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(triumphant music)
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Alexander the Great.
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The Shining Light of ancient Greece.
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The prince from remote Macedonia
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would become the greatest conqueror of all time.
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(speaking foreign language)
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No one would have thought
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that someone would try to conquer the whole world,
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and that he would almost succeed.
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At the age of 16,
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his father made him co-regent,
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these were troubled times,
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and assassination made him King,
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and his allies made Alexander
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the most powerful man in Greece.
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His campaign against King Darius of Persia
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resembled the battle between David and Goliath,
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but like Achilles, his hero from the legend,
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Alexander was determined to bring victory to the Greeks.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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Only a very few people
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had as much influence on history
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as Alexander the Great.
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(birds squawking)
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It was spring when Alexander passed the strait
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between Europe and today's Turkey,
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together with 37,000 soldiers from all over Greece.
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The Macedonian had a clear mission,
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he and his men were to free the Greek colonies
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from the Persians.
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First, Alexander went to Troy,
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at Achilles grave, he had his weapons blessed,
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and he brought a sacrifice.
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Since childhood,
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the Iliad's hero had been Alexander's role model.
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He wanted to live up to Achilles glory,
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and even exceed his deeds.
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This war of liberation was his chance,
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but he also needed protection from the gods.
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With their blessing, his retaliation campaign
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became a holy war.
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But thus far, no one had managed to bring Persia,
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the World Empire, to its knees.
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(horses neighing)
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In their advance into occupied territory,
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the Persian army tried to stop them,
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to no avail.
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In 334 B.C.,
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Alexander won the battle at the river Granicus.
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Apparently, the Persian court had underestimated
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the Macedonian King.
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They hadn't sent their imperial army,
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but a troop of professional soldiers.
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King Darius had relied on them,
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a mistake, as it turned out.
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Your majesty, I'm sorry for the bad news I have to bear;
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Alexander won the battle.
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How is that possible?
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Alexander has got fewer soldiers,
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but his tactics are clever,
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not only on the battlefield.
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Explain.
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He promises a democratic constitution,
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modeled after Athens,
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for those cities that surrendered without a fight.
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And he promises everyone they don't have to pay you tribute.
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Is that true?
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(scoffs) I heard that he rules like a king in Macedonia.
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The governance of the people is nonsense.
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What does he really want?
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The Greek want to take revenge
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for the destruction of Athens
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and the occupation of Anatolia,
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but Alexander wants more.
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What does he want?
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Power.
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He wants my throne.
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That's right.
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The defense of your country shouldn't be left to vassals,
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who could lead our army better than you?
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He will regret that he ever left his mother's lap.
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Gather our troops
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and tell them their king will go to war.
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The Persian Empire reached
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from the Greek borders and Egypt,
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all the way to the east,
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over the Hindu Kush to India,
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the end of the known world.
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The Empire stretched across three continents,
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and at its heart was Persepolis,
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in the south of what is Iran today.
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Persepolis was also the religious center of Persia.
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Even 2,000 years later,
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the palaces and temples still convey the empire's power.
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Reliefs showed the many nationalities of the giant empire;
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28 peoples in total.
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Among them; Syrians, Egyptians, Babylonians,
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Greeks, Indians, and Arabs,
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they all gather to offer presents
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to the King on New Year's Day.
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The Persians were role models.
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They implemented the political order
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that allowed peaceful coexistence of the Nations.
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But there was also resistance from the Greek colonies,
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almost all of them saw Alexander as a liberator.
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The Macedonian conquered the big coastal cities
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within a few months,
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and he had large parts of Turkey under his control.
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When he chose Gordion to be his winter quarters,
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in the temple,
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he discovered Phrygian King Gordius's famous cart.
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And this is supposed to be a cart for a king?
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It belonged to Gordius, king of Phrygia.
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When the Phrygians look for a king,
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the oracle told them to choose
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the first man they saw on a cart. (scoffs)
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And by chance that was Gordius,
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is that how quickly you can become king here.
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(laughs) Yes, but that's not the whole story.
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Do you see this knot?
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What about it it?
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It says,
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"Whoever can untie this knot will reign the Persian Empire."
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(patting shoulder)
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The knot doesn't seem to have a beginning or an end.
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(sword slashes)
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The story of the Gordian knot is just a legend
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and it was clever propaganda.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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To cut the knot with a sword says
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Alexander does things his own way,
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everyone failed and he showed them how to do it.
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But liberating the Greek colonies
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wasn't the end.
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Alexander wanted to knock Darius off his throne.
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Darius gathered his army in the borderland
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between Turkey and Syria.
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Alexander also moved his troops,
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but the two armies passed each other without noticing.
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Suddenly the Persians were behind them
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and blocked the exit route.
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The land battle took place at Issos.
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The Macedonian King against Darius,
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the most powerful man in the world,
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and against more than 70,000 warriors.
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The enemy
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stands between us and our home!
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We will triumph or die!
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Retreat is impossible.
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Don't be blinded by the glamour and size of our enemy.
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I see what you see,
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but none of you can see it with my eyes.
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(excited chatter and cheers)
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The great king underestimates us,
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be brave because this is not the first time
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we have faced superior numbers
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and it will not be the last time.
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We will triumph!
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(cheers and triumphant music)
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King Darius believed
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it would be an easy victory.
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He relied on the superior numbers of his army.
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The Macedonian leader was brave and relied on his cavalry.
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(excited roars in battle)
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The Battle of Issos, 333 B.C.
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The battle is depicted on the famous Alexander sarcophagus.
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The Macedonian King is the hero in the scene.
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The Persians who were superior in numbers,
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dominated at first,
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but then Alexander managed to push through enemy lines.
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(screaming and swords clanging)
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Darius's life was in danger
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as Alexander attacked the elite troops around the king.
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(screaming and swords clanging)
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In the end, Darius could only flee.
