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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

In the past few months, Moscow has used the Wagner Group as the centerpiece in recent military operations in Ukraine. This is very different from how Wagner has been used in Africa. Why is Putin giving a quasi-mercenary organization such a central and visible role in its war with Ukraine? There could be different reasons, each of which present adva…

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 Anci…

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

The difference between war and terrorism is that war is, in theory, governed by international law, whereas terrorism is criminal in nature and execution. So where does that leave the use of mercenaries in modern warfare, and particularly the infamous Wagner Group? Are they terrorists? Are they legitimate combatants? Are they both or something else?…

'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... …

If there is one thing that pacifists and generals agree on, it is that war is terrible. The dictionary definition of terrible is “causing terror.” If war, by its very nature, causes terror, then what is the difference between war and terrorism? I explore that in this episode, leading up to the next episode, where I will apply this information to th…

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

What if I told you that neither Total War or Limited War reflect reality? Further that the West's concept of limited war only limits the ability of states to achieve the only acceptable goal of any war? For further reading: Stoker, Donald, Why America Loses Wars: Limited War and US Strategy from the Korean War to the present, ISBN978-1-009-22086-6 …

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, Gree…

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

With the current war in Ukraine, it may seem obvious that conventional war is still important. But less than a year ago, many prominent military experts said otherwise. Some writers and opinion leaders still maintain that the current conflict is an exception, an aberration, and focusing on conventional war, or traditional warfare does not prepare u…

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 Ro…

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? Wh…

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

Twitter and You Tube can present an inaccurate picture of modern warfare. In the previous Podcast, I described how the tank continues to be relevant on the modern battlefield, despite social media images. This same social media depicts Combat aviation of all varieties falling from the sky on a daily basis, without apparent battlefield effect. Col. …

'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