Original subtitles

[Music]

throughout the glorious and terrible

history of conquest one

towers above them all

one warrior one King one legend

Alexander the Great never in all the

world was there another like born of a

ruthless mother he believed that she was

a consort of some higher being educated

by a brilliant philosopher one of the

most influential thinkers in the world

Aristotle driven by a domineering father

they swiftly drew their swords them that

what really flowed a Macedonian warrior

at 14 a general at 18 King at 20

commanding 40,000 troops hungry for

total war leaving a grand legacy and

that endured to this day

[Music]

more than two thousand years ago this

was the home of a man who many consider

to be the greatest warrior in history we

are in northern Greece at the remains of

the ancient city of Pella where once

stood the palace of king philip ii of

macedon the father of Alexander the

Great

in the 4th century BC Alexander was

raised here to conquer the world we are

going to explore the journey of those

conquests which spanned 12 years

22,000 miles and covered the territories

of what are now Greece Turkey Lebanon

Egypt Iran Iraq Afghanistan and Pakistan

we're going to examine the complex

personality of a man who may have

considered himself to be a god

yet who died a mere mortal at the age of

32 like Alexander we too have a mission

to answer questions that have been

debated by historians for centuries who

was Alexander what drove him on and how

could he at such a young age have

conquered such a vast empire

most of what we know about Alexander the

Great

comes from four ancient historians who

wrote several hundred years after

Alexander died in 323 BC they based

their manuscripts on the journals of men

who lived and fought alongside the

legendary warrior the historians include

Arian a Greek author and statesman

Diodorus of Sicily hirtius Rufus of Rome

and the Greek philosopher Plutarch the

only writer to document Alexander's

boyhood and devote considerable time to

analyzing his character when a portrait

painter sets out to create a likeness he

relies above all upon the face in the

expression of the eyes and pays less

attention to the other parts of the body

in the same way it is my task to dwell

upon those actions which illuminate the

workings of the soul and so we begin the

astonishing tale

whose short life of 32 years gave him

historic immortality

it is 356 BC the year of Alexander's

birth in an area of northern Greece

known as Macedonia or Macedon king

philip ii rules a population that other

Greeks consider inferior we get this

impression that the Macedonians are

barely literate that they are boorish

that they are beneath the high level of

culture that is exhibited by many

Athenians and and furthermore that

they're dangerous as represented by the

king philip ii but the Macedonians are

very wealthy they control areas filled

with gold and silver mines Philip

exploit these riches to the fullest

he assembles trains and equips an army

that is one of the finest in the world

[Music]

the reign of Philip with a developing

awful shock for them that this

disorganized Macedonian Kingdom had

suddenly become organized thanks to the

minds it had enormous economic power but

where there is power there is also

passion in 357 BC at age 26

Philip becomes passionately involved

with a young woman named Olympius from

the Greek region of Epirus

he asks her hand in marriage and

Olympius agrees to become one of his

numerous brides

he certainly did have the reputation of

the married afresh wife with every

campaign he undertook the object of that

room hot be that he wanted to make

himself diplomatically safe by

contracting these various alliances

Phillip is smitten with the beauty of

Olympius but he is not fully aware that

she has an eccentric wild side

associating herself with mystic cults

and mythologies she's a fiery character

and she is political she is religious

but above all she's domestic

make no mistake about it Olympia's main

interest throughout her life was clearly

getting her son Alexander onto the

throne I think she was as far as the

succession of her son Alexander was

concerned absolutely ruthless

Philips marriage to Olympius brings the

king greater worries and challenges than

he ever faced on a field of battle on

the night before the marriage was

consummated the bride dreamed that her

womb was struck by a thunderbolt Philip

saw himself in a dream in the act of

sealing up his wife's womb and upon the

seal there was the figure of a lion at

another time a serpent was seen

stretched out that Olympus's side as she

slept and this weekend Philips passion

and cooled his affection for her from

that time on he seldom came to sleep

with her either he was afraid she would

cast an evil spell upon him or else he

believed that she was a consort of some

higher being

the relationship between Filip and

Olympius is destined to be a tumultuous

one

Philip himself secretly witnesses this

serpent lying in bed with Olympius the

experience concerns him greatly as the

king of all Greek gods Zeus is

frequently represented in the form of a

serpent Philip feels a burning desire to

find out if the child to be born to

Olympius was fathered by himself or

possibly though unimaginably by Zeus

there is only one place for Philip to

obtain an answer the Oracle of Apollo at

Delphi

this is how Delfy appeared in the fourth

century BC a bustling center of worship

Commerce and athletic competition

this is Delfy today the columns of the

temple of apollo still stand

majestically on a magnificent hillside

overlooking the Gulf of Corinth

[Music]

for us when we hear the word the Oracle

of Delphi what we understand is the

place the person is the Prophet what C

told us was a prophecy so that's the

holy place that is dedicated to Apollo

and Apollo was the Sun God the god of

music and poetry on the other hand in

Delphi Apollo could tell people the

future so he had that special charisma

therefore we call it an Oracle so that's

the Oracle of Delphi inside the Oracle

you can see the Treasuries the starts

use the dedications the temple that's

the most important building

[Music]

underneath was the cellar the holy room

our Vuitton there was the priestess from

there they would tell people the future

in the months before Alexander's birth

in 356 BC there is only one question

that Philip wants to ask the Oracle at

Delphi will his child be the son of a

mortal or a God

Philip sends an emissary here to Delfy

to consult with the oracle of apollo

about the meaning of what he is

witnessed the oracle while not directly

acknowledging that alexander would be

the son of a god tells philip to make

sacrifices to zeus and to revere him

above all other deities the oracle adds

that philip will lose the sight of the

eye with which he peered through into

the bedroom and saw Olympius with the

serpent a prophecy which is fulfilled

two years later when philip is seriously

wounded in battle stories such as this

reported by ancient historians are

viewed with skepticism today everybody

says oh well you look through the

keyhole there is your wife frolicking

around with a great anaconda you know it

tends perhaps to something put you off

your mark a little

regardless of his status as a deity the

child born to Olympius during the summer

of 356 BC

is destined to bring triumph and tragedy

to his homeland his family and himself

as Alexander the Great

[Music]

at the time of Alexander the Great's

birth in 356 BC the troops of philip ii

are engaged in expanding his kingdom

two cities in the Macedonian region of

northern Greece are prominent eg now

called Virgina is the first Macedonian

capital and continues to be an active

place of ancestral worship politics and

art

remains of a large palace still exist as

well as an outdoor theater where

celebrations performances and athletic

competitions are held

in the 4th century BC Pella becomes the

active Macedonian capital and home of

king philip ii this is where Alexander

the Great

grows up he lives a life of royalty but

he is by no means a spoiled rich kid his

ambition and curiosity about the world

are limitless Alexander is a boy of

incredible intellect his favorite author

is Homer and he regularly sleeps with a

copy of Homer's poems by his bedside at

Pella he is educated in a school

reserved for the children of Macedonian

nobility at this Academy is given the

finest training academic athletic and

military but at the age of 13 an event

occurs which convinces Philip that his

son's intelligence is only surpassed by

his courage there came a day when Phil

annika surface alien brought Philip a

horse named Bucephalus which he offered

herself for 13 talents the king and his

friends went down to the plain towards

the horses giants and came to the

conclusion that he was wild and

unmanageable Philip ordered it to be led

away but Alexander who was standing

close by he remarked what a horse

they're losing and all because they do

not know how to handle him or dare not

try Alexander worked quickly up the

Bucephalus took hold of his bridle and

turned him towards the Sun for he had

noticed that the horse was shying at the

sight of his own shadow

[Music]