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This sealed the Persian defeat.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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Alexander's success is partly due to the fact
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that he acted unexpectedly,
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it's almost like in football,
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the team that doesn't play with a predictable strategy
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scores more goals,
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and Alexander's strategy
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was very risky
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from a military point of view,
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seemingly heedless.
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He attacked the enemy at their strongest point.
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But the war wasn't won yet.
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Darius was still free, he escaped into the desert.
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The Macedonians rushed to the south.
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The inhabitants of Tyre went to war,
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but like everyone who rose against Alexander,
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they faced grave consequences.
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But most of Persia's allies
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celebrated Alexander as a liberator.
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The Egyptians greeted him with open arms.
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Their feud with the empire had lasted for too long.
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(marching troop stomps on ground)
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Like all Greeks, Alexander admired high culture.
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Rule over pharaonic Egypt
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would be highly regarded back home.
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After taking power, he offered sacrifices to the gods,
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and consulted the oracle.
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He got what he had hoped for,
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Alexander was made a God-like pharaoh.
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His portrait was even carved into stone
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as an acknowledgment that he was the rightful son
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of the highest God, Amun-Re.
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Shortly after, the new Pharaoh set aside.
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He founded Alexandria, modeled on Greek cities.
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It was a symbol of his passion
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for establishing his own culture
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in the conquered territories.
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All-in-all, Alexander founded at least
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10 cities with his name,
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but the metropolis by the Mediterranean
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was the most important one.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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The fact that Alexander
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founded cities has special meaning
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because it shows that he
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didn't only want to conquer territories,
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but he wanted to establish lasting sovereignty.
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We can see that very clearly
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with the foundation of Alexandria.
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He had the vast resources in mind
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that Egypt and the Middle East offered.
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Economic resources, he planned a big seaport
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that would connect to Egypt with the Mediterranean,
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like a hub.
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In the spring of 331 B.C.,
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the Macedonians moved to the Euphrates in today's Iraq.
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Alexander couldn't be stopped in his advance,
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he didn't want to agree on a peace pact with the Persians.
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Alexander's army crossed the Euphrates.
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So, he didn't take my offer.
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How many soldiers does he have?
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We estimate about 40,000.
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40,000.
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We are by far superior in numbers.
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We've got more than twice as many.
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In September, Alexander's troops
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crossed the Tigris as well.
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Darius awaited him at Gaugamela.
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The Persian king had carefully chosen the battleground.
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There were wide plains on which his army could march.
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The Persian army exceeded anything Alexander had ever seen.
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They were over a 100,000 men,
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why didn't you make peace with Darius?
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What did he offer you?
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All territories west of Euphrates
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and 10,000 talents.
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No more than we had already taken ourselves.
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It's easy to offer something you don't own.
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I would have taken him up on his offer
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instead of risking everything now.
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If I had been you, Parmenion, I might have done so,
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but there are no two suns in the sky,
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and there can't be two kings ruling Persia.
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(sighs) And I thought we took revenge
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for their attacks on Greece,
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but it is not about that anymore.
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You want to surpass your late father.
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You want to surpass everyone!
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And even if?
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So far, we've only liberated territories
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the Persians had conquered,
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now we are on their territory and we will conquer them!
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Let's surprise them and start the attack tonight.
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That would be cowardly.
271
00:16:23,406 --> 00:16:25,989
I don't want to steal the victory.
272
00:16:25,989 --> 00:16:28,486
I want to fight honorably,
273
00:16:28,486 --> 00:16:30,696
eye for an eye at dawn!
274
00:16:30,696 --> 00:16:32,430
You've heard it.
275
00:16:32,430 --> 00:16:33,920
Set up camp.
276
00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,178
We will face a challenge.
277
00:16:36,178 --> 00:16:38,914
(horses galloping and battle cries)
278
00:16:38,914 --> 00:16:40,609
Darius's super army
279
00:16:40,609 --> 00:16:43,276
extended across five kilometers.
280
00:16:44,877 --> 00:16:47,627
A frontal attack would have been pointless,
281
00:16:47,627 --> 00:16:51,127
Alexander started a diversionary maneuver.
282
00:16:54,390 --> 00:16:58,557
At first, he moved parallel to the Persian's front.
283
00:17:02,136 --> 00:17:06,219
Simultaneously, his infantry attacked the center.
284
00:17:11,037 --> 00:17:14,738
The Persians thought he would attack the wings,
285
00:17:14,738 --> 00:17:17,237
but he made them follow him
286
00:17:17,237 --> 00:17:18,953
until their front broke apart.
287
00:17:18,953 --> 00:17:21,536
(battle cries)
288
00:17:22,447 --> 00:17:26,038
Then he suddenly turned his cavalry around.
289
00:17:26,038 --> 00:17:30,383
(horses galloping)
(triumphant music)
290
00:17:30,383 --> 00:17:32,857
He pressed into the gap in the center,
291
00:17:32,857 --> 00:17:35,398
in order to attack the Persian king directly.
292
00:17:35,398 --> 00:17:40,342
(horses galloping and battle cries)
293
00:17:40,342 --> 00:17:44,558
He applied the strategy he used at Issos again.
294
00:17:44,558 --> 00:17:46,016
(triumphant music)
295
00:17:46,016 --> 00:17:48,116
(screaming and swords clanging)
296
00:17:48,116 --> 00:17:52,270
Tirelessly, he attacked the troops around the Persian king.
297
00:17:52,270 --> 00:17:56,270
(screaming and swords clanging)
298
00:17:59,737 --> 00:18:02,162
Alexander wanted a final decision,
299
00:18:02,162 --> 00:18:04,742
in a fight of man against man.
300
00:18:04,742 --> 00:18:05,575
Darius!
