Ancient Warfare Podcast

After recently rereading Thucydides, GC asks, "Fire-signals of an attack were also raised towards Thebes; but the Plataeans in the town at once displayed a number of others, prepared beforehand for this very purpose, in order to render the enemy's signals unintelligible." I would have imagined that a fire signal was quite simple, fire or no fire. This implies much greater sophistication. What is known about this?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

In this week's Any Warfare Answers, Murray answers this question sent in by Jamie. 'The rest of the guys on the podcast all have their areas of expertise and are each an expert in a different, very specific aspect of ancient history, whereas you seem to have a grasp of all of it. How did you become such a generalist?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Kyle asks, 'What was the mechanism that Carthage (or really any ancient power) used to recruit mercenaries? Were there people whose job it was to travel Gaul, Iberia, Greece, etc., recruiting, or was the sending of mercenaries part of political negations?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Something slightly different for this episode of the Ancient Warfare podcast. Regular of the podcast Marc De Santis talks to Murray about his work, focusing on the books Murray has written for Osprey, specifically his four books for the Combat Series. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

In this episode, Murray muses on a question sent in by Nathan asking if, in the ancient world, there was some sort of volley fire such as we see in the 19th century with ranks of infantry. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Andy has been listening to rival podcasts as points out that 'the term assassin does not turn up until after the crusades. My understanding is there were plenty of assassinations before this. What term did the Romans use? Where these people specially trained?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Curt asks Murray, 'did Alexander The Great's army introduce Pankration to India? If so could Pankration have contributed to the future expansion of martial arts from India to China & other Asian countries?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Jasper, the editor of Ancient Warfare Magazine, asked on social media what themes readers felt the magazine had not covered but should or themes it should revisit. The team look at what suggestions were sent in and give some thoughts of their own. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Jacob wonders, 'if field artillery was ever used against a Macedonian-style phalanx? If not, why not? The close formation and immobility of the phalanx would leave it extremely susceptible to scorpion, ballista, etc fire.' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Carlos asks, 'in the current war in Ukraine, we've seen Ukrainian soldiers write insulting messages and trolling ones on artillery shells before firing them at Russian forces. Did a similar practice exist in the ancient Mediterranean world with soldiers writing insults and or the use of verbal insults.' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Wyton asks, 'During the republic, what were the Romans Italian allies armed with, and how did they fight? As legionaries or some other method?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

'Even before the empire split into two separate halves, the Augusti in the East had to contend with devastating Gothic raids and near-constant wars with the Sasanian Empire.' The team discuss issue XVI.3 of the magazine Goths, Sasanids and Romans: The Roman Empire in the East at bay. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Robert asks, 'Why javelins? It seems that a bow would be a much better weapon for a skirmish in the ancient world, but it seems that javeLin armed light troops may have been the most common type in Europe. Additionally, if using javelins, why not an atlatl to throw them with? This would make a difference in hitting a target, but one has to believe that range would be an important factor while skirmishing.' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

'Is there today or has there been anyone trying to conduct larger-scale experimental archaeology to try and answer some of the common questions about certain infantry tactics/tropes such as the othismos and open vs closed order legions?' Murray tells us about experimental archaeology. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Alex asks, 'When is the last documented evidence of one of the original Roman Legions being in existence? I remember reading about Legio V Macedonica being based in Egypt just before the Arab Conquests in the 640s, but I am unsure if this is factually correct'. Murray lists us the last documented evidence for the Legions. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray talks with Roel Konijnendijk about his recent work on 19th-century German language scholars and how they laid the foundations of much of the 20th century's understanding of Classical Greek warfare. Giants like Moltke, Delbrück, Kochly and Rustow's foundations were, however, based on 19th-century understandings of how war worked, and their views (rightfully) have been challenged. This only began in earnest in the late 20th century, and overcoming the dominance of these 19th-century thinkers is still a mountain to climb.