Alexander vaulted safely in his back he

urged them forward using a commanding

voice and a touch of a food at first

Philip and his friends held their breath

and looked on in an agony of surprise

until they saw Alexander Rybak

triumphant

[Music]

his father we're doing actually wept for

joy when Alexander had this mountain he

kissed him and said my boy

you must find the kingdom big enough for

your ambitions Macedonia is too small

for you wither factor fiction legend has

it that Bucephalus becomes Alexander's

favorite horse one he ultimately rides

into battle for years to come

King Phillip is so impressed with his

son he decides that the teachers at the

Macedonian port do not provide him with

the intellectual challenge he deserves

Phillip brings in a new tutor a man who

has gone down in history as one of the

most influential thinkers in the world

Aristotle Phillip also provides his son

with a magical environment in which to

learn

this is the precinct of the Nimitz at

Musa part of the legendary gardens of

Midas

these streams grottoes and shaded walks

were believed to be sacred to the Nimbus

mythological goddesses who were the

spirits of nature according to Plutarch

Alexander used to say that his father

Philip had given him the gift of life

but Aristotle had taught him how to live

well each day as a young teenager

Alexander would walk this path towards

the cave where Aristotle teaches

Aristotle was one of the widest ranging

minds that ever lived

a philosopher whose teachings covered

ethics politics music medicine

embryology astronomy botany magnets

optics history zoology rhetoric poetry

and most important curiosity

he teaches Alexander to make no

assumptions every situation is different

organize analyze the facts before

drawing conclusions add this to

Alexander's natural spontaneity and you

have a recipe for genius

it is at this time when Alexander moves

from adolescence into manhood that he

meets have feast children the son of a

Macedonian noblemen have feasted

ultimately becomes Alexander's closest

friend and many believe an intimate

companion as Alexander was dragged into

a teenager both Philip and Olympius was

scared that he was growing up as what

the Greeks call a guineas which is a

femme homosexual and in order to put him

right what they both suggested was

importing high-class call girls to show

him what he should be up to and it does

raise the question of what do you do if

you are a slightly feminine youth with

an ultra masculine heavily bearded

militarily a successful hard-drinking

dominant alpha male father and it does

make one wonder whether the lifelong

devotion and friendship that he had with

efficient it was with the one person

with whom he could relax and be himself

what really motivated Alexander in which

is I think what everyone coming to grips

with him has to realize is he enjoyed

the problems involved in putting

together a massive army and using that

massive army to gain strategic

objectives that's what turned him on in

a sort of brutal way he would say

killing other armies is what really

turned him on and for him that was much

more of a rush than the kind of rush he

got from sex

it is believed that the philosophy of

Aristotle the warrior instinct of Philip

and the passion for mythology of

Olympius combined to create the

extraordinary human being Alexander he

would soon have his first chance to

prove himself on a battlefield but he

would also make an enemy of his own

father

[Music]

340 BC king philip ii of macedon father

of 16 year old Alexander is at war his

goal to control Greece the Macedonian

phalanx is Philips most powerful tool of

war highly trained soldiers carrying

Pike's or ceressus marching in tight

formation a massive moving war machine

practically unstoppable Philip adapted

the formation from the traditional Greek

phalanx the main difference with Philips

phalanx is the fact that the body armor

of the individual infantry soldier is

less but it's compensated for by the

fact that the soldier carries a pipe the

pike is between 15 and 18 feet long it's

got a counterweight on the end which is

closest to the soldier which allows the

fulcrum to move back so that the end of

the pike can be lifted now of course if

you've got a pike that's 15 to 18 feet

long you have to drill those men

extremely well so that they can move

them around

if you are faced with a macedonian

phallanx

you're faced with a front thousands wide

with these pipes you had this enormous

hedge of Lisa still coming at you and

you just couldn't reach the opposition

with your own much shorter thrusting

shields so provided the Phalanx kept

leveled to nickel just literally walked

through any opposition which it did

[Music]

by the time Alexander turned 16

Philip controls most of Greece but when

news of each additional triumph reaches

Alexander he shows no pride whenever he

heard that Philip had captured some

famous city or won an overwhelming

victory Alexander would show no pleasure

at the news but would declare to his

friends boys my father were forced all

mean everything there will be nothing

great or spectacular for you and for me

to show to the world Alexander had no

desire to inherit a kingdom which

offered him riches luxuries and the

pleasure of the senses his choice was a

life of struggle of wars and of

unrelenting ambition at the ancient

Macedonian capital of AG in 339 BC

Alexander spends much time studying the

records and accounts of his father's

exploits it is obvious to many that he

grows increasingly anxious to engage in

battle and that one day he will lead his

own conquests on one occasion when

Philip is away from AG some ambassadors

from Persia arrive

Alexander receives them in his father's

place and impresses them greatly with

his intelligence his maturity and his

knowledge of politics they come away

convinced that Philips reputation for

astute Ness is nothing compared to the

adventurous spirit and dangerous

ambitions of his son

but Phillip also continues to have

ambition to control Greece standing in

his way are his two most formidable

opponents the armies of Thebes and

Athens

[Music]

in particular a unique group of soldiers

has a ferocious reputation the sacred

band of thebes is made up of 150 couples

of male lovers who eat together sleep

together and fight together

never retreating always fighting to the

death to further challenge philip the

Thebans and athenians had been supported

with weapons soldiers and money from

persia consider the world's most

powerful nation the Persian king knows

that a Philip completes his conquest of

Greece he has Persia in his sights

Philips motive is revenge for a

generation of Persian meddling in the

political affairs of both Greece and

Macedon the Persian rulers would be

pleased to see Philips ambition halted

by the troops of Thebes and Athens

the showdown is to occur at a place

called Chaeronea

in central Greece today a vast sea of

cotton fields a defeat for Phillip would

mean the end of his conquests a victory

would motivate him to move his army

toward Asia in August 338 BC the day

arrives for the battle at Chaeronea to

take place

Alexander is 18

Philip decides it is time for his son to

become a Macedonian commander he places

him in charge of the companion cavalry a

force of 2,000 horsemen who always

perform a key strategic role in Philips

battles attacking the enemy from a

flight position it is with the battle at

Chaeronea that the historian Diodorus

begins his accounts of Alexander's life

the armies deployed at dawn and the king

stationed his son Alexander young in age

but noted for his valor and swiftness of

action on one wing placing beside him

his most seasoned generals while he

himself at the head of pikmin exercised

the command over the other individual

units were stationed where the occasion

required on the other side dividing the

line according to nationality the

athenians assigned one wing to the

Thebans and kept command of the others

themselves

I am standing on the site of the Battle

of Chaeronea King Phillip begins the

battle by sending his Macedonian phalanx

forward

they smash into the Athenian left-wing

but suddenly the signal for a treat is

given now for a masked facts of infantry

to move backwards keeping formation is

an almost impossible achievement only

made possible because these are the

finest infantry troops in the world

the Athenians and their allies now move

forwards and were left across the

battlefield toward to be apparently

retreating Macedonians but the Thebans

of more disciplined troops stay where

they are which turns out to be a mistake

because between the Thebans and the

Allies a gap opens up and that gap is

seen by Alexander he's waiting with the

cavalry when he sees that gap he charges

forward smashes through it he encircled

the Thebans and is able to attack the

Allies in their flank at the same time

the Macedonian phalanx now stops and

starts to advance

they steamroller through the Athenians

cut them down

[Applause]

2,000 of them surrender the Thebans are

not so lucky

completely surrounded by Alexander and

his cavalry they are killed almost to a

man

following the bloody battle in August

338 BC the fields of Chaeronea are

filled with carnage

[Music]

