Ancient warfare historians rate 65 battles in movies and TV

Business Insider

08-05-2025

Ancient warfare historians review ancient warfare scenes and battle tactics in movies and TV shows.
Ancient warfare expert Roel Konijnendijk rates battle tactics such as the naval battle and gladiator fights depicted in "Gladiator II," starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington. He talks about how armies would signal attacks in season two of "House of the Dragon" and breaks down the many siege warfare methods in "Prince of Persia" and season two of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." He discusses the purposes behind cavalry charges in "Alexander" and "Kingdom of Heaven." He comments on the medieval weapons used in "300," Troy," and "Braveheart."
Konijnendijk also discusses the accuracy of battlefield tactics in "Hercules" (2014), and "The Witcher," with Henry Cavill. He dissects the use of ancient-warfare weaponry in "King Arthur" (2004), "Spartacus" (1960), and "Mulan" (2020). He discusses the accuracy of ancient-warfare battle scenes from "The Northman," "The Last Duel," and "The Wheel of Time."
Medieval fortification expert Michael Fulton looks at nine fortress defense scenes from "Outlaw King," "Vikings" S3E8 (2015), "The Great Battle" (2018), "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," "Ironclad," "Robin Hood" (2010), "Game of Thrones" S2E9 (2012), and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
Historian Michael Taylor rates depictions of ancient Rome, such as the gladiator fights in "Gladiator," starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. He breaks down the Roman naval warfare tactics in "Cleopatra," starring Elizabeth Taylor. He explains the dangers of chariot racing in "Ben-Hur," starring Charlton Heston. He compares the unique military formations and armor portrayed in "Spartacus," starring Kirk Douglas; "The Eagle," starring Channing Tatum, Donald Sutherland, and Jamie Bell; Netflix's "Barbarians;" and HBO's "Rome."
18th-century naval warfare historian Evan Wilson discusses the accuracy of naval warfare scenes in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," and "Game of Thrones" (2017).
Konijnendijk is a historian of ancient warfare at Lincoln College, University of Oxford. He specializes in classical Greek warfare.
Fulton is an assistant professor of medieval history at Western University in Ontario, Canada. He's published several papers on siege tactics and defenses and is the author of "Artillery in the Era of the Crusades."
Taylor is an associate professor of history at the University at Albany. He focuses on ancient military history, especially of the Roman army.
Wilson is an assistant professor at the US Naval War College. He is an expert in 18th-century naval warfare history.
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Michael Fulton's medieval warfare books can be found here.