Hello, welcome to another episode of ancient warfare answers. We have had some questions from you, the listening ancient warfare enthusiast, if that is what we're going to call you.

And so the questions that we've got to ask, there's two for Jasper and two for me. I'm asking Yasper the first one, which is,

why was Roman Republican citizen cavalry so poor?

I think the trick was they weren't actually poor. They were all rich. I don't think that's what

But that's probably not, that's not the meaning they were going for, is it?

But it...

But it's their reputation.

It's like their reputation is,

these guys are just rich kids

who have to serve in the cavalry for 10 years,

and then they go on and have a glorious political career.

And therefore, they're really just,

they're really no good at what they're doing,

and they get smashed.

And the smashing part is probably the reputation,

I think, they've earned because of their achievements or lack

thereof at the beginning of the second Punic War. They get defeated at Tikinus, at Trebia,

likely at Trasamine, but they're not, I don't think they're mentioned very much, and of course,

Kani. And that's where they get their reputation for being not very good at what they're

supposed to be doing because they get chased off by the Carthaginian cavalry.

Carthaginian cavalry comes back, smashes the Roman, well, we all know that story.

They're the sort of the hinge of the Carthaginian formation that allows Hannibal to smash that Roman army into tiny little pieces.

...