Philip with the aid of his son achieves

his goal of controlling Greece the

sacred band of Thebes is buried here

underneath the statue of a lion the

Athenian Dead were cremated the Battle

of Chaeronea did two things on a

personal level it proved Alexander to be

an efficient and courageous commander of

what was probably the finest cavalry

force the world has ever seen

politically it established Philips

control over Athens and most of the

Greek city-states he could afford to be

generous

he offered peace and the release of all

prisoners his terms were accepted

Alexander himself was sent with an honor

guard to Athens bearing the ashes of the

Athenian dead but relations between

father and son were about to change

never again would Philip trust Alexander

with so important a task

the Battle of Chaeronea could have been

the beginning of a father-son Macedonian

dynasty but the future holds in store a

far different fate one that inspires not

mutual respect between Philip and

Alexander but hatred and distrust

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

by the fall of 338 BC can philip ii of

macedon controls most of greece a

decisive victory at cara mia' in which

alexander plays a significant role

defeating the athenians gives Macedonian

troops respect for a new father-son

leadership team by the time Alexander

reaches the age of 18 he has proven

himself a worthy successor to his

Father's throne he naturally assumes

that this palace at AG will one day be

his to rule and to call home but a

series of events alters those

expectations events prompted not by war

but by love

[Music]

within months of his victory at

Chaeronea philip decides to take another

bride 20 year old cleopatra from an

elite macedonian family degrees to

become his newest bride i think it came

down to the fact that here he is a

middle-aged man and he finds himself an

appropriate young woman who will make a

marriage alliance with a strong

Macedonian family and he went for it

here we've got a guy who's almost 50

taking up with a woman who is you know

30 years is younger so I'll let you draw

the conclusions on that

regardless of his reasoning Philips

decision to Wed Cleopatra creates a

major rift with Alexander and his mother

Olympus should the Macedonian Cleopatra

give birth to a male child the boy would

take Alexander's place as legitimate

heir to Philips throne for Alexander's

mother is from Epirus not part of

Macedonia Alexander who had been brought

up on the Iliad and the flattery of his

tutors that he was a second achilles

fancied himself in the road on the other

hand there was daddy who clearly had

prior claim to the job and now daddy had

remarried and was busy soaring children

on Cleopatra as fast as he could go

growing tension between family members

comes to a head on the couple's wedding

night in the fall of 338 BC

the Macedonians were renowned for their

drinking parties many of which took

place right here in the palace following

the wedding of Philip and Cleopatra the

traditional Macedonian banquet takes

place at which all the men become

seriously drunk at Alice the bride's

uncle raises a toast praying that the

God's may bless the union with the

legitimate heir to the throne enraged

Alexander shouts out what do you take me

for a bastard he curls a goblet of wine

at a talisman Philip stands draws his

sword advances across the room towards

his son he's so drunk he trips and falls

Alexandr jeers at his father saying here

is the man who is planning to cross from

europe into asia and he cannot even

cross from one table to another

[Music]

this incident devastates a father-son

relationship which took 18 years to

build it destroys the potential of a

military partnership upon which family

dynasties are often founded following

the scandalous wedding banquet Alexander

and his mother Olympius go into exile

but Philip soon realizes that the state

needs a recognized heir to the throne

and he needs a valuable military

commander he convinces Alexander to

return home but Olympius does not return

despite the reconciliation there is no

guarantee that Alexander will one day be

king within a year of Philips marriage

cleopatra gives birth to a son if Philip

lives long enough the throne will not go

to Alexander it will go to his

half-brother

a purebred Macedonian

while the intense discord among Philip

Alexander and Olympius is far from

reconciled

Philip now focuses on his ultimate goal

with Greece under control

he considers expanding his kingdom into

Asia Philip sends a small expedition of

troops under the command of his general

Parmenio to Asia's western coasts to

assess obstacles and establish a

bridgehead plumeria was his senior

general extremely important to him he

was his right-hand man absolutely

trusted he was also a conniving

political bastard of the first order and

his great advantage clearly was a his

absolute loyalty to Philip and be his

undoubted extreme skill as a general but

before Philip himself risks the journey

to Asia he decides once again to consult

the garlands Philip sends an emissary to

Delfy to ask whether or not he will

conquer Darius the great king of Persia

the answer he receives is ambiguous the

ball is garland 'add the sacrifice is

ready

Philip interprets this to mean that

Neriah will be slaughtered like a victim

at the altar a true fulfillment of the

prophecy however turns out to be quite

different

[Music]

straightaway Philip sets in motion plans

for gorgeous sacrifices he wanted as

many Greeks as possible to take part in

the festivities so he planned brilliant

musical contests and lavish banquets for

his friends and guests he was determined

to show himself to the Greeks as an

amiable person Philips celebration takes

place on the palace grounds of the

ancient capital city of Agee it is

October of 336 BC this is the theatre in

the grounds of the Royal Palace at egg G

here thousands of Macedonians gather

together with King Philip and Alexander

for a festival in honor of the gods

it's a happy occasion for all except one

man pase Gnaeus a royal bodyguard

according to the ancient historian

Diodorus passe Gnaeus is beloved by

philip because of his beauty but when

the king becomes enamored of another

young man passe Gnaeus reacts poorly he

accuses the young man of being a

promiscuous hermaphrodite for this post

Aeneas is punished

he is plied with wine until drunk

unconscious he is thrown to the Kings

mule drivers to abuse and drunken

licentiousness later he complains to

Philip about this abuse but the King

takes no action against those

responsible in anger boss Aeneas runs up

to Philip stabs him and runs off

but he is killed before making his

escape

Alexander rushes to his father but it's

too late

Philip dies in 336 BC

[Music]

conspiracy theories are immediately

considered good Philips wife Olympius

have been involved to assure her son

Alexander inheriting the throne could

Alexander himself have played a role in

planning the assassination while such

issues are investigated an even more

important question of urgency must be

decided will Greece accept Alexander as

its king

[Music]

when king philip of macedon is killed in

336 BC there is no doubt that his own

bodyguard dealt the fatal blow

but as with modern-day murders

attributed to lone assassins questions

arise about others being involved in the

assassination plot

conspiracy theories were thought of

right from the beginning particularly

after porcini as himself was very

conveniently assassinated during the

chase by Alexander's oldest school

friends which would have made it

impossible for him to talk the immediate

suspicion fell on Olympius and strew

Olympius on alexander and the truth we

never gain to know

[Music]

after a ceremonial cremation Philips

bones and most precious personal

possessions are placed inside an

elaborate burial chamber which is then

covered with tons of soil by ancient

custom the higher the mound the more

important the person centuries later

archeologists would consider this fact

when deciding where first to dig in an

area of Virgina Greece not far from the

ancient royal palace and AG this is

working philip ii was buried near his

palace underneath a man-made mound of

earth which has become known as the

great tim ulis the tomb itself remained

hidden for more than 2,000 years until

discovered in 1977 by the greek

archaeologist Manolis and veronica's

fifteen years later a magnificent Museum

was built literally inside the tomb ulis

the Virgina museum is a marvel of modern

architecture and design exquisitely

exhibiting the items found in several

tombs

[Music]

this is the burial chamber of philip ii

when i first heard of this discovery i

could hardly believe it an awkward many

archaeologists know macedonian tomb on

this scale had ever been discovered but

here it is the facade is designed like a

temple a marble entrance flanked by two

half columns or pilasters above the

entrance is a frieze with the painting

of a royal hunt

philip is depicted hunting lion boar and

other wild animals in a macedonian

forest here a young man on horseback

prepares to throw his weapon this is

Alexander himself to discover the tomb

of Alexander the Great's father was

remarkable enough but what the

archaeologists were not prepared for

what no one could even have imagined was

the amazing treasure that they found

inside

incredibly the actual bones of philip ii

were found inside this solid gold case

also inside the burial chamber his

gold-leafed crown

and wore armor including breastplates

helmets

and shields

following his father's burial Alexander

immediately faces the greatest challenge

of his young life proving to the

citizens of Macedonia that he deserves

to be king Alexander was only twenty

years old when he inherited his kingdom

which at that moment was beset by

formidable jealousies and fumes

Alexander's Macedonian advisors feared

that a crisis was at hand and urged the

young king to leave the Greek states to

their own devices and refrain from using

any force against them

Alexander however shows the opposite

course and decided that the only way to

make his kingdom safe was to act with

audacity and a lofty spirit he was

certain that if he were to heal even a

fraction of his authority all his

enemies would attack him at once

[Music]

within six months Alexander leads the

Macedonian army to regain control of

Greece earning the respect of his troops

with decisive courageous direction

[Music]

