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Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast,

the armies of ancient Greece and Rome have gained legendary status.

Both militaries successfully conquered much of the known world in the respective eras.

But what made them so formidable?

Was it technological innovation, novel strategies, or just plain old grit?

Well, my guest at the show argues that it was the Greek and Roman armies' reverence

for their mythic past that made them great.

His name is Jay Linden, he goes by Ted.

He's a classical scholar and the author of the book Soldiers and Ghosts,

a history of battle and classical antiquity.

Today on the show, Ted and I discuss how the ghost of the Iliad and the Odyssey haunted Greek soldiers,

the ways in which both the Greeks and the Romans ritualized warfare,

and why the ancient Greeks made a competition out of pretty much everything in life.

We also discuss the competing virtues of courage and discipline within the Roman army.

This is a riveting conversation with some fascinating insights into ancient notions of masculinity.

After the show, check out the show notes at am.is slash linden, that's led in d-o-n,

or you can get links to resources or you can delve deeper into this topic.

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OK, Professor Linden, welcome to the show.

Mr. McKay, thank you very much for having me.

So your book is called Soldiers and Ghosts, and it's about battle and classic antiquity.

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