilia & Foederati?
It's thanks to Alex who emailed in this question, what was the difference between Auxilia & Foederat? Is not why the different name? Join us on Patreon…
Ancient Warfare Podcast158 - The Neo-Assyrian Empire at war
Famously warlike and imperialistic, the Neo-Assyrians cut a swathe across the ancient Near East. Surviving artwork and written sources give us clues as to how…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA157 - Are there any other examples of gaining entry to a city using something like a Trojan horse?
Listener Rick wonders if there are there any other examples of gaining entry to a city using something like a Trojan horse? Or are there any other examples of…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA156 - How "useful" are the accounts of warfare as described in the Old Testament?
Jasper tackles this question from patron of the podcast Ken. How "useful" are the accounts of warfare as described in the Old Testament? I'm interested in a…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA155 - What effect did Christianity have on Roman military practices and those of their opponents?
Patron of the podcast Louis asks, what were the impacts of the introduction and subsequent spread of Christianity on the Roman military's practices and that of…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW154 - The Sacred Band with James Romm
Murray and Mark talk to James Romm about his new book The Sacred Band: Three hundred Greek lovers fighting to save Greek freedom. The Sacred Band highlights a…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA153 - How long did it take armies to prepare?
Patron of the podcast, David wonders how long it took armies to set up for a battle? Did the opposition interfere or were there rules for that? Murray ponders…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA152 - Were Philip and Alexander invincible?
The Macedonian armies of Phillip and Alexander were almost invincible, but afterwards "Macedonian" style armies seem to be more hit and miss (vs. Romans…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA151 - How did ancient leaders address their troops?
With Jasper away Murray tackles this question sent to us from patron of the podcast Kristoffer, how did ancient leaders address their troops? Why not support…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW150 - Introducing mail armour in the Roman Army
In this episode Murray, Jasper and Mark talk to Bret Devereaux. In 2020 Bret presented his paper 'Mail Armour in the Middle Republic: Adoption, Prevalence and…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA149 - What do we know about the formations and tactics of the late bronze age?
Murray answers this question from one of our patrons, Mythic Lore; 'What is known / reasonably theorised about the formations and tactics used during the late…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA148 - What was the daily life of the legion like?
Joshua, one of our patrons asks, what was day-to-day life like for the legions when they were not on campaign or actively involved in a war? Jasper tells us…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA147 - Were Holy Wars monotheistic?
Natasha asks, is there any pre-biblical examples of religious wars (if only justified by religions)? Or is "holy war" solely endorsed by a strong monotheistic…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW146 - Breakaway empires of the third century AD
'The second half of the third century AD saw Rome's military leadership embroiled in a deadly power struggle. Meanwhile, on the empire's frontiers, trouble was…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA145 - Were Philip and Alexander uniquely competent?
Murray tackles this question from Juan; It seems that Phillip/Alexander's army was almost invincible but afterwards "Macedonian" style armies seem to be a lot…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA144 - Caesar - ruthless butcher or Republican saviour?
Jasper answers this question from Dag, what's the latest vote on Caesar? A ruthless man who butchered and enslaved women and children for his personal benefit…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA143 - How did the phalanx come about?
Murray on his own this week, he takes a question from patron 'Celtic Ace' who asks how did the phalanx come about? To become a patron goto…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA142 - Where did the legionaries at Cannae come from?
The battle of Cannae was a catastrophic defeat for the Romans, but where did these legionaries come from? Jasper tells us where. Like the podcast? Why not…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW141 - Visualising War
In this episode, Jasper and Murray are joined by Dr Nicolas Wiater and Dr Alice König who lead the Visualising War project at St Andrews University. "War is a…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA140 - How did the Macedonian Phalanx deal with cavalry armies?
If cavalry attacked a Macedonian phalanx how did it react? Did the phalanx have a tactic to hold them off? Murray explains.. Like the podcast? Why not become a…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA139 - How fast could a legionary camp react to an attack?
If a roman legionary camp was attacked, how fast could it react? Jasper gives us his opinion. Like the podcast? Why not become a patron…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA138 - How did the Macedonian phalanx come about?
Murray tells us about the development of the Macedonian phalanx. Why not become at patron of the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
Ancient Warfare PodcastAW137 - The Greco-Persian Wars
In the late sixth-century BC, it became clear that the expanding Persian Empire and the Greek city states in Asia and the Aegean would soon come into…
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA136 - How did battles start?
Was there etiquette to starting a battle, or did they just happen? Murray investigates.
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA135 - Were there hard borders which stopped imperial expansion?
What were borders like in the ancient world? Were there hard borders which stopped imperial expansion? Jasper gives us his opinion.
Ancient Warfare PodcastAWA134 - Were the Theban Sacred Band trained to target officers?
Were the Theban Sacred Band trained to target officers? Murray gives us the answer.