How to wage war like a Roman

What was the Romans’ weakest link when it came to warfare? Do we underestimate the military might of other ancient civilisations in favour of Rome? And which battles from the imperial era have been overlooked? In this special bonus episode of History’s Greatest Battles, Emily Briffett is joined once again by Dr Adrian Goldsworthy to revisit the five epic clashes they explored in our first series on the Roman empire – from naval showdowns and brutal sieges to disastrous defeats and tales of betrayal. Together, they reflect on what these battles reveal about the Roman world – and consider whether they are really representative of the ancient civilisation’s military prowess. If you’re interested in finding out more about the military history of ancient Rome, Adrian recently appeared on the HistoryExtra podcast to answer listener questions on the tactics and strategy of the Roman war machine – from why soldiers didn’t always wear red to how and when their seemingly invincible army was defeated by a hedge: https://link.chtbl.com/HEXHGB History’s Greatest Battles is produced by HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Listen to our other podcasts History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, History’s Greatest Scandals, History’s Greatest Cities, HistoryExtra Long Reads and the HistoryExtra podcast at historyextra.com/podcast. For more fascinating stories from the past, check out BBC History Magazine or head to HistoryExtra.com. We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram or YouTube to keep in touch. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://apple.co/4fgRA1d. This episode was hosted by Emily Briffett and produced by Jack Bateman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices