Rome vs Alexander. It's a counterfactual of suitably epic proportions, fit for movie theatres and sprawling strategy video games. What would've happen had the great Macedonian general not perished in Babylon and advanced on an emerging Roman Republic?
In today’s episode of The Ancients Tristan Hughes is joined by Roman historian and friend of the show Steele Brand to ask exactly that - what would’ve happened had Alexander invaded Italy? Together they explore the work of Roman historian Livy, who wrote about this very scenario in what is history’s first hypothetical - would Rome have had enough to resist the mighty legions of an undefeated Macedonia, even before it had really started to forge it's empire? From the sparkling phalanxes of Alexander’s Asian realm to the Rome’s countless mass of citizen soldiers join us to find out which of these titans of history achieves ancient world domination!
MORE
Alexander the Great: Lord of Asia
The Battle of Phillipi: Death of the Roman Republic
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. Producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
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