to the horror of Cleopatra who later

commits suicide Alexander's mother

Olympius orders the execution of Philips

newborn son leaving himself as the only

possible heir to the Macedonian throne

King Alexander then turns his attention

toward what would become his life's goal

the conquest of Persia but first in the

tradition of his father Alexander

decides to seek counsel from the Oracle

at Delphi to determine if he is indeed

destined by the gods to defeat Duras and

rule all of Asia

unlike Philip however who always sent an

emissary Alexander goes himself in

November of 335 BC when Alexander

arrives here at Delphi he is told that

he has come at the wrong time of year

the Oracle cannot be consulted during

the winter months

he must returned in the spring Alexander

not being one to take no for an answer

goes to the priestess and tries to drag

her by force here to the temple at last

overcome by his persistence she cries

out you are invincible my son when he

hears this Alexander declares that he

needs no other prophecy he has obtained

the answer he was seeking

as with many stories describing

Alexander it is difficult to separate

myth from reality in the accounts of his

visit to Delphine

but Alexander's passionate desire to

please the gods and seek their guidance

is a recurring theme in his life as he

is about to embark on what will be a

12-year jerkey Alexander may or may not

have a notion that he himself has some

form of deified lineage

when he leaves for Asia his mother

Olympius and tells him that upon his

return she will reveal an incredible

secret about his life many believed

Olympius will address the haunting

question that only she can answer is

Alexander the son of a God

or is he a mere mortal man

[Music]

the years 334 BC King philip ii of

macedon is dead assassinated by his own

bodyguard

[Music]

conspiracy theories suggests that his

wife Olympius and son alexander may have

been involved but no one can say for

certain

Alexander at age 20 becomes king and

wastes no time asserting his authority

[Music]

he chooses to continue a massive

offensive his father had begun the

conquest of Asia and the defeat of the

most powerful ruler on earth Persian

King Darius P rarely had no choice but

either to withdraw that force or

reinforce it and have a full-scale war

of annexation which was of course the

alternative that he chose I don't think

he ever thought of anything else and I

don't think even from the beginning that

there was any limit on his ambition of

conquest

alexander's invasion starts with a

daunting logistical maneuver

transporting his army of 40,000 across

the body of water separating Europe and

Asia the Hellespont

today the Hellespont is known as the

dardanelles ferry boats travel back and

forth across the street here Alexander's

troops cross into Asia transported on an

assortment of man-powered rowing vessels

moving such a massive forces fraught

with peril

due to the possibility of foul weather

and the fact that the navy of Persian

King Darius is three times as large

this is the Asian shore of the

Hellespont the current here is strong

and the winds can be brutal Alexander's

ships could be very vulnerable to naval

attack as they ferry the army across but

Alexander has two strokes of luck the

weather is fine and the huge Persian

fleet is far away quelling a revolt in

Egypt Alexander doesn't hesitate he's

been dreaming of this moment leading his

troops into Asia to begin the conquest

of the Persian Empire he set sail

halfway across sacrificing a ball to the

sea god Poseidon he's first to set foot

on the Asian Shore hurling a spear into

the sand claiming to receive Asia from

the gods he's not aware but nearby the

forces of Neriah are gathering

determined that this should be

Alexander's first and last trial of

strength

[Music]

Persian King Darius considers young

Alexander an upstart to be quickly

vanquished the Persian ruler chooses not

to waste his time commanding the troops

himself instead he sends his most

trusted general memnon a Greek mercenary

who chooses a battleground where the

terrain will work in his favor the

Granicus river

this is the Granicus today in

Alexander's time it is three times as

wide and deep Alexander is accompanied

by his own trusted advisors military

commander Parmenio his close friend have

fistula and callus Tony's a nephew of

Aristotle who serves as Alexander's

personal historian on the hi opposite

bank of the Granicus River the Persian

army waits with 20,000 cavalry and

20,000 infantry many of them Greek

mercenaries Greek author and general

Arian wrote about Alexander's first test

of will

our menu came to Alexander and argue we

cannot take the army across the river on

a broad front a failure in our first

action will at once have serious

consequences and will put at risk the

result of the whole war Alexander

replied I know that bar me but I would

be ashamed if I could cross the

Hellespont easily and then found that

this little stream could prevent us from

crossing it does not fit in with the way

I react when I meet danger

[Music]

Alexander proceeds to organize his army

for a bold attack one that many military

leaders might consider foolhardy

Alexander plays a key role in the

offensive raising me wearing a white

plumed helmet marking him as the prime

target of every enemy soldier

[Music]

Alexander's battle strategy at the river

Granicus utilizes tactics he learned

from his father

thousands of highly trained soldiers on

foot and horseback would boldly cross

the river and meet the Persians at all

[Music]

Alexander would cross the river upstream

leading his companion cavalry to attack

the enemy from the right flank

[Music]

there was a profound hush as both armies

stood for a while motionless on the

brink of the river as if in awe of what

was to come then Alexander himself at

the head of the right wing of the army

with trumpets blaring and the shout

going up to the god of battle moved

forward into the river

[Music]

it seemed the act of a desperate man

rather than a coolant commander to

charge into a swiftly flowing river

which swept men off their feet and

surged about them and then to advance

through a hail of missiles toward a

steep Bank which was strongly defended

by infantry and cavalry but in spite of

this Alexander press forward

[Applause]

he was foolhardy but there was a method

in his madness one of the things about

leading from the front rather than the

rear is that it really makes people

follow you are not asking them to do

anything which are not doing itself

there are many historical accounts about

what happened here at the Granicus

suspiciously none of them agree except

that it was an extremely hard-fought

battle it may be that Alexander's first

assault against the Persian Bank was

beating back and he was forced to change

his tactics in propaganda terms this

initial defeat would be disastrous so

perhaps it was hushed up from a military

point of view it would seem suicidal to

send men against determined opposition

across this river and up that Bank but

it seems that that is exactly what

Alexander did and it may be that the

hard fighting Macedonians with the

advantage of their long Pike's

did manage to get a foothold up there

[Music]

when Alexander reaches the opposite

riverbank he leads a cavalry charge

Alexander is struck on the helmet he

loses his spear and his handed another

he is in the act of killing one Persian

noble when another one raises his sword

to strike down an Alexander just in time

his arm is severed by a Macedonian

swords through the Persians by pulling

their forces away from the riverbank

have weakened their center and now the

Macedonians can cross the river in

strength squeeze between the pipes of

the Phalanx and Alexander's cavalry -

Persians break and run

against all odds Alexander defeats the

Persian army and Granicus

this was perhaps the greatest stroke

that Alexander could have hoped for

because when the enemy withdrew from the

field he had achieved everything that he

wanted to achieve which was to say

basically you've totally underestimated

me and I'm gonna whip your butt

alexander's victory of Granicus allows

his army to continue its invasion of

Persia general memnon survives the

battle and reports to Persian King

Darius who determines that the next time

the two forces meet he personally will

command the Persian troops

[Music]

334 BC having defeated Persian forces at

the Granicus River and gained control

over key Aegean Sea ports Alexander

moves his army to the city of gordium

which offers no resistance to the

powerful Macedonian army since 1950

gordium has been excavated by

archaeologists from the University of

Pennsylvania walls of the city

remnants of houses even the entrance

through which Alexander once passed have

all been preserved in Alexander's time

this great walled Citadel of gaudium is

a vital link on the royal road that

leads deep into the heart of the Persian

Empire when the all-conquering Alexander

arrives at the gates they are thrown

open to him and he decides to wait here

for reinforcements four hundred years

earlier gaudium had been the city of

king midas now Alexander has been

educated in the gardens of Midas so he

must have known the local legend

glorious might as his father had also

come here from Macedonia but he had

arrived in an ox cart when gaudiest

became King he dedicated the ox cart

here in the shrine of Zeus the shaft of

the cart was connected to the yoke by a

great knot the ends of which were

invisible it was said that whoever could

untie this knot would be the ruler of

Asia this is a time in which people

absolutely believe in gods in legends

and in symbols and this is a great

symbol once Alexander has publicly

accepted this challenge he has to

succeed he looks at the knot but like

everyone else he can't see how to untie

it then as usual Alexander thinks out of

the box he says it doesn't matter how

the knot is loosened he draws his sword

and cuts the Gordian knot

he hacks aware a lot until he opens it

up and then he finds the ends and unties

it now some people say this is cheating

but that night a great thunderstorm

breaks over gaudium Alexander believes

that Zeus approves

[Music]