301
00:18:09,989 --> 00:18:12,156
(screams)
302
00:18:15,689 --> 00:18:18,321
(spear pierces body)
303
00:18:18,321 --> 00:18:19,154
Move!
304
00:18:21,289 --> 00:18:23,982
Darius abandoned his troop.
305
00:18:23,982 --> 00:18:26,482
They fought to the bitter end.
306
00:18:27,550 --> 00:18:31,003
Alexander! We need you at the left flank,
307
00:18:31,003 --> 00:18:32,993
or the Persians will storm our camp!
308
00:18:32,993 --> 00:18:36,020
I don't believe it, the old fool!
309
00:18:36,020 --> 00:18:36,853
Darius!
310
00:18:37,730 --> 00:18:39,094
Darius's escape
311
00:18:39,094 --> 00:18:42,606
sealed the Persians' second big defeat.
312
00:18:42,606 --> 00:18:45,689
It was the last chapter of his reign.
313
00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:48,892
Still on the battlefield,
314
00:18:48,892 --> 00:18:52,207
Alexander proclaimed himself the new king.
315
00:18:52,207 --> 00:18:56,305
His reputation as bearer of peace went before him.
316
00:18:56,305 --> 00:18:59,222
(triumphant music)
317
00:19:00,570 --> 00:19:01,539
(speaking in foreign language)
His victory at
318
00:19:01,539 --> 00:19:04,037
Gaugamela showed the Persian people
319
00:19:04,037 --> 00:19:08,398
that Persian military power wasn't reliable anymore.
320
00:19:08,398 --> 00:19:12,413
Alexander didn't have to conquer a big city;
321
00:19:12,413 --> 00:19:14,413
Babylon, Susa, Ecbatana,
322
00:19:16,045 --> 00:19:17,969
they all open their gates,
323
00:19:17,969 --> 00:19:20,302
come in, have our treasures.
324
00:19:24,293 --> 00:19:27,817
Alexander entered Babylon as a world ruler.
325
00:19:27,817 --> 00:19:31,734
His arrival turned into a triumphal procession.
326
00:19:33,369 --> 00:19:37,677
Babylon had been in Persian hands for 200 years.
327
00:19:37,677 --> 00:19:42,158
They had made the biggest and most beautiful Oriental City,
328
00:19:42,158 --> 00:19:44,825
their second seat of government.
329
00:19:48,750 --> 00:19:50,521
Unbelievable!
330
00:19:50,521 --> 00:19:54,521
Even Athens would pale in comparison to Babylon.
331
00:19:56,337 --> 00:19:57,727
It's size, splendor,
332
00:19:57,727 --> 00:20:00,262
and luxury were not of this world,
333
00:20:00,262 --> 00:20:03,336
claims the legend of Babylon's foundation.
334
00:20:03,336 --> 00:20:07,336
Not Kings, but the gods themselves had built it.
335
00:20:10,831 --> 00:20:13,824
The Macedonians had only known this legendary city
336
00:20:13,824 --> 00:20:16,407
from stories told by Aristotle.
337
00:20:17,261 --> 00:20:20,011
He didn't hold it in high regard,
338
00:20:21,563 --> 00:20:24,099
but Alexander was impressed.
339
00:20:24,099 --> 00:20:26,847
He wanted to make it even more glamorous,
340
00:20:26,847 --> 00:20:29,380
and he wanted to reside in Babylon
341
00:20:29,380 --> 00:20:31,713
like his predecessor Darius.
342
00:20:33,066 --> 00:20:35,156
The king of ostracized Macedonia
343
00:20:35,156 --> 00:20:37,530
had made his dreams come true.
344
00:20:37,530 --> 00:20:40,887
He avenged Greece, and achieved victory.
345
00:20:40,887 --> 00:20:42,423
He achieved sovereignty
346
00:20:42,423 --> 00:20:45,506
over the biggest empire in the world.
347
00:20:46,939 --> 00:20:50,253
Aristotle called the Babylonians barbarians?
348
00:20:50,253 --> 00:20:53,982
Probably because he never saw their city.
349
00:20:53,982 --> 00:20:57,315
If barbarians can perform such miracles,
350
00:21:02,615 --> 00:21:04,865
I'm happy to be their king.
351
00:21:10,358 --> 00:21:12,151
Soon after, Alexander moved
352
00:21:12,151 --> 00:21:14,324
via Susa to Persepolis,
353
00:21:14,324 --> 00:21:16,247
the Persian capital held the treasury
354
00:21:16,247 --> 00:21:18,305
that he desperately needed.
355
00:21:18,305 --> 00:21:20,391
The war chest was almost empty
356
00:21:20,391 --> 00:21:23,058
and the soldiers had to be paid.
357
00:21:25,353 --> 00:21:29,239
Most of them thought Persepolis would be their last stop,
358
00:21:29,239 --> 00:21:32,893
the retaliation campaign was supposed to end here.
359
00:21:32,893 --> 00:21:35,143
(laughing)
360
00:21:36,300 --> 00:21:39,116
We took our revenge on the battlefield,
361
00:21:39,116 --> 00:21:42,199
let's complete our work with a torch!
362
00:21:44,232 --> 00:21:48,399
Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! ...
363
00:21:49,438 --> 00:21:50,438
Alexander!
364
00:21:52,700 --> 00:21:54,829
What are you doing?
365
00:21:54,829 --> 00:21:57,279
You are King of Persia now,
366
00:21:57,279 --> 00:22:01,279
why would you want to burn your own Palace down?
367
00:22:03,514 --> 00:22:05,097
Maybe he's right.
368
00:22:07,237 --> 00:22:09,574
What kind of men are you?
369
00:22:09,574 --> 00:22:11,867
We are not allowed to abuse their women,
370
00:22:11,867 --> 00:22:15,638
and now we are being denied a bonfire?
371
00:22:15,638 --> 00:22:18,721
Is that what your revenge looks like?
