Dr. Graham Wrightson

So we know some of it, and we can comparative look at other armies, as I and other scholars do, to compare how much fodder does a horse need, how many camp followers are coming with you. So when we talk about armies marching, I focus on embattled of the 70,000 soldiers, and you forget that there's at least another 70,000 people marching

So we know some of it, and we can comparative look at other armies, as I and other scholars do, to compare how much fodder does a horse need, how many camp followers are coming with you. So when we talk about armies marching, I focus on embattled of the 70,000 soldiers, and you forget that there's at least another 70,000 people marching

in the army going with them as slaves or attendants or their families going on. We know the families were there because at the famous battle between Eumenes and Antigonus, the two greatest generals of the successors, Eumenes wins the battle, but he gets handed over to execution by his own soldiers because Antigonus captures the baggage train and he captures the families of Eumenes' soldiers.

in the army going with them as slaves or attendants or their families going on. We know the families were there because at the famous battle between Eumenes and Antigonus, the two greatest generals of the successors, Eumenes wins the battle, but he gets handed over to execution by his own soldiers because Antigonus captures the baggage train and he captures the families of Eumenes' soldiers.

in the army going with them as slaves or attendants or their families going on. We know the families were there because at the famous battle between Eumenes and Antigonus, the two greatest generals of the successors, Eumenes wins the battle, but he gets handed over to execution by his own soldiers because Antigonus captures the baggage train and he captures the families of Eumenes' soldiers.

And so to get their families back, they give up their general. So we know these armies on campaign are marching with massive numbers of tagalongs, right? Whatever you want to call them. And that's not just in the ancient world. That happens throughout history. It's often not written about. But when an army is on campaign, it has a massive train of people going with it.

And so to get their families back, they give up their general. So we know these armies on campaign are marching with massive numbers of tagalongs, right? Whatever you want to call them. And that's not just in the ancient world. That happens throughout history. It's often not written about. But when an army is on campaign, it has a massive train of people going with it.

And so to get their families back, they give up their general. So we know these armies on campaign are marching with massive numbers of tagalongs, right? Whatever you want to call them. And that's not just in the ancient world. That happens throughout history. It's often not written about. But when an army is on campaign, it has a massive train of people going with it.

Even the Seleucid Empire in itself that goes from Jerusalem at one point out to India is the biggest of all these successor kingdoms. And it's just huge. And they start being unable to control their distant territories that become independent because it's just too big.

Even the Seleucid Empire in itself that goes from Jerusalem at one point out to India is the biggest of all these successor kingdoms. And it's just huge. And they start being unable to control their distant territories that become independent because it's just too big.

Even the Seleucid Empire in itself that goes from Jerusalem at one point out to India is the biggest of all these successor kingdoms. And it's just huge. And they start being unable to control their distant territories that become independent because it's just too big.

Yeah, so the navy is very interesting. There's big naval battles like they're happening throughout the Greek world. The Peloponnesian Wars was a big fight between... naval powers in the end, right? And that's what decides it between Athens and Sparta.

Yeah, so the navy is very interesting. There's big naval battles like they're happening throughout the Greek world. The Peloponnesian Wars was a big fight between... naval powers in the end, right? And that's what decides it between Athens and Sparta.

Yeah, so the navy is very interesting. There's big naval battles like they're happening throughout the Greek world. The Peloponnesian Wars was a big fight between... naval powers in the end, right? And that's what decides it between Athens and Sparta.

But because of the economics of these countries, that they are huge, they have access to the Silk Route now, their own connections, and more merchants, more trade, more wealth in general than the smaller Greek cities. They can put out huge navies and they have huge armies to go with it. And so we start to see this inclination that bigger is better, as you say.

But because of the economics of these countries, that they are huge, they have access to the Silk Route now, their own connections, and more merchants, more trade, more wealth in general than the smaller Greek cities. They can put out huge navies and they have huge armies to go with it. And so we start to see this inclination that bigger is better, as you say.

But because of the economics of these countries, that they are huge, they have access to the Silk Route now, their own connections, and more merchants, more trade, more wealth in general than the smaller Greek cities. They can put out huge navies and they have huge armies to go with it. And so we start to see this inclination that bigger is better, as you say.

And so we get these presentations of Demetrius, the besieger in particular. We'll come back to his sieges in a minute. But for Navy purposes, he is famous in our historians, even in the Roman historians, for building massive ships. Normally, you get your tri-rings, which are your three-decked oars. By the time we get to the 4th century, we have five oars.

And so we get these presentations of Demetrius, the besieger in particular. We'll come back to his sieges in a minute. But for Navy purposes, he is famous in our historians, even in the Roman historians, for building massive ships. Normally, you get your tri-rings, which are your three-decked oars. By the time we get to the 4th century, we have five oars.

And so we get these presentations of Demetrius, the besieger in particular. We'll come back to his sieges in a minute. But for Navy purposes, he is famous in our historians, even in the Roman historians, for building massive ships. Normally, you get your tri-rings, which are your three-decked oars. By the time we get to the 4th century, we have five oars.