Ancient Warfare Podcast

@martcorn asks, "I'd like to know whether there were any 'British' legions." I'm thinking of the famous Spanish legions like the tenth. Was there any equivalent?"

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Why does the Roman gladius have so little protection for the hand compared with many later swords?

In this episode, Murray answers a listener question about one of the most distinctive features of the Roman sword. Medieval swords often feature substantial guards designed to protect the hand, yet the gladius has only a relatively small guard. Why?

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Stratagems is the theme of the next issue of Ancient Warfare Magazine. The panel share their favourite stratagems from ancient warfare.

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What happened to the Dacians after Trajan's conquest of Dacia, and did some of them really end up serving in Roman Britain?

In this episode, Murray answers a listener question about the Dacian presence in Britain. Following Trajan's conquest of Dacia in AD 106, Dacian soldiers were recruited into the Roman auxiliary forces, and some Dacian units were subsequently stationed on the fringes of the Empire, including in Britain.

But what can the evidence tell us about these soldiers?

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Roman legionaries of the late Republic and early Principate are often depicted wearing chain mail, but just how was enough armour produced to equip the vast armies of Rome?

In this episode, Murray tackles a listener question about the manufacture and supply of Roman armour. Chain mail was extremely labour intensive to produce, so where were the workshops that made it, and who were the craftsmen responsible for supplying the legions?

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Jon asks "Hi Murray! Regarding command and control of units during battle through trumpets, drums and similar methods of audible communication, a question I've often wondered is if there are any instances in the historical record of: 1. Employing a form of COMINT by 'intercepting' (hearing) the enemy communications, and using that information to alter your forces actions? Were there any attempts to keep the signals secret, or change them to avoid this? 2. Employing a form of military deception by issuing false or confusing signals mimicking the enemy signals (sounding the enemy's retreat or halt signals for example) 3. If "Jamming" was possible by attempting to drown out the horns/drums by making even more noise; And lastly 4: If there was any targeting of enemy C2 by deliberately seeking to use ranged weapons surgically against signallers? Thanks so much for answering the last question too, hopefully I'll get around to that post card one day! Cheers, J"

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Murray chats with Robert L. O'Connell about his new book 'Band on the Run' from Simon & Schuster (2026), which explores the March of the 10,000 and Xenophon's Anabasis.

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A second letter from James (in response to Murray answering his first!) James asks about ancient sieges - in particular, how Tyre fell to Alexander in 322 BC, and he also asks what Murray's favourite sieges are. Murray obliges with an overtime rant!

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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."

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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?"

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