some modern-day historians believe

Alexander's experience at Gordian

reflects his mastery of the art of

public relations as much as his

religious friend Alexander was a master

at the photo op when there was a time

when he could use it for propaganda

purposes or for PR purposes he did it

and and he used it primarily to impress

his army but also to impress the people

over whom he was to rule for Alexander's

troops there has never been a time of

higher troop morale but the most

difficult tests are yet to come upon

leaving gordium Alexander heads south

when he learns that Persian King Darius

is personally leading a massive army

towards Issus to halt Alexander's

conquest Jiraiya's his troops have been

estimated to number 600,000 but most

historians agree that 60 to 100,000 is

far more likely nevertheless Alexander's

troops thirty to forty thousand strong

are severely outnumbered

despite the advantage the size of his

army provides him Duras

seeks counsel from one of his most

trusted generals Roman historian hirtius

rufus described the encounter Persian

King Darius turned to Cara Dimas who was

an experienced soldier and proceeded to

ask whether he was well enough equipped

to crush his enemy Kara Dimas answered

your magnificent army can strike terror

into your neighbors it gleams with

purple and gold the Macedonian lion is

certainly course and inelegant but

protects behind it shields tough densely

packed soldiers when they are tired the

earth is their Bend and their sleeping

time is of shorter duration in the

darkness but you need to strength like

theirs send off your gold and silver and

higher soldiers to rious unable to take

the truth at Kara Dimas dragged off to

execution

Jiraiya's is confident that the Persian

army under his personal command will

defeat Alexander but to give himself

even greater advantage

Jiraiya smake SAS strategic move that

takes Alexander by surprise the

Macedonians anticipate to rious

attacking from the south

Alexander moves his forces south from

his Issus Basecamp to await the Persian

army but then Alexander receives

startling news undetected

Jiraiya smoove his army north through a

mountain pass and captures business

severing Alexander's supply lines to

rious is now prepared to it

the north Alexander has no choice but to

reverse his direction it is November 333

BC when Alexander finds his enemy

waiting on the opposite bank of the

river Penrice where it meets the

Mediterranean Sea this is the location

today the shoreline to the west and the

hills to the east

Alexander halts his army several hundred

yards before the river the Durai escape

his army a great advantage by cutting

off the Macedonians from their supplies

geography is in Alexander's favour with

the sea limiting one flank and the hills

the other there is less chance that the

smaller Macedonian army can be

completely surrounded by Persian forces

Alexander surveys the situation a huge

body of men was sighted in the distance

Alexander ordered his men to pitch camp

just where they were he was delighted

that the issue would be decided there in

the past however his confidence gave way

to worry only a single night now

separated him from a critical event

while this victory might be in doubt one

thing was quite certain that he would

die in honourable death which would

bring him great praise

[Music]

when we consider Alexander in all his

battles one of the things obviously we

have to take into account is how did he

feel about it was he afraid and to be

honest in just about every case I see no

evidence of any fear whatsoever did he

have any fears he may have had fears

does he act like he had any fears no he

is one of the few people that I can say

in history that I have examined who acts

with supreme confidence the lines are

drawn for what will be known as the

battle at Issus

like the Granicus River the Penrice

now becomes the Persian Army's primary

defense Jiraiya's Alliance infantry and

cavalry along the riverbank and in a

flanking position at the foothills

riding in his chariot Jiraiya sticks a

central position from where he can

observe the action and dispatch orders

Alexander prepares to do what he does

best anticipate react and adapt dereyes

believes that his huge force of cavalry

will win the battle so sensibly he

places them here on the flat ground by

the mediterranean sea shore

this is Alexander's left wing where his

Macedonian infantry are led by his

trusted general Parmenio but at the last

minute Alexander sees where the Persian

blow will fall so he reinforces this

area with this allied cavalry as

Alexander's army advances towards a

Persian cavalry strike hard a Macedonian

left wing holds but just barely an even

more serious situation is developing

further inland at the center of the

battle

the troupe set forward into the midst of

the Persians were now totally surrounded

obliged to fight hand to hand Lee

swiftly through their swords and then

the blood really fled the two lines were

so closely interlocked that they were

striking each other's weapons with their

own and driving their blades into their

opponent's faces only by bringing down

his opponent could each man advance

exhausted as they were they will

continually be met by fresh adversary

and the wounded could not retire from

the battle as on that of occasions

because the enemy bearing down on them

in front while their own men were

pushing them from behind even

Alexander's powerful phalanx is in peril

at Issus

now the Phalanx has one great weakness

this rough ground in this kind of

terrain it's impossible to keep the

ranks level and the files tightly packed

and as the Macedonians stumble across

the river vain gaps open up in their

phalanx de rias's Greeks tear into the

disordered Macedonians desperately try

and keep their formations together here

in the center of a Sidonians phalanx is

stopped

and in serious trouble

[Music]

the Battle of Issus in November of 333

BC is critical to Alexander's conquest

of Asia but his army is outnumbered by

the forces of Persian King Darius

[Music]

rough ground hinders the progress of the

legendary Macedonian phalanx and

infantry which find themselves engaged

in the bloodiest of hand-to-hand combat

the only chance for Macedonian victory

lies with the cavalry led by Alexander

himself

Alexander was as much a soldier as a

commander riding high in his chariot

dryest caught a conspicuous figure his

brother accessories saw Alexander

bearing down on der iose and moved the

cavalry under his command right in front

of the Kings chariot then the carnage

truly took on cataclysmic proportions

around rias's chariot lay his most

famous generals who had succumbed to a

glorious death before the eyes of their

king and who now all later they had been

fighting

Persian King Darius begins to panic but

the battle is far from over

Alexander turns his attention to his

bloodied and beaten phalanx and infantry

still bravely tried to hold their ground

at this point Alexander alone holds the

key to victory or defeat the usual

problem with cavalry is that once you

let it go it's gone that infantry

running away there is a perfect target

for cavalry and just beyond them is the

Persian camp with all its loot but

Alexander has sufficient command to stop

his cavalry charge and the control to

regroup them turn them left and smash

into the Persian center here derailleurs

himself is directly attacked by

Alexander to late Darius discovers that

the Macedonian strongest force is their

cavalry in the savage fighting that

follows Alexander himself is wounded in

the thigh

Duras as he sees his royal bodyguard

being cut to pieces turns his chariot

round and runs for his life the Persian

line folds up and as evening falls their

retreat becomes a rout

following this battle in late 333 BC

Alexander receives word that derives his

mother wife and two unmarried daughters

are among those taken prisoner and that

they wrongly believed that to rious has

been killed when he heard this Alexander

sent word to them that the rious was not

dead and that they need have no fear of

ill example it was fighting Darius for

the empire of Asia but they should be

provided with everything they had been

accustomed to when the riots was King

Alexander allowed them to keep the same

attendance and privileges they had

previously enjoyed and even increased

their revenues and what he's doing is

presenting himself as the next person

king he is the legitimate Persian King

and it is his duty to take care of the

women fur and by doing that he's sending

out a huge message to the rest of the

world that I have the Persian women

I am the Persian King the Persian nobles

are coming over to me

for Alexander the Great the victory at

Issus in 333 BC

is a dramatic turning point he has

defeated the most powerful army in the

world led by the most powerful ruler

Alexander continues his conquest of the

Asiatic seaports Cyprus and Phoenicia

come easily under his control during

this time Alexander receives a letter

from Persian King Darius Darius appealed

to Alexander to accept ransom for his

Persian prisoners he further offered him

all the territory west of the Euphrates

and the hand of one of his daughters in

marriage and in these terms proposed

that tisha become friends and allies

Alexander told his companions of this

offering whereupon Parmenio said I would

accept these terms if I were Alexander

so would I by Zeus retorted Alexander if

I were Purnima Alexander wrote is

replied to Darius first I defeated your

generals now I have defeated yourself

and the army you led in the future let

any communication you wish to make with

me be addressed to the king of all Asia

do not write to me as an equal

everything you possess is now mine if

you wish to dispute your throne stand

and fight for it

and do not run

wherever you may hide yourself be sure I

shall seek you out

[Music]