Curt wonders why did Alexander the Great not look westwards, starting with Rome during his conquests? There are a lot of 'what if's' here for Murray to deal with. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Samuel points out that Xenophon makes reference to the Sciritai as part of the Spartan army foray into Boeotia during the mid-370s). And the sources are a bit patchy. He asks do we know/can we infer anything about the Sciritai? How did they fit into Spartan society as a whole? What roles did they perform within the Spartan army (on and off the battlefield)? How were they armed? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Mark, one of our patrons, wonders if Murray sees a place for AI in helping to translate ancient manuscripts. Could AI step up to help with this and help sort and categorise through keywords, names, etc. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Listener Andy Shaw wonders why the sarissa 'seems to fall out of use between the two periods even though protecting infantry from cavalry remains a consistent problem across ancient and medieval warfare'? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray gives this thought on this question sent in, 'is the supposed decline in the quality of Hellenistic cavalry true or is that exaggeration with Hellenistic cavalry remaining elite well into the conquest of said Hellenistic kingdoms by the Romans?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

When did the phalanx become the fully-developed formation we imagine? In this issue of Ancient Warfare, we explore the various changes and developments in the seventh through fifth centuries BC that eventually led to the emergence of the 'Classical' Greek hoplite. The Ancient Warfare team discuss issue XVI.2 of the magazine, The coming of the Hoplite: Shields, spears and shining bronze. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray ponders why Macedonian casualty figures were low and how enemy casualty figures might have been calculated. Did someone go around counting all the dead Persian bodies, or did Macedonian soldiers get to estimate how many Persians they had killed? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Following his last question from Murray a few weeks ago, Andy asks, 'the question I've always wondered is why it seems to fall out of use between the two periods even though protecting infantry from cavalry remains a consistent problem across ancient and medieval warfare'? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

"Alexander's Companion cavalry seemed to be the premier cavalry of its age, and was instrumental in the battles against the Persian empire. Why is it then, under the Successor Kingdoms' Generals, that they faired so poorly when confronting the inferior Roman cavalry? Was it due to the lack of Alexander himself, poor training, or just the professionalism of the Roman Legion?" Murray gives us his thoughts... Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Imperium Romanum is a YouTube channel dedicated to bringing history to life, with documentaries looking at everything Ancient Rome; from the army and military equipment to politics, religion, culture, lifestyle and much more. In this episode, Jasper, Murray and Marc are joined by Marc from Imperium Romanum to talk about what they do. If you want to enter the competition for a copy of Myke Cole's The Bronze Lie, you need to email [email protected] with you 25 words on what you enjoy about the magazine. The competition closes on 28 February 2023. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

An interesting 'what if' quest from Jeff, who asks Murray for his thoughts on 'what if the Roman Empire had never fallen and was still around today, what would the world look like? And what do you think a modern Roman Empire would be like?" Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Brendon asks why the Macedonian phalanx at the Battles of Issues and Gaugamela suffered such a low casualty rate from arrows fired by archers? Murray gives us his opinion. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Tony sent this in for Murray to think about, 'can you tell us anything about the difference in style of combat when comparing late medieval pike vs ancient Sarissa?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

One man's pirate is another's daring raider, and the boundary between warrior and pirate can be equally nebulous. Piracy is an age-old problem without a simple solution. The team discuss issue XVI.1 of the Ancient Warfare magazine Piracy and Raids: Robbers on the Mediterranean. Find us on Patreon: patrion.com/ancientwarfarepodcast Subscribe to Ancient Warfare Magazine: ancient-warfare.com

Mason sent in a question a few weeks ago, and here he is again with another for Murray.'If Romans were fighting and happened to get surrounded, did they have a formation for that? Did the back line and sides turn around and form a square?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

'How did the Romans keep track of who actually completed their years of service? What's to stop you from deserting and showing up to claim your pension unfairly? Presumably, this could be tricky in an empire of mostly illiterate people from all over the known world without government driver's licenses or passports'. Murray gives us his thoughts... Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray answers a question from a 12-year-old fan from Italy, Greg - How many casualties were there really at Magnesia? The Roman sources say 53,000 for the Seleucids and only 350 Romans died. Is This true? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Mason sent this question in for Murray to muse over, 'how did the language differences of auxiliary units affect armies on campaign or during battle? Were there any particular Roman generals who were multilingual'. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