372
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:22,396
Let it be.
373
00:22:22,396 --> 00:22:24,934
We have completed our mission,
374
00:22:24,934 --> 00:22:28,099
we should finally return to Greece.
375
00:22:28,099 --> 00:22:29,474
Never!
376
00:22:29,474 --> 00:22:33,350
Not before Darius kneels in front of me in the dust,
377
00:22:33,350 --> 00:22:37,517
all of this is worth nothing as long as he's free.
378
00:22:41,243 --> 00:22:43,053
(crash and fire swooshes)
379
00:22:43,053 --> 00:22:45,753
The feast ended in catastrophe.
380
00:22:45,753 --> 00:22:48,869
The palace burned down almost entirely,
381
00:22:48,869 --> 00:22:53,036
what the flames spared, the soldiers carried away.
382
00:22:55,370 --> 00:22:59,095
There has been much speculation over it, until today,
383
00:22:59,095 --> 00:23:03,262
it's unclear whether Alexander only acted on impulse.
384
00:23:07,565 --> 00:23:08,398
(speaking in foreign language)
385
00:23:08,398 --> 00:23:10,074
There is one possible reason
386
00:23:10,074 --> 00:23:12,201
often missed in literature.
387
00:23:12,201 --> 00:23:15,111
Alexander wanted to make Babylon the capital,
388
00:23:15,111 --> 00:23:16,361
not Persepolis.
389
00:23:17,346 --> 00:23:21,513
A second center bore the danger of growing opposition.
390
00:23:24,804 --> 00:23:27,712
He wanted to make Babylon the center
391
00:23:27,712 --> 00:23:30,962
and that's why he destroyed Persepolis.
392
00:23:33,366 --> 00:23:36,216
A little later, the day came,
393
00:23:36,216 --> 00:23:39,848
he sent home large parts of his troop.
394
00:23:39,848 --> 00:23:43,765
First of all, the soldiers of the Greek allies.
395
00:23:46,197 --> 00:23:49,795
He was left with Macedonians and Greek mercenaries,
396
00:23:49,795 --> 00:23:52,659
he went looking for Darius with them,
397
00:23:52,659 --> 00:23:57,602
but the pursuit of the Persian king took an unexpected turn.
398
00:23:57,602 --> 00:23:59,293
We have found them.
399
00:23:59,293 --> 00:24:01,960
(ominous music)
400
00:24:05,095 --> 00:24:07,185
After Alexander's victory,
401
00:24:07,185 --> 00:24:09,885
Darius not only lost his empire,
402
00:24:09,885 --> 00:24:12,241
but also his support.
403
00:24:12,241 --> 00:24:16,408
He was betrayed, ambushed, and killed by his own men.
404
00:24:21,522 --> 00:24:22,605
He is dead.
405
00:24:23,695 --> 00:24:25,785
Now you've got what you wanted.
406
00:24:25,785 --> 00:24:27,105
Time to return.
407
00:24:27,105 --> 00:24:30,855
A king needs to die at the hands of a king!
408
00:24:32,835 --> 00:24:36,406
His assassins question my authority also,
409
00:24:36,406 --> 00:24:37,694
they have to be punished.
410
00:24:37,694 --> 00:24:39,543
Enough, Alexander.
411
00:24:39,543 --> 00:24:41,093
You're the king of Persia.
412
00:24:41,093 --> 00:24:42,926
What else do you what?
413
00:24:45,444 --> 00:24:50,116
If you and your father had been braver at Gaugamela,
414
00:24:50,116 --> 00:24:52,375
I could have killed Darius!
415
00:24:52,375 --> 00:24:54,461
You wouldn't have made it that far.
416
00:24:54,461 --> 00:24:58,628
If you don't stop, you'll end up like Darius in the dust.
417
00:24:59,510 --> 00:25:01,513
Are you threatening me?
418
00:25:01,513 --> 00:25:02,346
Alexander!
419
00:25:02,346 --> 00:25:05,013
Shut up or I'll forget myself!
420
00:25:07,368 --> 00:25:08,681
Enough!
421
00:25:08,681 --> 00:25:12,348
No one questions me, neither friend nor foe.
422
00:25:13,587 --> 00:25:16,176
It is not the first time Philotas is against me
423
00:25:16,176 --> 00:25:17,009
Philo--
424
00:25:17,009 --> 00:25:18,468
This time he went too far!
425
00:25:18,468 --> 00:25:20,847
Philotas is hard headed!
426
00:25:20,847 --> 00:25:25,014
He didn't even tell me that my soldiers are against me.
427
00:25:27,286 --> 00:25:29,088
And now I know why.
428
00:25:29,088 --> 00:25:33,022
He is the instigator of this conspiracy,
429
00:25:33,022 --> 00:25:35,432
but it won't help him.
430
00:25:35,432 --> 00:25:36,951
I will preempt him.
431
00:25:36,951 --> 00:25:39,536
Alexander! We're childhood friends.
432
00:25:39,536 --> 00:25:41,547
We have to stick together!
433
00:25:41,547 --> 00:25:44,902
Do you want me to wait until he kills me?
434
00:25:44,902 --> 00:25:47,734
He's threatened to kill me!
435
00:25:47,734 --> 00:25:48,984
That's treason,
436
00:25:51,703 --> 00:25:53,364
punishable by death.
437
00:25:53,364 --> 00:25:56,179
(knife scrapes on sheath)
438
00:25:56,179 --> 00:25:58,916
Alexander didn't hesitate.
439
00:25:58,916 --> 00:26:01,375
He had his general, and friend,
440
00:26:01,375 --> 00:26:04,292
tortured and executed as a warning.
441
00:26:05,274 --> 00:26:08,178
Whether they were soldiers or confidants,
442
00:26:08,178 --> 00:26:10,453
this message got across.
