Ancient Military History

Dive into the unique and powerful kingships in Sparta, where not one man ruled, but two. Learn the ways and lives of the men who rose above the rest to be elected leader of the most feared and respected city-state of ancient Greece. Who managed to embody the fullness of Spartan values, and who fell to the side, enticed by the finer things kingship could bring?

Here we find a history of a historian, the great Roman statesman Cato who was one of the few who resisted the Hellenization brought about by Alexander the Great. A man of many talents, he soon garnered the title of "Cato the Wise" and carried out every job from treasurer to military leader. Witness his valiant fight for Roman culture and customs in the face of enroaching outside influence.

Though Nepos largely focused on the Greco-Romans in his writings, some men accomplished so much he was willing to break this rule. Datames was a commander of armies, man of the kings of Persia and Egypt, and outwitter of plots. Follow his intricate and exciting life as he attempts to outpace the powerful men around him.

Hannibal, called by Nepos "the greatest of generals", is most remembered today for being the man who marched a contigent of battle elephants over the Alps. But this was only one of his many victories and strategems. Listen in wonder as Hannibal manages, again and again, to repel the army no other man could repel: the ancient Romans.

Conon the Athenian (not the Barbarian of a similar name) was the general who set Greece free. March along the shores of the Peloponese and launch attacks at sea with him as Nepos regales the life of this famed hero. Here is the man who would see the great walls of Athens rebuilt but find his own life finished in prison.

How could a man be reviled, even assassinated, during his own life, and yet have people's opinion of him change after his death? Explore the life of Dion, a wealthy Syracusian aristocrat of great learning whose life brutally ended on a feast-day. How could a man of acclaimed courteous temperment be accused of such horrible crimes?

Spartacus is the world’s most famous slave, and one of the most notorious figures of Ancient Rome. A slave enamored of freedom and willing to fight and die for it, he became especially popular in the years following the Enlightenment, after which he was widely viewed as a poignant champion of liberty in the 18th and 19th centuries. As a result, he became a symbol during struggles like the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the American Civil War, and the struggle for emancipation.