Alexander his communications with Darius

only fueling his desire for conquest

leads his army toward the navel center

of Tyre Alexander wishes to control tyre

because of its strategic location the

older part of the city is on the

mainland but a half a mile offshore is a

heavily walled impregnable Island also

considered part of Tyre

[Music]

I'm standing on the southern edge of the

island of Tyre later earthquakes caused

this area to slip into the sea but this

line of rocks marks with the ancient

walls of the city once stood behind me

was the southern harbor one of two

harbors in which the Tyrians kept their

Navy if Alexander had his own ships

he could have mounted an amphibious

assault from the sea but more than a

year earlier at Meletis he'd taken the

bold decision to disband his own ships

and defeat the Persian fleet from the

land by destroying its harbors and its

bases of supply among the most important

of those was tire itself controlling the

island of Tyre means controlling the

vast naval Harbor

when Alexander arrives in January of 332

BC the king of Tyre is away serving with

the Persian fleet Tyrion envoys are sent

to determine Alexander's desires

at first Alexander tries diplomacy this

later Roman arch is close to where the

old shoreline was here the Tyrians come

to greet Alexander he tells them he

wishes to visit their Island to

sacrifice at the temple of Heracles

materials know that to allow Alexander

in means a surrender of the city to him

so they politely point out that there is

a perfectly good temple of Heracles here

on the mainland Alexander is reported to

have become furious and to say I will

show you that your island is part of the

mainland he must have known then there

was only one way to conquer Tyre

to the amazement of the Tyrians and even

his own army alexander threatens to

conquer the walled city in a manner

unimaginable even today by building a

mole for causeway 1/2 mile long

to connect the island

Alexander himself has no idea how

difficult it will be to accomplish such

a bold endeavor

when Alexander the Great encounters

unexpected resistance to his desire to

conquer the walled island of Tyre his

plan of action to build a mold or

causeway allowing him to lay siege to

the city bewilders even his own men

[Music]

the site of the fathomless Deep filled

the soldiers with despair but it could

scarcely be filled even if they had

divine aid

how could rocks big enough be file for

trees tall enough to make a mound to

fill such a void they would have to Dinu

whole regions the straight was

perpetually stormy and the more

constricted the area of its movement

between the island and the mainland more

fierce it became the Tyrians view

Alexander's plan as absurd and consider

the threat an idol one

how did the people of Tyre have the

confidence to resist Alexander well tyre

was a mighty City these Roman remains

are from the 1st and 3rd centuries ad

but down here are some of the original

fortifications of the city from

Alexander's time these stone blocks are

around 2,500 years old they formed part

of the massive walls and towers which

then surrounded this city 300 years

before Alexander's time king

nebuchadnezzar of babylon laid siege to

this place for thirteen years in

succession he failed to conquer it so

this is the outside wall alley baduy is

chief archaeologist at the ruins of Tyre

he explains that during Alexander's time

two walls separated by approximately six

feet of space protected the island the

foundation for the outer wall was below

sea level they took in consideration if

somebody is going to invade the the

island he will try to look for a small

piece of land to land the army to start

the attack on the wall so for this

reason when they built the walls of the

city they built it just in the edge of

the rock at that time so next to it you

have just

as his troops prepare to construct the

mole alexander hopes the mere sight of

his Army's determination will influence

the leaders of time he tries one more

effort at conquest by diplomacy

[Music]

Alexander sent heralds to urge the

Tyrians to accept peace terms but the

latter violating international

conventions killed them and threw their

bodies into the sea outraged by the

disgraceful murder of his men Alexander

resolved to lay siege to the city the

massive task of building the bull begins

in January 332 BC with large quantities

of rock being transported from old

mainland tyre and timber from the nearby

mountain

[Music]

little by little the mole began to rise

above the surface and the mounds with

increased as it approached the city but

as the mole proceeded further from the

shore the materials piled on it were

increasingly sucked into the Seas depths

with their light skips the Tyrians began

to encircle the structure attacking with

missiles the men stand-in by the work

Alexander had hides and sheets of canvas

stretched before the workmen to screen

them from the missiles and he erected

two turrets on top of the mole from

which weapons could be directed at

approaching focuses as the structure of

the mole finally reaches close to the

walled island the Tyrians make their

boldest move materials fill a ship with

combustible material from the boughs

they hang pots of what was probably

naphtha a sort of napalm of ancient

times they tow the ship towards the mole

and set fire to it the pots of naphtha

burst and the siege towers and wooden

Palisades catch fire simultaneously they

attack with small boats from both sides

killing Alexander's workers and

defenders the attack is a complete

success Alexander's mole is a pile of

smoking rubble

undaunted Alexander sets his soldiers to

work building a new mole but he also

comes to realize that tyre can only be

taken by siege waged simultaneously from

land and sea

in July 332 BC the second mole is

finally ready

so our warships obtained from nearby

Cyprus

[Applause]

as the Macedonian infantry attacks the

walls of tyre from the morning

Alexander leads forces across gangways

from the ships a Macedonian commander

named Admetus leads the assault and pays

for it with his life Alexander himself

takes his place and after bitter

fighting his men break through and gain

a small part of the wall it is all they

need I am standing on the inner

defensive walls of Tyre and here sure

enough the archaeologists have found a

small breach in the wall they believe

that it is in this place that the

Macedonians poured through the defenses

they cut down the exhausted periods

drove them north into the main part of

the city attack from the land and the

sea tyre

could not hold

the siege of Tyre by Alexander's troops

takes seven months truth of the matter

is that in the end he went through with

it because he was damn well not going to

be beaten because they had really

irritated him past belief because he was

going to put her sacrifice in that damn

temple if he had to kill ten thousand

people to do it

[Music]

some turians made a hopeless last stand

at their Citadel the Agra nor iam others

fled for their lives here to the temple

of Heracles like most ancient sites this

one has been built over a medieval

cathedral was constructed on top of it

but down here was the old temple here

Alexander comes to finally make his

sacrifice to Heracles after seven bloody

months those found in here are spared

but outside these walls

a terrible Massacre takes place 8000

Tyrians are slaughtered 30,000 more sold

into slavery

today this roadway is built literally on

top of the mole constructed by order of

Alexander his unrelenting successful

siege of Tyre sent a message to every

other city in the path of his future

conquests

[Music]

what Alexander proves is that if he

believes something is strategically

necessary he will stay at it and fight

for as long as it takes in order to

attain that goal

conquering the walled island city of

Tyre has gone down in history as one of

the most incredible achievements of any

army Alexander more confident than ever

in the abilities of his troops in

himself continues toward the goal of

defeating King Darius and conquering

Persia but first he sets out to discover

something even more personally

significant proof that he is not only a

man but a God

[Applause]

332 BC following a seven-month siege

Alexander has achieved what most would

consider impossible the conquest of the

walled island city of Tyre by building

not one but two half mile long cosway's

with the Aegean Sea port under his

control

Alexander confidently leads his army

into Egypt there he has given the title

of Pharaoh

by tradition making him both a king and

a son of Rao or God

after traveling through Heliopolis and

Memphis Alexander comes upon a shoreline

so magnificent he envisions a grand

Seaport

Alexandria is the first of more than 30

cities founded by Alexander in his own

name but why here well it's an excellent

location between Lake Mary Otis in the

Mediterranean Sea it has a mild healthy

climate and an excellent natural harbour

deep and well sheltered further improved

when Alexander commands the offshore

island of Pharos to be connected to the

mainland by a mul Alexandria would be

the new Emporium for the world's trade a

cornerstone for Alexander's Empire and a

crossroads of the ancient world today

the population of Alexandria is

approximately 4 million 80 percent of

Egypt's imports and exports move through

its harbors to many buildings such a

city would be an achievement of a

lifetime but for Alexander the Great it

is merely a brief distraction from

Greater priorities

one of those is a visit to the temple of

the god Amon at the desert oasis of

Syrah while Alexander was in Egypt the

entire resources of the greatest empire

on earth were mobilizing to fight him he

had to get back to war to defeat the

Persians before their vast armies cut

him off from Macedonia but at this

crucial moment he chose to spend six

weeks traveling through the Sahara

Desert the journey was a spiritual

preparation for what was perhaps the

greatest religious experience of

Alexander's life and it was a journey

that nearly killed him

when Alexander came to the desert he

began to cross the country covered with

an infinite expanse of sand

in four days their water had given out

they suffered from fearful thirst all

fell into despair

and suddenly a great storm of rain

bursts from the heavens ending their

shortage of water in a way that had not

been foreseen at one point when the road

could not be traced because of the sand

dunes the guide pointed out to the king

that the prose calling on the right

we're calling their attention to the

route which led to the temple Alexander

took this as an omen and thinking that

the God was pleased by his visit pushed

on the speed

[Music]