443
00:26:10,453 --> 00:26:13,120
(ominous music)
444
00:26:15,276 --> 00:26:18,152
The Macedonian could only stay in power
445
00:26:18,152 --> 00:26:21,143
if he was cold and calculating,
446
00:26:21,143 --> 00:26:24,560
that's why he ordered a second execution.
447
00:26:27,362 --> 00:26:28,521
(speaking in foreign language)
Then Alexander
448
00:26:28,521 --> 00:26:31,232
sent his death squad to Ecbatana
449
00:26:31,232 --> 00:26:34,122
to kill his friend's father also.
450
00:26:34,122 --> 00:26:36,972
These were the rules of the time.
451
00:26:36,972 --> 00:26:41,802
Alexander knew that revenge was paramount in this case.
452
00:26:41,802 --> 00:26:45,665
The father would have had to take revenge for his son,
453
00:26:45,665 --> 00:26:48,033
and with the possibilities he had
454
00:26:48,033 --> 00:26:50,517
in the western part of the empire,
455
00:26:50,517 --> 00:26:54,017
it’s easy to see what would have happened.
456
00:26:56,366 --> 00:26:58,463
Following Alexander's wishes,
457
00:26:58,463 --> 00:27:00,831
Darius was buried honorably.
458
00:27:00,831 --> 00:27:05,004
He was entombed in the Persian royal burial ground.
459
00:27:05,004 --> 00:27:08,504
His murderer, however, had to be executed.
460
00:27:10,943 --> 00:27:14,103
When Alexander set off to today's Afghanistan,
461
00:27:14,103 --> 00:27:17,604
his army was over 50,000 men strong.
462
00:27:17,604 --> 00:27:21,604
Among them, many tribes from the Persian Empire.
463
00:27:24,111 --> 00:27:25,715
The Macedonian needed them
464
00:27:25,715 --> 00:27:27,805
to crush the pockets of resistance
465
00:27:27,805 --> 00:27:30,638
in the remote areas of his empire.
466
00:27:34,303 --> 00:27:37,867
But there was no end to the bloody battles.
467
00:27:37,867 --> 00:27:42,078
Time and again, Alexander had to deal with defeat,
468
00:27:42,078 --> 00:27:46,461
but then, a young princess fell into the general's hands,
469
00:27:46,461 --> 00:27:48,128
and he captured her.
470
00:27:50,391 --> 00:27:54,361
It is said that Alexander immediately fell in love with her,
471
00:27:54,361 --> 00:27:57,111
her name was Roxana, Little Star.
472
00:27:58,473 --> 00:28:01,728
Alexander officially made her his wife.
473
00:28:01,728 --> 00:28:04,478
(peaceful music)
474
00:28:06,529 --> 00:28:09,829
But this marriage was also about politics.
475
00:28:09,829 --> 00:28:12,500
It served to establish peace
476
00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:14,833
and a Persian-Greek dynasty.
477
00:28:19,300 --> 00:28:20,519
(speaking in foreign language)
Of course,
478
00:28:20,519 --> 00:28:24,686
marriages between Greeks and Persians had existed before,
479
00:28:25,922 --> 00:28:28,264
but not among royals.
480
00:28:28,264 --> 00:28:30,927
It was extraordinary that Alexander
481
00:28:30,927 --> 00:28:34,207
didn't choose a Greek to be his wife,
482
00:28:34,207 --> 00:28:36,498
which he could have done,
483
00:28:36,498 --> 00:28:38,997
and was expected to.
484
00:28:38,997 --> 00:28:42,555
His father married a Greek in his second marriage.
485
00:28:42,555 --> 00:28:46,136
He made a statement in marrying a Persian princess,
486
00:28:46,136 --> 00:28:50,303
so that everyone could see he was the new Persian king.
487
00:28:53,346 --> 00:28:55,427
Alexander adopted Persian culture
488
00:28:55,427 --> 00:28:57,606
without hesitation.
489
00:28:57,606 --> 00:29:01,586
He also expected genuflection and hand-kissing,
490
00:29:01,586 --> 00:29:03,669
even from his own people.
491
00:29:06,317 --> 00:29:09,413
But it wasn't delusions of grandeur,
492
00:29:09,413 --> 00:29:11,996
it was the calculus of a ruler.
493
00:29:12,834 --> 00:29:15,394
The Persians would have despised him
494
00:29:15,394 --> 00:29:19,561
if he had not adopted the rituals of the people he ruled.
495
00:29:24,563 --> 00:29:29,523
For his friends, however, they were an imposition.
496
00:29:29,523 --> 00:29:32,391
They were used to different behavior.
497
00:29:32,391 --> 00:29:36,018
Clietus, who had saved Alexander's life before,
498
00:29:36,018 --> 00:29:38,935
refused this gesture of submission.
499
00:29:41,339 --> 00:29:44,541
Don't you want to pay respect to me?
500
00:29:44,541 --> 00:29:45,374
I do.
501
00:29:46,304 --> 00:29:49,054
But I only kneel before the gods.
502
00:29:51,337 --> 00:29:53,725
I am of divine descent.
503
00:29:53,725 --> 00:29:57,428
My deeds are greater than those of Heracles and Achilles.
504
00:29:57,428 --> 00:30:00,074
And even if they were,
505
00:30:00,074 --> 00:30:03,074
you are just human, like we all are.
506
00:30:05,023 --> 00:30:08,856
We fought side-by-side and succeeded together,
507
00:30:09,943 --> 00:30:13,855
and now you ask us to kneel in front of you.
508
00:30:13,855 --> 00:30:16,177
I am the great king.
509
00:30:16,177 --> 00:30:19,706
I demand the respect I'm entitled to.
510
00:30:19,706 --> 00:30:22,495
You treat us like Persian barbarians!
511
00:30:22,495 --> 00:30:25,641
You forget who your friends are.
