What If Alexander Fought Rome?

What If Alexander Fought Rome?

Author: History Hit May 14, 2026 Duration: 1:19:50

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?


Tristan Hughes is joined by Roman historian and friend of the show Steele Brand to ask - what would’ve happened had Alexander invaded Italy? They explore the work of Roman historian Livy, who wrote about this very scenario - 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, find out which of these titans of history achieves ancient world domination.


MORE

Alexander the Great: Lord of Asia

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify


The Battle of Phillipi: Death of the Roman Republic

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify


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.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. 


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Hosted by Tristan Hughes, The Ancients digs into the distant past, one specific theme at a time. This isn't a sweeping lecture but a series of focused conversations. Each episode brings you directly into dialogue with leading historians and archaeologists, who share the latest research and perspectives on the ancient world. The scope is vast, moving from the mysteries of Neolithic Britain all the way through to the complex events surrounding the Fall of Rome. You might find yourself immersed in the details of a single archaeological discovery one week and exploring the broader political currents of an empire the next. Produced by History Hit, this podcast benefits from the same depth and quality that defines their other award-winning series. With new episodes arriving every Sunday and Thursday, there's always a fresh journey into antiquity waiting. For anyone with a curiosity about where we came from, this podcast serves as a reliable and engaging guide, making the remote past feel immediate and vividly real.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Ancients
Podcast Episodes
How to Survive in Carthage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:10
From towering tenements to Punic porridge — step into the streets of ancient Carthage.In this immersive episode of The Ancients, Tristan travels back to 210 BC to explore daily life in the heart of one of the ancient wor…
The Olmec: Mother of Mesoamerican Civilisations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:13
Iconic monumental stone heads, the intriguing Lord of Las Limas, the enigmatic 'were-jaguar' figures, so much survives from the ancient Olmec civilisation.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Jillian Mollenhauer to unravel th…
Livia: Empress of Rome [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:21
Powerful, cunning, uncompromising, even murderous (allegedly)... meet Rome’s first empress and one of ancient history’s ultimate power players.Livia Drusilla has long been cast as the bloodthirsty matriarch of the early…
Siberian Ice Mummies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:05
In this special episode of the Ancients, released just hours after the embargo on new research was lifted, Tristan Hughes discusses the fascinating discovery of ancient Siberian ice mummies and their tattoos with Dr Gino…
Fall of Roman London [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:21
Why was London transformed from a bustling Roman metropolis into a ghost town by the fifth century?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Dominic Perring to explore the rich archaeological findings that reveal the city's final c…
Irish Mythology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:08
Epic heroes, sacred rivers & ancient gods – this is Irish mythology as you’ve never heard it. From Newgrange to the Hill of Tara, Ireland’s myths are rooted firmly in its prehistoric past.In today's episode of The Ancien…
Megalodon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:20
As part of our week of Sharks on the Ancients, today we tell the story of Megalodon, the largest living marine animal, ever.Does this colossal prehistoric shark still lurk beneath the waves? Tristan Hughes is joined by l…
The First Sharks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:10
Long before the first dinosaurs, the first trees or even the formation of the rings of Saturn, our planet's oceans were ruled by prehistoric sharks.Across two special episodes of The Ancients this week, Tristan Hughes is…
The Queen of Sheba [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:16
A figure of wealth, wisdom, and global fascination - how did the Queen of Sheba become one of history’s most enduring royal icons?In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Jillian Stinchcomb to trace the enduring s…
Doggerland: The North Sea Atlantis? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:36
Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Rachel Bynoe who has literally dived into the enigmatic world of Doggerland, a prehistoric landmass now submerged beneath the North Sea.They discuss how archaeological research is conducte…