Battle of the Metaurus: Nero saves Rome
The Carthaginians made many mistakes during their ill-fated Punic Wars with Rome. In the first two, they fought wars of attrition against the most stubborn…
Romans in China: The Lost Legions of Carrhae
The Romans in the first century BCE were perhaps the most growing empires around. Though the civil wars of Caesar and Pompey, and Octavian and…
Mithridates the Poisoner King: Hallucinogenic honey, venom arrows – often experimented with poisons on criminals already condemned to death
Poison had a steady but often quiet or controversial place in the history of warfare. On one hand, it was incredibly useful. Poisoned wells could…
War on the Terraces: The Nika Riots
First the stewards and then the riot squad had been unable to deal with the supporters when trouble flared on the stands, and eventually, after…
Ancient Piracy and Teuta: The Illyrian Pirate Queen
Throughout world history, piracy has had a constant presence throughout certain parts of the world. Ancient piracy isn’t often discussed, but one could say that it…
An Island Too Far: The disastrous Sicilian Expedition
Sparta and Athens fought the epic Peloponnesian War over several decades, which involved massive battles on land and sea, it saw one of the first…
Julius Caesar at the Siege of Alesia – the decisive battle in the conquest of Gaul
The Imperator Gaius of the Julii, who was called Caesar, was in Gaul with sixty thousand men. Twelve legions of Roman infantry were supported by…
The Battle of Actium: Agrippa’s Victory, Octavian’s Glory
Rome after Caesar’s death was a place of great uncertainty. Caesar had a long road to secure power and had finally secured it, and seemed…
The Shield of Rome: Fabius Cunctator
Many generals are overshadowed or underappreciated for what they did for their state; Belisarius who reconquered much of the lost Western Roman Empire and Tamerlane,…
How The Spear Transformed Warfare – From Ancient Times To The Age Of Gunpowder
Spears have featured in warfare throughout history. Even after the arrival of firearms, spears continued to play a dominant role, from the pike blocks of…
Single Combat in Ancient Rome
David and Goliath, Hector and Achilles, Romulus and Acro. Great instances of single combat are not limited to these far distant and historically vague events.…
The Siege of Masada: Rome’s Assertion of Authority
During Rome’s centuries as a growing empire it faced countless rebellions and challenges to its dominance of the Mediterranean, the old Italian allies even revolted…