512
00:30:25,641 --> 00:30:28,033
I gave you more fame and wealth
513
00:30:28,033 --> 00:30:30,253
than you could have dreamt of!
514
00:30:30,253 --> 00:30:32,658
Fame! (scoffs)
515
00:30:32,658 --> 00:30:34,548
The fame that we've all earned,
516
00:30:34,548 --> 00:30:36,178
should be only yours now?
517
00:30:36,178 --> 00:30:37,736
Quiet!
518
00:30:37,736 --> 00:30:39,069
And your gold!
519
00:30:40,266 --> 00:30:44,433
Is not enough to buy back the respect you've lost!
520
00:30:45,774 --> 00:30:48,339
Quiet! Quiet! Quiet! I said be quiet!
521
00:30:48,339 --> 00:30:49,172
No!
522
00:30:49,172 --> 00:30:51,099
(spear pierces flesh)
(grunts)
523
00:30:51,099 --> 00:30:53,099
(gasps)
524
00:30:54,395 --> 00:30:57,145
(mournful music)
525
00:30:58,333 --> 00:31:00,532
A crime of passion.
526
00:31:00,532 --> 00:31:02,517
It happened at one of the Macedonians'
527
00:31:02,517 --> 00:31:04,517
infamous drinking bouts.
528
00:31:05,745 --> 00:31:07,686
In a dispute about rank and honor,
529
00:31:07,686 --> 00:31:11,987
Alexander and Clietus went for each other's throats.
530
00:31:11,987 --> 00:31:14,070
They were probably drunk.
531
00:31:18,808 --> 00:31:19,641
(speaking in foreign language)
532
00:31:19,641 --> 00:31:20,950
I actually believe
533
00:31:20,950 --> 00:31:24,911
that the murder of Clietus was an emotional act.
534
00:31:24,911 --> 00:31:27,201
They were close friends.
535
00:31:27,201 --> 00:31:30,493
Clietus was one of his best friends,
536
00:31:30,493 --> 00:31:34,410
and I think Alexander killed Clietus in a rage,
537
00:31:35,641 --> 00:31:38,308
which he later, once sobered up,
538
00:31:39,887 --> 00:31:41,304
deeply regretted,
539
00:31:42,171 --> 00:31:43,921
but the man was dead.
540
00:31:46,336 --> 00:31:47,746
Just a few weeks later,
541
00:31:47,746 --> 00:31:49,998
this seems to have been forgotten.
542
00:31:49,998 --> 00:31:53,928
Soon after, the emperor went on a scouting expedition.
543
00:31:53,928 --> 00:31:56,267
He heard about an old mountain pass,
544
00:31:56,267 --> 00:31:58,267
often used by merchants.
545
00:31:59,469 --> 00:32:03,636
Alexander planned to extend his empire to the east.
546
00:32:04,908 --> 00:32:09,075
The route was supposed to lead across Afghan borders.
547
00:32:11,317 --> 00:32:13,967
He demanded that his people would follow him
548
00:32:13,967 --> 00:32:16,369
to the end of the world,
549
00:32:16,369 --> 00:32:19,694
to a place where no Greek had ever been.
550
00:32:19,694 --> 00:32:22,194
(light music)
551
00:32:24,844 --> 00:32:27,392
The route followed the Hindu Kush
552
00:32:27,392 --> 00:32:29,935
at a height of 1,000 meters.
553
00:32:29,935 --> 00:32:34,102
Beyond, laid a land that had never been conquered.
554
00:32:35,373 --> 00:32:39,243
Do you remember what Aristotle once told us
555
00:32:39,243 --> 00:32:41,076
about these mountains?
556
00:32:44,003 --> 00:32:45,920
No, I can't remember.
557
00:32:50,004 --> 00:32:52,034
(sighs)
558
00:32:52,034 --> 00:32:55,784
He called them "Peaks no eagle could pass,"
559
00:32:57,052 --> 00:33:01,074
and beyond them is the end of the world.
560
00:33:01,074 --> 00:33:03,241
No Greek has ever seen it.
561
00:33:08,353 --> 00:33:12,218
(sighs) I will give the order
562
00:33:12,218 --> 00:33:13,635
to leave at dawn.
563
00:33:16,318 --> 00:33:20,485
At about midday, we should have conquered the first pass.
564
00:33:23,786 --> 00:33:25,576
After many bloody battles
565
00:33:25,576 --> 00:33:27,417
and enormous hardship,
566
00:33:27,417 --> 00:33:29,933
Alexander tempted fate again.
567
00:33:29,933 --> 00:33:32,433
(light music)
568
00:33:35,316 --> 00:33:36,149
(speaking in foreign language)
569
00:33:36,149 --> 00:33:39,089
After having conquered the Persian Empire,
570
00:33:39,089 --> 00:33:43,489
one could say that Greece had got its revenge.
571
00:33:43,489 --> 00:33:45,239
But it is interesting
572
00:33:46,928 --> 00:33:51,732
that Alexander didn't stop and return at this point.
573
00:33:51,732 --> 00:33:55,752
His contemporaries couldn't understand it.
574
00:33:55,752 --> 00:33:58,002
They thought it was pothos,
575
00:33:59,952 --> 00:34:03,285
a longing that drove Alexander forward.
576
00:34:04,491 --> 00:34:05,640
At that time,
577
00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:10,393
the end of the known world was believed to be in India.
578
00:34:10,393 --> 00:34:14,269
The exotic country was said to border the world ocean
579
00:34:14,269 --> 00:34:16,849
that surrounded the globe,
580
00:34:16,849 --> 00:34:20,644
but the Earth is larger than ancient scholars suspected.