to the Egyptians Amman was the

equivalent of the Greek god Zeus the

king of all gods frequently the deity

would be addressed using both names zeus

Amon Alexander has a burning desire to

find out from the Oracle at SEMA if he

is a son of God today the remains of the

temple still stand at CYO ASIS Alexander

and his companions climbed up into the

temple and it was here on these steps

that the high priest greeted Alexander

with a slip of the tongue he meant to

say or PI D on all my son but his Greek

wasn't up to much and what the

Macedonians heard him say was all PI

Dios

o son of Zeus after Alexander that was

quite a good start the sayings of the

Oracle were usually delivered in this

courtyard but Alexander was too

important a guest for a public show

besides he had some very private

questions so he alone was allowed to

question the God directly and enter the

inner chamber

[Music]

this is the holy shrine where the

bejeweled statue of the RAM headed God

Amon was kept

Alexander stood here alone on this very

spot to ask his questions he never

revealed what they were but in later

years they were said to be these would

he conquer the world had all his

father's murderers been punished and was

he indeed the son of Zeus Alexander

received his answers from the priests

who supposedly had not heard the

questions but in fact beside this

chamber is a narrow passageway here the

priests could listen in and then appear

to give the gods answers now is easy for

us to mock this as a fraud but remember

Oracle's don't last for 2,000 years

unless they're pretty accurate the

answers that Alexander received were

these yes he would conquer the world yes

all his father's murderers had been

punished which may have been a relief to

Alexander if he was in fact guilty of

involvement in his father's death he

needed to know if divine retribution was

on the way

the answer to the final question was

clear the priests told him that Philip

was not his father anyway and that he

was indeed a son of Zeus among a son of

God no one is with Alexander when the

priests at sea were supposedly

acknowledged him as the Son of God there

are no witnesses

only the word of Alexander himself but

as Alexander heads back through the

desert to rejoin his army his belief in

his own invincibility is heightened he

would need every bit of this confidence

in the months and years ahead Alexander

still faces a decisive battle with

perhaps the only other mortal who might

have considered himself a deity to rious

and the Persian king is preparing a

secret weapon for their next encounter

designed to render Alexander's most

powerful war machine the Phalanx

useless

[Music]

faul 331 BC despite dramatic victories

at the Granicus River Issus and tyre

Alexander the Great realizes he can

never claim to rule Asia

if King Darius remains free and to

realize --is he will never retain

control of Asia without defeating

Alexander

the two commanders know an ultimate

showdown must take place Duras uses the

location camping his forces at the river

beau menos near the village of Gaugamela

none of alexander's battles is better

documented by ancient historians than

the Battle of Gaugamela

[Music]

the rightest assembled his forces made

everything ready for battle in fashion

swords and Lance's much longer than his

earlier types

he had also constructed 200 scythe

baring chariots well designed to

astonish and terrify the enemy from each

of these will project it out beyond the

trace horses sized nearly a metre in

length presenting their cutting edges to

the front

[Music]

the night before the battle several

miles of rolling hills separate the two

armies Alexander's chief general

Parmenio and several of his most

prominent officers move forward to

survey the enemy position they were

filled with amazement at the site and

remarked to one another it would have

been a very difficult task to defeat an

enemy of such strength by engaging him

by day they therefore went to Alexander

to persuade him to attack by night so as

to conceal from his men the most

terrifying element in the coming

struggle that is the odds against them

it was then that Alexander gave him his

celebrated answer I will not steal my

victory he was determined that if their

highest were defeated he should have no

cause to someone up courage further

attempt he was not to be allowed to

blame darkness and night for his failure

on this occasion as a Issus he had

blamed the narrow mountain passes in the

sea

and there is this account of how he sat

there at night into the darkness

figuring out strategy and tactics

finally got what he wanted and this is

the point then just fell into a totally

undisturbed sleep and he slept on and he

said can I got it figured out I was

worried after that I was fine he army

got up in the morning the valley was

sounded Alexander slept on like a baby

until finally his staff officers had to

wake him at this point Alexander gives

his troops the pep talk of their lives

confidently telling them that this

battle would decide who would rule the

continent of Asia on the other side of

the battlefield the Persian King Darius

is giving a speech of his own but his

mood is more of desperation than of

confidence he tells his troops today

will consolidate or terminate an empire

greater than any age as seen now it is

not glory for which you must fight it is

survival our backs are to the wall

I beg you by our country's gods deliver

the Persian people and it's honor from

the depths of disgrace

[Music]

slowly but methodically Alexander's

phalanx marches forward in formation to

encountered arises new rolling weapons

the sight the chariots swung into action

full gallop and created great alarm and

terror among the Macedonians as the

Phalanx joined shields however all beat

upon their shields with their spears as

the king had commanded and a great

dinner rose

[Music]

in some instances the horses were killed

by javelin cows and in others they rode

through an escape but some of them using

the full force of their momentum and

applying their steel blades actively

brought death among the Macedonians many

in various firms they severed the arms

of many shields in all and in no small

number of cases cut through nets and

said heads tumbling to the ground with

the eyes still open and the expression

of the countenance unchanged in other

cases they sliced through ribs with

mortal gashes and inflicted quick death

[Music]

facing a king in his army fighting with

superhuman strength and passion to

retain control of Asia Alexander's

soldiers find themselves for the first

time struggling not to win but simply to

survive

the situation looks horribly bleak for

the Macedonian general Parmenio

who heroically attempts to maintain

order the valiant struggle with his

infantry

he realizes there is only one person who

has the capacity to turn the tide of

battle Alexander himself but Alexander

is preoccupied personally fighting his

way toward the chariot Baron King Darius

Alexander has cited his adversary

through the ranks of cavalry who were

closely master guard the lofty chariot

in what she stood the bravest stood fast

and were slaughtered in front of their

king they fell upon one another in heaps

as for the riots all the horrors of the

battle were now before his eyes

they had become difficult to turn his

chariot around to drive it away

since the wheels were encumbered and

entangled with bodies the king abandoned

his chariot and his armor mounted a

mayor and rode away it is believed that

you would have not have escaped at the

moment had now burning you send another

party of horsemen begging Alexander to

come to his rescue

when this news was brought to Alexander

he turned back again from further

pursuit and wheeling round with the

companion cavalry led them with great

speed against the right wing of der Isis

horsemen then ensued the most

obstinately contested cavalry fighting

the whole engagement here about sixty of

Alexander's companions fell but the

wisest troops were overcome by Alexander

and as many of them as could force their

way through his ranks fled with all

their might

what may have first appeared to be

impending doomed for Alexander proves to

be yet another episode confirming

Alexander's genius as a commander

realizing that de rious is relying not

on his infantry but massed squadrons of

heavily armed horsemen Alexander Temps

both of de rias's cavalry wings to

charge his Heschel on flanks

Alexandr hopes that the flanks can hold

out just long enough to create a gap in

the Persian line allowing Alexander's

companion cavalry to punch through which

they do with perfect timing

historians past and present consider the

strategy masterful

Alexander had attached to a brilliance

there the only thing that one can

perhaps criticize is that he left the

battlefield in pursuit of dereyes trying

to get hold of him live

Alexandr wheels around and starts off in

pursuit of Duras once more keeping up

the chase as long as there is daylight

Parmenio Brigade also follows

but when darkness falls Alexander stops

to rest his men and horses

Darius continues to ride away leaving

behind his chariot spear and bow again

Darius escapes although the Macedonian

army is grossly outnumbered the casualty

figures reported by historians are

nothing short of astounding some say

incredible

of alexander's men about 100 were killed

and more than 1,000 of his horses were

lost either from wounds or from fatigue

in the pursuit of the Rice's forces they

were said to have been three hundred

thousand slain and far more were taken

prisoner than were killed

the Battle of Gaugamela leaves no doubt

that Persia is now under Alexander's

control but a far greater importance for

the more your king is the capture of

King Darius Alexander knows to rious

will be far more valuable governing

Persia under his command and as a

deceased ruler

but would he be able to capture the

fallen king

[Music]

