Podcast Episodes

AWA378 - Did the Persians Really Use Cats at the Battle of Pelusium?

Episode 378

Augusto from Argentina asks: “How reliable is Polyaenus’ account of the Persians using cats—or images of cats—against the Egyptians at Pelusium? Is there any truth to the story, or is it just legend?…

Published on 12 hours ago

AWA377 - How Much Do We Really Know About the Bacaudae?

Episode 377

A listener on YouTube asks: “How much do we really know about the Bacaudae, and how important were they in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire?” Murray takes a closer look at these enigmatic reb…

Published on 1 week ago

Are there any sources for the chariot driver actually exiting the chariot before contact?

Episode 376

In this episode, Murray Dahm revisits Alexander’s encounter with scythed chariots and unpacks some of the practical and tactical issues surrounding their historical use. From wargaming figure ratios …

Published on 2 weeks ago

What was the relationship between Korybantic/Kouretic dances and ancient warfare?

Episode 375

In this episode of Ancient Warfare Answers, Murray Dahm explores the link between the Korybantic and Kouretic dances and the ancient warrior tradition. Unlike the more familiar Pyrrhic dance—used as …

Published on 3 weeks ago

Which Battle Would You Witness?

Episode 374

In this episode, we explore the ultimate “time travel” question: if you could witness any battle in history, which one would you choose?

We focus on a handful of iconic clashes, including Pharsalus, …

Published on 4 weeks ago

Greek phalanx vs. Germanic shield wall: how different were they?

Episode 373

In this episode of the Ancient Warfare Podcast, Murray tackles a question from Jörn: How different are an ancient Greek city-state’s hoplite phalanx and a Germanic shield wall? While separated by cen…

Published on 1 month ago

Were ancient armies ever at full strength?

Episode 372

In this episode of the Ancient Warfare Podcast, Murray answers a question from Marc about the actual size of ancient military units. Modern sources often quote full-strength numbers for legions and c…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Do we know anything about ancient soldiers dice games?

Episode 371

In this episode of the Ancient Warfare Podcast, Murray answers a listener’s question about games of chance in the ancient world. Did soldiers pass the time with dice games or gambling, much like thos…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Battles of the Bronze Age

Episode 369

'With the emergence of the first city-states came the first cases of organised warfare and campaigns of conquest, as well as developments in arms and armour.'

In this episode, the team discusses issu…

Published on 2 months ago

What happened to the Hastati, Principes, and Triarii?

Episode 368

In this episode of the Ancient Warfare Podcast, Murray answers a question from @tadejtomic1943: Why and when did the distinctions between Hastati, Principes, and Triarii disappear from the Roman Repu…

Published on 2 months, 1 week ago