581
00:34:20,644 --> 00:34:23,144
(light music)
582
00:34:25,375 --> 00:34:29,185
Allegedly 135,000 volunteer soldiers
583
00:34:29,185 --> 00:34:30,526
dared to make the journey
584
00:34:30,526 --> 00:34:33,612
across the dangerous Khyber Pass to India.
585
00:34:33,612 --> 00:34:35,931
The core army was more than twice as large
586
00:34:35,931 --> 00:34:38,984
as it was at the beginning of the conquest.
587
00:34:38,984 --> 00:34:41,484
(light music)
588
00:34:44,256 --> 00:34:47,236
In the spring of 326 B.C.,
589
00:34:47,236 --> 00:34:51,564
they reached the Indus Valley in today's Pakistan.
590
00:34:51,564 --> 00:34:54,397
The army fought heat and humidity.
591
00:34:57,259 --> 00:35:00,922
The fauna was exotic and full of mosquitoes.
592
00:35:00,922 --> 00:35:05,689
The monsoon had turn the soil into impassable marshland,
593
00:35:05,689 --> 00:35:08,772
but nature wasn't the only challenge.
594
00:35:11,308 --> 00:35:13,070
At the river Hydaspes,
595
00:35:13,070 --> 00:35:15,812
the Indian King Porus attacked Alexander
596
00:35:15,812 --> 00:35:17,278
(elephants trumpeting)
597
00:35:17,278 --> 00:35:21,608
with an equally strong army and with war elephants.
598
00:35:21,608 --> 00:35:26,167
(screaming and swords clanging)
599
00:35:26,167 --> 00:35:27,787
It was a bloody battle,
600
00:35:27,787 --> 00:35:30,537
evenly balanced for long periods.
601
00:35:31,766 --> 00:35:36,169
But in the end, the conquerors from the west succeeded.
602
00:35:36,169 --> 00:35:39,419
It was the last big battle they fought.
603
00:35:45,308 --> 00:35:49,206
Alexander's army was at the end of its forces,
604
00:35:49,206 --> 00:35:53,373
and it is said that he faced the greatest loss of his life.
605
00:35:55,186 --> 00:35:59,737
Bucephalus, his beloved horse, died from exhaustion.
606
00:35:59,737 --> 00:36:03,404
His death allegedly broke Alexander's heart.
607
00:36:07,187 --> 00:36:09,706
(peaceful music)
608
00:36:09,706 --> 00:36:12,947
But despite the setbacks, he wanted to move on.
609
00:36:12,947 --> 00:36:16,738
After eight years and 18,000 kilometers, however,
610
00:36:16,738 --> 00:36:19,108
his men were tired of war.
611
00:36:19,108 --> 00:36:23,275
They became mutinous and wanted to return to Greece.
612
00:36:24,369 --> 00:36:25,202
And?
613
00:36:26,687 --> 00:36:29,438
Have you made a decision?
614
00:36:29,438 --> 00:36:32,248
We've almost reached our destination.
615
00:36:32,248 --> 00:36:36,700
We will be able to see the end of the world.
616
00:36:36,700 --> 00:36:40,810
It's a heroic act that no one will ever outdo,
617
00:36:40,810 --> 00:36:43,361
our names will be immortal!
618
00:36:43,361 --> 00:36:46,312
I understand you, Alexander.
619
00:36:46,312 --> 00:36:49,395
And you know I was a loyal companion.
620
00:36:53,452 --> 00:36:55,369
But I can only tell you
621
00:36:57,382 --> 00:37:01,132
that you won't convince your men to carry on.
622
00:37:03,352 --> 00:37:07,144
They will oppose you if you coerce them.
623
00:37:07,144 --> 00:37:10,952
They would rather die here at your hand
624
00:37:10,952 --> 00:37:14,285
than follow you to the end of the world.
625
00:37:21,224 --> 00:37:24,641
Do you remember Achilles and Patroclus?
626
00:37:25,923 --> 00:37:28,662
We wanted to be like them,
627
00:37:28,662 --> 00:37:29,898
we were like them,
628
00:37:29,898 --> 00:37:32,112
we even surpassed them!
629
00:37:32,112 --> 00:37:35,432
They died in battle, it was their fate!
630
00:37:35,432 --> 00:37:37,762
And they'd asked for it!
631
00:37:37,762 --> 00:37:39,679
And us? What awaits us?
632
00:37:40,781 --> 00:37:42,614
A life at royal court?
633
00:37:43,476 --> 00:37:46,976
Surrounded by flatterers and boot-lickers,
634
00:37:49,872 --> 00:37:52,394
in the lap of beautiful women,
635
00:37:52,394 --> 00:37:55,006
and on boring hunting excursions?
636
00:37:55,006 --> 00:37:57,546
That's what awaits us back home.
637
00:37:57,546 --> 00:37:59,275
Do you really want that?
638
00:37:59,275 --> 00:38:00,275
Alexander!
639
00:38:02,860 --> 00:38:06,955
You conquered a World Empire from the back of your horse,
640
00:38:06,955 --> 00:38:10,615
but you can't rule it from the back of your horse.
641
00:38:10,615 --> 00:38:13,365
If you want to be at war forever,
642
00:38:15,856 --> 00:38:18,023
your empire will not last.
643
00:38:23,269 --> 00:38:25,870
So close to the fulfillment of his dream,
644
00:38:25,870 --> 00:38:28,360
Alexander felt let down,
645
00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:32,253
but eventually he gave the order to return home.
646
00:38:32,253 --> 00:38:33,439
(speaking in foreign language)
After 70 days
647
00:38:33,439 --> 00:38:34,632
of rain,
648
00:38:34,632 --> 00:38:37,032
you don't want to walk any further.
649
00:38:37,032 --> 00:38:40,349
Alexander then had the ingenious idea
650
00:38:40,349 --> 00:38:42,592
of locking himself in his tent.