In response to an email from David in New York, Murray explains siege mining in the ancient world. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray answers this question from Pascal, 'could you serve as a soldier, officer or even a consul despite some form of physical handicap during the roman republic?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

With the holiday season almost upon us, the Ancient Warfare Magazine team discuss new books released in 2022, old and new documentaries that are now available on streaming services and throw in a couple of audiobook suggestions for good measure! Links (not quite a comprehensive list of all the media mentioned in the show) Books Adrienne Mayor, Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Unconventional Warfare in the Ancient World (2022) Conor Whately, A Sensory History of Ancient Warfare: Reconstructing the Physical Experience of War in the Classical World (2022) Murray Dahm, Hunnic Warrior vs Late Roman Cavalryman: Attila's Wars AD 440–53 (2022) Josiah Osgood, Uncommon Wrath: How Caesar and Cato's Deadly Rivalry Destroyed the Roman Republic (2022) MC Bishop, Roman Plate Armour (2022) Peter Stothard, Crassus: The First Tycoon (2022) Raffaele D'Amato, Post-Roman Kingdoms: 'Dark Ages' Gaul & Britain, AD 450–800 (2023) Raffaele D'Amato, Roman Army Units in the Eastern Provinces (2): 3rd Century AD (2022) William Horsted, British Celtic Warrior vs Roman Soldier: Britannia AD 43–105 (2022) Audiobooks Stephen Fry, Troy: The Siege of Troy Retold Tony Robinson, Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of them All Film & TV Barbarians (2020 - ) In search of the Trojan War (1985) In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (1998) On Hannibal's Trail (2010) Secrets of the Dead (2000 - ) Spartacus (1960) Scipione l'africano (1937) Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray got this question from Jonathan via email 'I read about Caesar bridging of the Rhine, is that how armies bridged rivers after him, following his example, what about before him?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Bill sent Murray this question, 'how long was the Macedonian Sarissa? I've read a lot about 20' and sometimes longer'. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Jonathan sent this question directly to Murray 'What was the standard depth of a hoplite line? I see eight mentioned all the time – were there any others?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Jasper and Murray are joined by Julien Blurel, the brains behind the Invicta YouTube channel. In the latest episode, Invicta demonstrates the true size of a Roman legion. This is the first of their new 'true size' series, which aims to bring history to life in 3D using the Unreal Engine. True Size of the Roman Legion really puts into context the Roman army camp, the Legion on the march and the Roman army order of battle. You can find it here. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Patron of the podcast Seanbob sent in this question for Murray to mull over, 'what is up with foreskin collection? I know Ramses wrote on walls about the stacks of foreskins he collected from the sea peoples, and David bought his wife with foreskins (1 Samuel 18:27). So what is the deal? Was circumcisions popular in some cultures and not others? Why not the whole penis? What did they do with them after they stacked them? Some sort of trophy? Like a deer rack on your Grandpa's wall? It is one thing to like dicks, it is strange to collect foreskins. What is the deal?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

What happened to all the gear and supplies after a big battle? What did people tend to salvage? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

'Philip II of Macedonia inherited a fragile kingdom under pressure. He absorbed the lessons from his childhood and turned it into a military powerhouse.' The team discuss the latest issue of the magazine XV.6 Macedonia Rising: The volatile life of King Phillip II. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

How did armies get or store potable water while on campaign? Murray has the answer... Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray, once more on his own, discusses what, in his opinion, is a useful analogy for talking about ancient warfare. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Bryan sent us in this question,'what are some documented cases where the victorious/conquering forces held a deep respect for their defeated foe or for the manner in which their foe fought even though they were ultimately defeated?' Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Bruce emailed us this question, what do the columns (Trajan, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius) tell us about the wars depicted? Are they reliable narratives? Narratives at all? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Andrew emailed us this question for Murray to answer, why did generals write back to the senate about what they had done? Was that account trustworthy – and how can we tell? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

We are between issues of the magazine, but Murray suggested the team discuss who is our favourite military author or ancient source. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast