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Ancient Warfare Podcast

The History Network

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.

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#424
Friday · 10 min
AWA424 - How did ancient artillery suppress defenders during sieges?
Demetrios asks, "Hello Mr. Dahm, Regarding ancient artillery, in certain cases such as Josephus' account of the siege of Jotapata during the Jewish Revolt, artillery seems to be very effective in suppressing the defenders and in a sort of anti-personnel role. Due to the slow firing torsion engines of the time, how was this possible? Wouldn't a much higher rate of fire be necessary for such a role? Additionally, were artillery crewmen seen as civilian or military personnel by commanders and how were artillerymen recruited and trained? Thank you again for running AWA, it is wonderful to listen to." Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#423
August 21 · 14 min
AWA423 - How were auxiliary forces managed?
Tom asks: "Sorry for this stupid question. I have read a lot of the red Loeb, but never understood how the Auxiliary forces were managed. By Roman officers, or were they independent?" Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#422
August 14 · 44 min
AW422 - The Battle of Gaugamela
'After capturing the Mediterranean ports, and having been welcomed as a god in Egypt, Alexander turned east again, aiming to defeat Darius once and for all.' In this episode of the podcast, the Ancient Warfare Magazine team discuss issue 108, 'Alexander Ascendant: The Battle of Gaugamela'. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#421
August 7 · 11 min
AWA421 - Did legionaries and auxiliaries have to bribe their way into the Roman army?
The second part of Carlos' question from a few episodes ago: "Second, somewhere in an old issue of AWM I have read (but I cannot find it again) that, to become a legionary, recruits needed to buy their way, and that the required payment (bribe?) was lower if you joined the auxiliaries instead. This was surprising, because I also read about a signing bonus (viaticum) by the second century. The article I remember discussed a poor Roman citizen who joined the auxilia rather than the legions because it was cheaper. What do we know about these payments? If they existed, they would take away some of the arguments that the auxilia were not anymore attractive after the Constitutio Antoniniana because everybody was a citizen: poor citizens might simply not have been able to afford the legions." Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#420
July 31 · 11 min
AWA420 - What were Roman walls for?
Russ asks, "I don't know what it is called, but at a certain point ( or a certain number of points) in time, Rome decided to build walls to defend their empire. Most famous, of course, is Hadrian's Wall. But of course they are many more, such as the Antonine Wall, Walls of Lugo, Aurelian's Wall and Londinium Walls, to name a few. These walls were constructed differently and had different purposes. Anyway, were the Walls revolutionary? Or something else?" Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#419
July 24 · 14 min
AWA419 - Who is the better general: Thrasybulus or Demosthenes (or Brasidas)?
Jay asks "Murray, I really enjoyed your podcast about Demosthenes being one of the first generals to have a dedicated flank attack. I have always thought Demosthenes was criminally underrated among historians, because Thucydides writes about quite a few clever tactics of his. Likewise, I think Thrasybulus is another underrated commander as Athens' "last gasp" to preserve their democracy. Yet most casual history enthusiasts have probably never heard of either, while mainly focusing on Alcibiades and Pericles. If you could only pick one, which of the two do you think deserves more praise and recognition among historians?" Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#418
July 17 · 12 min
AWA418 - What did legionaries drink on campaign?
Dan asks "May I submit an awa for uncle Murray here? What did legionaries drink on campaign? Aside from the obvious water and wine. Did they have flavoured cordials or plain water? Did they start their day with a hot drink and end with something cold, like we drink coffee and beer? Do we know of water rations, and can we infer if the legions were particularly hydrated or not?" Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#417
July 10 · 54 min
AW417 - The Evolution of Tactics
How did tactics evolve in the ancient world? In this episode of the Ancient Warfare Podcast, the team explores how battlefield tactics developed over time, from the rigid formations of early armies to the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by some of history's greatest commanders. They discuss the factors that drove tactical innovation, the influence of new weapons and troop types, and whether ancient generals were truly revolutionary or simply adapted to changing circumstances.
#416
July 3 · 8 min
AWA416 - What evidence is there for striped Egyptian headwear?
A comment exchange on FB led to today's question. Commenting on a cover of an issue of Ancient Warfare Magazine, Michael asked, "I still don't know what evidence there is for the striped headwear. Is it a trope?" Jeffrey replied, "Now I am curious too. Maybe a topic for Ancient Warfare Answers Podcast to answer:" Ask, and you shall receive. Murray explores.
#415
June 26 · 10 min
AWA415 - Why did the Romans completely abandon the spear in favour of the pilum?
Seth tracked Murray down via Facebook Messenger and asked: "Hi Murray, really appreciate your AWA podcast, great short bursts of knowledge. One question that bugs me about legionaries. Why did the Romans completely abandon the spear in favour of the pilum? Does it function effectively as a thrusting weapon as well as a thrown weapon? If you have a space for a two-for, do you have time to talk about the comparative effectiveness of slings vs bows in the classical world? When did slings drop out of use in organised warfare? That's probably three, but you've made the mistake of being highly accessible and willing to take a crack at all sorts of topics." Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#414
