Assyria forged one of the great empires of the ancient world. It’s war machine was virtually invincible until it was brought low by an alliance of powerful enemies. What made the Assyrian military so potent for so long? Listen to the latest episode of the Ancient Warfare podcast, “The Neo-Assyrian Empire at War,” to find out!
When he died in Babylon in 323 B.C., Alexander the Great of Macedonia had plans to continue his career of conquest, and these included Italy. The first century B.C. Roman historian Livy contemplated what might have happened had Alexander fought the Roman Republic. Livy had a strong opinion as to the outcome of a confrontation that never actually happened, and I have mine. Will you agree with my take on this extraordinary “what if?” Read my article, “Alexander in Italy, 317 BC,” in the May/June 2021 issue of Ancient Warfare magazine to find out. It’s on the shelves of bookshops now.
Third-century Rome was beset by many problems, including foreign invasions and internal rebellions. So bad did its security crisis become that huge chunks of the empire, east and west, broke off to temporarily form their own states. How and why did this happen? Why did these mini-empires ultimately fail? Find out by listening to the latest episode of Ancient Warfare podcast.
AW146 – Breakaway empires of the third century AD
The History Network has turned my script, After Cannae: Dark Days for the Roman Republic, into a podcast episode! Got about twenty-five minutes? Then listen to After Cannae and learn what happened to the Romans in the wake of one of the Republic’s greatest defeats!
The siege was a crucial element of ancient warfare. From Syracuse to Tyre to Alesia, sieges could make – and break – empires. Come and listen to the scholars of the Ancient Warfare podcast and me as we discuss this important aspect of military history in the latest episode!
Great news! My latest short story, “Eyes Unblinking,” has just seen print in Tales of Mantica: Edge of the Abyss, the Kings of War fantasy anthology out now from ZMOK Books! Please give it a look the next time you are at your local bookstore or check it out on Amazon!
Wargaming is older than you might think. If you have ever played chess, you’ve played an ancient and highly abstract wargame. Other, more recently-produced wargames are more attentive to the specifics of the battlefield, and just about every period from ancient to modern has been turned into a game of one kind or another. The question arises: How much of a “game” is a wargame supposed to be, and how much instead is it to be a simulation of actual events? That was one of the many questions that the gentlemen-scholars of the Ancient Warfare Magazine podcast and I tackled in the latest episode. Give it a listen and see if you agree with our conclusions!
The gentlemen-scholars of the Ancient Warfare Magazine podcast and I have recorded another episode, this time on the animals that ancient warriors rode into battle: the horse, the camel, and the elephant. Mounts are often overlooked, but were crucial to warfare in antiquity. Give Riding into Battle a listen and get the full story!
England and Scotland have a long history together, and it includes a number of wars stretching back to the Middle Ages. Among the most famous Anglo-Scottish battles is that of Pinkie Cleugh. Fought on September 10, 1547, it was a resounding victory for the English. Scottish losses were so heavy that it came to be known as “Black Saturday” among them. Want to read the whole story? Give my article, “Black Saturday” a look in the December issue of Military History Monthly, out now in the U.K. It will be a couple more weeks or so before it hits the shelves in North America. I hope you enjoy it!
Two of my earlier articles have been judged worthy to find their way into All About History’s Annual bookazine! The first is ‘Roman Mystery Cults’, a look at several religious cults of the ancient world that are not as well known as those dedicated to the more familiar Olympian deities. The second is ‘Hannibal Barca: Enemy of Rome.’ Yes, it really is about Hannibal of Carthage, and right again, he also did not like ancient Rome, not even a little. Look for the Annual on the magazine rack of your local bookstore if you’re in there soon.
Consolidated Pop Culture 