In this episode, Murray takes on a question that's been asked before — but this time, he's invited to share his personal opinion:

"OK... so it's been asked before in a general sense and the official answer is... we don't know! But Murray... in your own opinion, what's your best guess as to why slingers go away? Please speculate!"

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In this episode, Murray addresses a fascinating and complex listener question concerning the famous scythed chariots used at the Battle of Gaugamela:

"Dear Murray, I have a question on the scythed chariots at Gaugamela. I developed and played a wargame scenario on it, and these things have become a true enigma. The problem is the number of chariots, the frontage they could cover in relation to the phalanx, and how agile the phalanx would need to be to let them through harmlessly..."

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"From the simple cap to the most intricately-wrought and elaborately-decorated royal example, the humble helmet could do much more than just protect its bearer's head."

For this episode of the Ancient Warfare Magazine podcast, the team discusses helmets in the Ancient World, issue 102 of the magazine.

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In this episode, Murray tackles a listener question sent in by postcard from Damien in Tasmania:

"Hi Murray, I love the magazine and the podcasts. My question is: Is there any evidence for a standard padded garment, worn under armour, in non-Roman armies (the equivalent of a subarmalis)? Or may it be assumed to be an individual choice? Cheers, Damien."

Murray explores the evidence—or lack of it—for padded under-armour garments across various ancient armies outside of the Roman world.

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In this episode, Murray Dahm tackles a listener question about the best translators for classical texts like Herodotus's Histories. Are modern versions better? What's the deal with Penguin's Aubrey de Sélincourt vs. Tom Holland's more recent take?

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Matt from North Carolina writes 'Can you explain and describe what an oblique phalanx is and how it was used in war by Alexander the Great?'

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Ralph Kirby challenges Murray with an intriguing question: could the Polybolas be considered the least influential weapon on the ancient battlefield? Used by both the Successor Macedonian states and Rome, Kirby argues that the Polybolas might have even replaced the Scorpio as a legionary siege weapon.

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In this episode of the Ancient Warfare Magazine Podcast, the team explores groundbreaking archaeological discoveries from 2025 that are reshaping our understanding of ancient conflicts. From mass graves to reinterpreted royal tombs, these finds illuminate the strategies, societies, and struggles of the past.

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In more modern battles, small farm compounds like La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont played pivotal roles in the fighting. But in ancient warfare, we rarely see small villas or farmsteads having a similar impact on battles. Why is that? Were these features less significant in ancient combat, or are there examples where small built-up areas shaped the course of battle? Join Murray Dahm as he tackles this intriguing question on Ancient Warfare Answers!

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Long-time listener Uygar sent this in. "why did ancient armies, especially Greek phalanx-heavy ones, have relatively few ranged units like archers and slingers compared to line infantry? How did an ancient army determine the right number of ranged units for their army? And did the ranged units fight in a scattered manner in between the formations of the heavier line infantry rather than in rigid formations?'

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