651
00:38:42,592 --> 00:38:46,086
He was sulking and went into a sit-in,
652
00:38:46,086 --> 00:38:48,414
but as the people wouldn't give in,
653
00:38:48,414 --> 00:38:50,773
he consulted the gods.
654
00:38:50,773 --> 00:38:53,126
The gods were consulted by the priests,
655
00:38:53,126 --> 00:38:56,966
and the priests knew what they wanted and said,
656
00:38:56,966 --> 00:39:00,646
"We're really sorry, but the gods opposed."
657
00:39:00,646 --> 00:39:04,813
And Alexander said, "If the gods opposed, I have to return."
658
00:39:08,506 --> 00:39:11,278
But he returned on a different route.
659
00:39:11,278 --> 00:39:15,457
He sailed with a fleet down the Indus to the Indian Ocean.
660
00:39:15,457 --> 00:39:18,929
So he reached the end of the world after all,
661
00:39:18,929 --> 00:39:21,747
then he split his forces.
662
00:39:21,747 --> 00:39:25,006
The ships explored the sea route to Persia,
663
00:39:25,006 --> 00:39:28,756
and Alexander went over land with his troops.
664
00:39:31,226 --> 00:39:32,506
The soldiers had to cross
665
00:39:32,506 --> 00:39:36,234
one of the most forbidden places on Earth.
666
00:39:36,234 --> 00:39:40,457
The march through the Gedrosian Desert became a death march.
667
00:39:40,457 --> 00:39:43,263
When Alexander finally arrived in Babylon,
668
00:39:43,263 --> 00:39:46,255
he had lost more men than in any battle.
669
00:39:46,255 --> 00:39:49,005
(mournful music)
670
00:39:51,099 --> 00:39:53,426
And the setbacks didn't stop.
671
00:39:53,426 --> 00:39:57,347
Hephaestion, his closest friend, fell severely ill.
672
00:39:57,347 --> 00:39:59,347
It was probably malaria.
673
00:40:01,610 --> 00:40:04,610
You can't leave me alone just now.
674
00:40:06,449 --> 00:40:08,949
We've still got so much to do.
675
00:40:10,055 --> 00:40:11,555
I am Patroclus …
676
00:40:18,751 --> 00:40:20,501
and you are Achilles.
677
00:40:23,891 --> 00:40:26,808
I have to die before you my friend.
678
00:40:27,834 --> 00:40:29,834
(sighs)
679
00:40:31,464 --> 00:40:32,346
(light sobbing)
680
00:40:32,346 --> 00:40:34,596
It is written in the Iliad.
681
00:40:37,047 --> 00:40:38,858
But unlike the poem,
682
00:40:38,858 --> 00:40:41,899
Hephaestion didn't die on the battlefield.
683
00:40:41,899 --> 00:40:43,658
Their shared dream of fame
684
00:40:43,658 --> 00:40:46,825
through heroic death didn't come true.
685
00:40:49,138 --> 00:40:53,271
Alexander mourned his friend on an overwhelming scale.
686
00:40:53,271 --> 00:40:56,642
For three days, he held funeral games in Babylon,
687
00:40:56,642 --> 00:40:58,975
just like Achilles did for Patroclus.
688
00:40:58,975 --> 00:41:01,475
(light music)
689
00:41:05,419 --> 00:41:06,734
Just a half year later,
690
00:41:06,734 --> 00:41:09,404
Alexander also fell ill
691
00:41:09,404 --> 00:41:13,571
during the preparations for a new campaign to Arabia.
692
00:41:16,286 --> 00:41:19,054
Some say there was poison involved,
693
00:41:19,054 --> 00:41:22,325
but he probably had malaria as well.
694
00:41:22,325 --> 00:41:25,189
The emperor was closer to death than life.
695
00:41:25,189 --> 00:41:29,522
(light suspenseful music)
696
00:41:29,522 --> 00:41:33,605
The court worried about the future of the empire.
697
00:41:35,071 --> 00:41:38,076
Roxana was pregnant with his son,
698
00:41:38,076 --> 00:41:41,343
but Alexander didn't name a successor.
699
00:41:41,343 --> 00:41:42,343
Alexander,
700
00:41:45,255 --> 00:41:48,255
who is supposed to rule your empire?
701
00:41:53,263 --> 00:41:55,846
The most powerful one of you.
702
00:41:57,552 --> 00:41:59,345
Alexander the Great,
703
00:41:59,345 --> 00:42:01,595
died on June 10th, 323 B.C.
704
00:42:03,358 --> 00:42:07,787
In Greece, a bitter fight about his succession started.
705
00:42:07,787 --> 00:42:11,954
The empire he founded broke apart within just a few decades.
706
00:42:15,815 --> 00:42:18,944
But he spread Greek culture over three continents,
707
00:42:18,944 --> 00:42:21,271
all the way to India,
708
00:42:21,271 --> 00:42:25,438
and he was the first European world ruler in history.
709
00:42:26,382 --> 00:42:28,945
He was buried in Alexandria,
710
00:42:28,945 --> 00:42:31,834
in the city that carried his name.
711
00:42:31,834 --> 00:42:35,001
The exact location fell into oblivion.
712
00:42:36,314 --> 00:42:37,147
(horse neighing)
713
00:42:37,147 --> 00:42:41,314
He formed the image of Alexander the Heroic Conqueror,
714
00:42:42,345 --> 00:42:44,513
but the honorary title The Great
715
00:42:44,513 --> 00:42:47,513
was given to him only by the Romans.
716
00:42:49,531 --> 00:42:52,344
Others continued to tell his legend
717
00:42:52,344 --> 00:42:55,121
across generations and borders.
718
00:42:55,121 --> 00:42:58,949
What remains is the fascination with the man
719
00:42:58,949 --> 00:43:00,782
who changed the world.
720
00:43:04,637 --> 00:43:07,637
(harmonizing music)
53147
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