Ancient Warfare Podcast

It is the 1,900th anniversary of the building of Hadrian's Wall, that is if it was begun in AD 122 and not AD 119. Not only is there doubt over the year construction was started on the wall, but we also are not completely sure what its function was. As such, a good topic for the team to discuss. Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfare

Rich posed this question for Murray, 'we have a relatively good picture of what the Roman Legionary weapons and materiel manufacturing process looked like (at least for some time periods). Do we have any similar information for the Philippian/Alexandrian Macedonian army? That's a lot of 16-foot-long sarissa shafts and spear points to manufacture, and I'm curious what we know about it'. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Patron of the podcast Chris writes, 'we are told right before the great Illyrian revolt of AD 6-9, the Romans were preparing a campaign against king Maroboduus and the Marcomanni. It is said he had an army of 74,000 (70,000 infantry and 4,000 Cavalry). What do you guys think the outcome would have been of that war/campaign; would he have stood a chance resisting the roman campaign?' Murray gives us his opinion. Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Scot emailed us this question for Murray to answer; 'Certain tribal confederations, like the Franks & Saxons, typically bear "namesake" weapons (e.g. the Francisca and the Sax). Is the name of the weapon thought to be derived from the name of the confederation, or is the name of the confederation derived from the weapon?' Patreon: patreon.com/theancientwarfarpodcast

In this episode of the Ancient Warfare Magazine podcast Jasper, Murray and Myke talk to games designer Mark Backhouse about his new game Strength & Honour. The game allows you to recreate battles from the start of the Marian reforms in Rome around 105BC, when the professional Roman legionaries organised in cohorts replaced the older Republican Legion structure of maniples, through to about 200AD.

Patron of the podcast James poses this question for Murray, 'The number of Spartan soldiers declined from its high of 10,000 to less than 2,000 around its defeat by Thebes due, in part, to increasing economic concentration and the resulting decline in the number of soldiers able to pay their mess contributions. Did Spartan society recognise this decline as a problem, and were there efforts to reverse this trend? If there were, why did they fail?' Patreon: patreon.com/theancientwarfarpodcast

Murray is on his own this week. He answers this question sent in from patron of the podcast, Greg; 'How widespread was the use of Hamippoi in 5th BC Greece?' Patreon: patreon.com/theancientwarfarpodcast

Murray answers this question sent in from Christoper, 'do the sources tell us anything about the Spartan warrior Arimnestus who threw the rock that killed Mardonius? I am curious if we know if he survived the battle and if he would have been honoured for his efforts in the victory?' Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

The legion that wrested control of the Mediterranean region from Carthage and the Successor states is very familiar. But some notions have recently been challenged. Following the discussion of the Roman legion in episode 119, the Ancient Warfare team returns to the topic with this episode looking at issue XV.4 of the magazine. Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Patron of the podcast Lubos asks, 'Why was the greek phalanx so ineffective against the Romans? Were they just obsolete or just that the Greek generals didn't evolve their tactics and formations to counter roman maniples?' Murray gives us his opinion. Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Sparked by current events in the work patron of the podcast Carlos asks 'what steps did ancient commanders do to ensure that their army's logistics were in order?' Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray is still in New Zealand but has found the time to answer this question from patron of the podcast Chris. 'How much do we trust Homer? Are there good examples of corroborating accounts that give us the means to verify or put his missives in context?' Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray is on holiday in New Zealand, but while on his travels he has found the time to answer this question from Christopher. 'Do we have any indication as to what Epaminondas of Thebes looked like? He was a fantastic general and I find it strange that we have not found any statues or busts that portray him. Is it because Alexander razed Thebes to the ground?" Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

We were due to look at the latest issue of the magazine Rise of the Legion pt.II. As the issue has only just been released, we thought we would save the discussion on that topic for the next full episode of the podcast in May. In the meantime, Myke suggested the team discuss commanders as tactical units and whether they participated in the fighting, or command from behind the lines? Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Murray tackles this question from Jorn Schneider, 'How did generals plan campaigns and how did armies find out where to go without maps?'

Murray is once more without Jasper but give us his opinion on what he thinks mattered most in Ancient Warfare. Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 sources are in agreement with an event happening, be it a battle or an event during a battle, etc. but you call foul - never happened - and vice versa.' Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 listener. What do you think was the most important factor in ancient warfare?

Anne asks 'how did ancient armies and generals inspire (coerce?) loyalty among the troops?' Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 firepower discipline and mobility of the horse archer nomad armies?' Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 where it didn't happen!). Also, we see examples of espionage and intel via xenoi relationships in the Greek world. But how much did we see what we might recognise as military intelligence, and how dependant was it on the personality of a commander?' Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

We regularly receive emails for Jasper and Murray with suggestions for Ancient Warfare Answers. Greg asked 'what have been the biggest developments or changes in the past 15-20 years in our understanding of ancient warfare?' It is too good of a question for just Murray and Jasper, so in this episode of the Ancient Warfare Magazine podcast Greg's question is put to the team. Patreon:patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 warfare?' Murray is on his own and tackles this one. Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 whatever reason? Patreon: patreon.com/anceintwarfarepodcast