June 19 · 14 min
AWA414 - Did legionaries need to be 1.80 metres tall?
Carlos writes: "Hi Murray, Even though I've been an AWM subscriber for long, I only recently started listening to the podcast. I love the AWA episodes, and the regular group podcasts too. I have a two-part question for AWA. First, I have read in various places that there were certain requirements to be admitted as a legionary in the Army of the Principate. For example, I've read in a popular magazine (not AWM!) that legionaries needed to be at least 1.80 m tall. This sounds difficult to believe. I have also often read that all legionaries needed to be able to read and write. This sounds more believable as a declaration of intentions, but it seems unlikely that it could actually be enforced. What were the actual requirements, other than being a Roman citizen, in the Principate?" Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#413
June 12 · 45 min
AW413 - Early Campaigns in Germania
'When Germanic warbands crossed the Rhine in 17 BC, they set in motion a turbulent series of Roman campaigns into Germania that spanned three decades.' In this episode of the podcast, the team discusses AW107, Rome Crosses the Rhine: Early Campaigns in Germania. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#412
June 5 · 11 min
AWA412 - Were Cretan archers better than other archers?
Following on from Murray discussion of Athenian Archers in AWA 397, Tim asks "It would be interesting to hear of the effectiveness of the archers. In wargaming, Cretan archers are usually considered as better than other archers, similar to Belearic slingers. Was this actually true or just a wargaming tradition?" Murray investigates Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#411
May 29 · 13 min
AWA411 - How did the Huns dress for war?
Jack asks: "Hi Murray Do we have enough information to actually describe how the Huns were dressed for war? Did they look much the same as the Goths or other migration era peoples? Is it a misconception to think they looked anything like the later Mongols? Did they go in for bright or rich fabrics in their panoply, like other Warrior cultures? I've heard that they were keen to get their hands on silk fabric, did they then wear this into battle? Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#410
May 22 · 11 min
AWA410 - What role and status did trumpeters have in warfare?
Here is an AWA from Brie: "Besides communicating orders and psychological warfare, what role and status did trumpeters have in warfare? Did they have sidearms like musicians of early modern warfare? The Gallic carnyx is of particular interest to me in this regard." This is probably in regard to the exciting carnyx found in Thetford, Norfolk in early 2026, only the third found in Britain. With it were a boar standard and several shield bosses. Murray discusses them all. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#409
May 15 · 11 min
AWA409 - What did the Constitutio Antoniniana mean for the Roman auxilia?
Carlos, an economics professor (!), asks: Hi Murray, I am a long-time AWM subscriber, born in Hispania, working in Britannia, and mostly living in Raetia. Love the podcast. My question is this. With the Constitutio Antoniniana, all young men within the Imperium became citizens and could enlist in the legions instead of the auxilia. Hence, the auxilia presumably attracted less recruits. With Diocletian's reforms, whatever remained of the auxilia was absorbed into a fully new structure with limitanei, comitatenses, and auxilia palatina, the latter being elite. This suggests that the distinction between legions and auxilia might had become fuzzy at that point, else one could just have assigned the auxilia to the borders. What do we know about the evolution of the auxilia from the Constitutio Antoniniana to Diocletian's reforms? Were they still around, with named units slowly vanishing for lack of recruits, or did they become something else by enlisting non-citizens? Did they become part of a wild mixture of units with all-barbarian numeri in the chaos of the third century and its many revolts? Surely, at the very least, Tacitus' old statement that auxiliaries and legionaries were roughly equal in number is no longer valid for the third century? Murray Investigates. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#408
May 8 · 47 min
AW408 - Why Germania?
AW issue 107 on Augustus' German campaigns is in the last stages of preparation so the panel thought it would be a good idea to lay the ground work in preparation for next month's podcast on issue 107. So, tonight we're discussing 'Why Germany' and the opening up of the Rhine frontier as a place for future campaigns, from the Cimbri and Teutones and Caesar onwards down yo the time of Augustus.
#407
May 1 · 10 min
AWA407 - War Pigs Revisited
Following on from an earlier episode on War Pigs, Murray digs deeper into the imagery of pigs and boars in Roman military history. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#406
April 24 · 14 min
AWA406 - What army did Alexander Molossus have in his Italian campaigns?
tadejtomic1943 asks, "Hi Murray, what was the army composition. How many men did it have. Was that the first time the Macedonian Phalanx operated and fought in Italy?What was Alexander Molossus' ultimate goal in Italy? Thanks!" Murray goes on a deep dive to discover the answers. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast
#405
April 17 · 9 min
AWA405 - We got a fan letter!
James from California has taken the time to write a fan letter to Ancient Warfare Answers! This is much appreciated! Murray muses over James' letter (which was into response to the die is cast but, as always, leads down much more widespread paths. Join us on Patreon patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast

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