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 old? How much of it was true strength and how much of it was fearsome reputation? How unique were these 'old' veterans in ancient warfare? Patreon: patreon.com/anceintwarfarepodcast

'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 actual history?' The Ancient Warfare podcast team discuss the latest issue of the magazine X.3 Warfare in the Age of Homer. Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 the podcast. Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 book out Bar Kokhba: The Jew Who Defied Hadrian and Challenged the Might of Rome. Lindsay is joined by Jasper and Marc to discuss his new book. Patreon: Patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 support the podcast: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 recruitment, e.g. *Legio IX Hispana*, *Cohors Germanorum*, and so on. I was wondering if we have anything similar for the Hellenistic/Successor period. Outside of names that were originally geographic but likely became generic terms for a certain type of unit (Cretan archers and Tarantine cavalry), do we know of any specific recruiting grounds for the innumerable phalangites, thureophoroi, etc. who fought for the Diadochoi? Find us on patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 take the combined effort of nine legions to quell. The Ancient Warfare Magazine team fields listeners questions. Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 and shield swapped out with blue. Did Marines fight, and were they equipped the same as a regular legionary soldier? Did they participate in land battles and were they seen as inferior or superior to the regular army? Did they have the same terms of service as their land bases counterparts? Find us on patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 of facing elephants? Was this reflective of poor morale?' Find us on patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 practically in the fields or on the seas? Did the Romans have wargames exercises to counter barbarian armies or Persian fleets? On the armchair side watching 'I Claudius' episode 1 there Augustus is playing a board game he calls 'Empire' with Agrippa's two young sons. I expect this is just a story telling invention of the author or TV adaptation, but is there any basis for such a wargame simulator having existed in Rome or other nation?' Find us on patreon:patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 the podcast. Patreon: Patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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: Patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 Bronze Lie' explores the Spartans' arms and armour, tactics and strategy, the personalities of commanders and the common soldiery alike. It looks at the major battles, with a special focus on previously under-publicized Spartan reverses that have been left largely unexamined. The result is a refreshingly honest and accurate account of Spartan warfare.

We got this question from Nathan, 'who were the Thureophoroi, where were they from and how did they fight?' Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast Find the magazine at: karwansaraypublishers.com/ancient-warfare-magazine

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!' Murray gives us his thoughts. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast Find the magazine at: https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/ancient-warfare-magazine

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 pliant slave?' Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

'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 troops for special operations.' The Ancient Warfare team consider Ancient Warfare Magazine XV.1 which focuses on Special Operations in antiquity. Find us a patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

Patron of the podcast Joshua asks 'I often read about certain battles, sieges, or encounters being influenced through psychological warfare. How effective was psychological warfare in the ancient world? What were the most effective methods?' Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 Marathon, travelling around 150kms in 3 days- is this a record?'. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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 feature ancient warfare. Subscribe to the magazine: https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/ancient-warfare-magazine Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast Books Mentioned:Banner, James M. The Ever-Changing Past Breem, Wallace. Eagle in the Snow Davis, Lindsay. The Falco Series https://www.lindseydavis.co.uk/publications/ Duggan, Alfred. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Duggan Cameron, Christian. The Tyrant Series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Cameron Graves, Robert. I, Claudius Graves, Robert. Claudius the God Graves, Robert. Count Belisarius Harris, Robert. The Cicero Trilogy: Imperium Harris, Robert. The Cicero Trilogy: Lustrum Harris, Robert. The Cicero Trilogy: Dictator Haynes, Natalie. A Thousand Ships Haynes, Natalie. The Children of Jocasta https://nataliehaynes.com Holland, Tom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Holland_(author) Homer. The Illiad Homer. The Odyssey Keegan, John. The Face of Battle McCullough, Colleen. The First Man in Rome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleen_McCullough Miller, Madeline. The Song of Achilles Moorhead, Sam. Stutard, David. The Romans who Shaped Britain Pressfield, Steven. Tides of War https://stevenpressfield.com Renault, Mary. The Alexander Trilogy: Fire from Heaven Renault, Mary. The Alexander Trilogy: The Persian Boy Renault, Mary. The Alexander Trilogy: Funeral Games Sidebottom, Harry. https://www.harrysidebottom.co.uk Sutcliff, Rosemary. Eagle of the Ninth Vidal, Gore. Julian Vidal, Gore. Creation Yourcenar, Marguerite. Memoirs of Hadrian

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 his opinion. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast Ancient Warfare Magazine: https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/ancient-warfare-magazine

Could Hannibal have won the second punic war? Jasper is busy putting the magazine together so Murray gives us his opinion. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast Ancient Warfare Magazine: https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/ancient-warfare-magazine

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 gunpowder age, but I can't imagine worse luck than being a Roman at Cannae. Low chance of survival, no matter your martial skill. Thoughts?' Jasper is busy this week so Murray is flying solo. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast Ancient Warfare Magazine: https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/ancient-warfare-magazine

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 elsewhere in the ancient world?' Murray answers this one. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast Ancient Warfare Magazine: https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/ancient-warfare-magazine