and Alexander's victory at the Battle of

Gaugamela is viewed by many as the most

significant triumph in his conquest of

Asia

after the battle had ended in this way

the authority of the Persian Empire was

regarded as having been completely

overthrown Alexander was proclaimed king

of Asia and after offering splendid

sacrifices to the gods he proceeded to

reward his friends with riches estates

and governorships

within four months of his victory at

Gaugamela in January of 330 BC Alexander

takes over de rias's palace and the city

of Persepolis in ancient Persia now all

of Persia its capital city and literally

tons of gold and silver bullion belong

to Alexander

the minimum estimate is of a hundred and

eighty thousand talents of it and you

have to remember that a talent is fifty

seven and a half pounds weight this made

him the richest man in the known world

he could do what he liked he could call

himself God if he wanted it's like

taking over the whole Fort Knox one

afternoon and that treasure was

evacuated and sent in a great bullion

train escorted by 6000 Macedonian

Alexander described Persepolis to the

Macedonians as the most hateful of the

cities of Asia and gave it over to his

soldiers to plunder the Macedonians

raced into it

slaughtering all the men whom they met

and plundering the residences such was

their exceeding lustful loot that they

fought with each other and killed many

of their fellows who had appropriated a

greater portion of it some cut off the

hands of those who are grasping at

disputed property being driven mad by

their passions

basking in the spoils of victory

Alexander remains with his army at

Persepolis for months before continuing

his conquest of Asia Alexander had some

great natural gifts but all those were

marred by his inexcusable fondness for

drink at a daytime drinking party a

courtesan claims that if Alexander gave

the order to burn the Persian palace he

would earn the deepest gratitude among

the Greeks the king was enthusiastic why

do we not revenge Greece then and put

the city to the torch Alexander took the

lead setting fire to the posts to be

followed by his drinking companions such

was the end of the palace that ruled all

the East

macedonians were ashamed that a city of

such distinction had been destroyed by

their king during of drunken orgy as for

Alexander it is generally agreed that

when sleep had brought him back to his

senses after his drunken bout he

regretted his actions

by the summer of 330 BC there is little

doubt at least in Alexander's mind that

he rules Asia but it isn't enough for

Alexander to control Jiraiya TSA's

kingdom he passionately continues to

pursue de rious not to kill him but to

take him prisoner it was I suppose the

ultimate in legitimizing the previous

ruler recognizes him not merely as the

Conqueror

but earth the natural monarch of Persia

and almost abdicates for him how long he

would have lived after that we don't

know but I'm sure that was the thinking

behind it

[Music]

the other important reason for getting

his hands on der iose either dead or

alive was to make sure and live is

better than dead to make sure that no

pretenders pop up he's fighting against

a culture that is used to having

pretenders pop up and say I'm dryers

no I'm dry no I'm driest and the reason

why this could occur is because there's

no ABC NBC CBS there's no CNN there's no

c-span the only way it could be

absolutely certain that you had gained

control of the king of the previous

dynasty and say we're done with this

dynasty is to have him alive in your

possession

when Alexander learns to rias's heading

north

he again takes up the chase so rapid was

the March that many of the men unable to

stand the pace dropped out the number of

horses were worked to death but

Alexander pressed on regardless of loss

at this juncture two important persons

in the Rice's army sought an interview

with our example they reported that the

rice had been forcibly seized and put

under arrest by his own commanders

Bessus one of his generals had assumed

power in his place instantly Alexander

was on the march again with greater

rapidity than ever

[Music]

June 330 BC Alexander's army marches day

and night to catch up with the Persian

army under the control of byssus within

two weeks Alexander has the Persian

troops in sight even though the Persian

army is still far greater in number than

that of Alexander thousands of Persian

soldiers surrender Bessus elemér would

not allow such a fate for Darius

esses and his fellow conspirators came

to drive as wagon started urging him to

mount a horse and flee to escape his

enemy rious however declared that the

gods had come to avenge him and calling

for Alexander's protection refused to go

along with the traders at this they were

furious they hurled their Spears of the

king and left him there run through many

times they also maimed his animals to

prevent them advancing any further

deprived of their leaders the barbarians

scattered wherever hope of panic

directed

with the great and powerful to rious

lying severely wounded only time would

dictate whether Alexander would be able

to capture him alive

[Music]

when Alexander's forces finally catch up

to the fleeing Persian troops they find

her iose barely clinging to life

they found it at his last gasp he asked

for a drink and he swallowed some cold

water which a Macedonian bought him he

said this is the final stroke of

misfortune that I should accept a

service from you and I'll be able to

return it but Alexander will reward you

for your kindness and the gods will

repay him for his courtesy towards my

mother and my wife and my children as he

said this he took the Macedonian by the

hand and died when Alexander came up he

showed his grief and distress at the

King's death and unfastening his own

king he threw it over the body and

covered it

later after he captured Bessus who had

murdered the king Alexander had the tops

of two straight trees bent down so that

they met and part of Bessus s body was

tied to each then when each tree was let

go and sprang back to its upright

position the part of a body attached to

him was torn off by the recoil

as for the rias's body he sent it to his

mother to be laid up in royal state with

Jiraiya's dead Alexander's conquest will

ultimately be assured but in the ensuing

months

Alexander faces new enemies within his

own army and within himself

[Music]

with Persia under Alexander's control

and King Darius dead the mission of

Alexander the Great is essentially

complete but Alexander now faces new

dilemmas far more complex than waging

war it's very revealing that it's after

gorga manga that the restlessness among

the troops really begins to start on the

very reasonable basis that look we've

done what we were Center set out to do

we have destroyed the control of the

Persian Empire we've done it now let's

go

at this time Alexander becomes acutely

aware of potential threats to his power

among the Macedonians at this time few

men enjoyed a more prominent position

than Philotas the son of premier went

awry 'as had been defeated a beautiful

Greek girl named that Teigen II was

handed over to Phyllis he confided to

her that all the greatest achievements

in this campaign had been the work of

his father in himself Antigone repeated

his remarks privately to Alexander once

the King had began to listen to these

insinuations

Philotas as enemies brought in numerable

accusations against them including

conspiracy

Philotas was executed and immediately

afterwards Alexander had Purnima put to

death as well this was a man who had

rendered many great services to Philip

and who of all Alexander's older friends

and urged him more strongly to undertake

the invasion of Asia it is now widely

believed that Alexander always had

concerns about the loyalty of Parmenio

and his son Philotas for all practical

purposes the account given to him by

Antigone gives Alexander the opportunity

to take strong action he may have been

considering three years

in October 330 BC Alexander makes his

close friend invest in joint commander

of the companion cavalry the Macedonian

army now in the March for more than

seven years moves towards India and

Alexander's erratic behavior continues

in 327 BC at the age of 29 Alexander

does something that is so out of

character it shocks even his closest

associates particularly his lifelong

male companion and rumored lover efface

Jian Alexander takes a wife this is

roxanne e the beautiful daughter of oxy

artis a baron whose mountain stronghold

of the Sogdian rocks has been captured

by Alexander but why does Alexander

marry well it's a good political

alliance with a local nobility and

there's a chance of producing a

legitimate heir for his vast empire but

some ancient historians write that

Alexander may indeed have had genuine

romantic feelings for rocks are they

men who took part in the campaign used

to say she was the loveliest woman they

had seen in Asia

Alexander fell in love with her insight

but captive though she was he refused

for all his passion to force her to his

will and condescended to marry Oh

Alexander confounds his associates even

further when he decides that those under

his rule should honor an ancient Persian

tradition

for the ruler of the Persian Empire it

was essential to be seen to receive

pristine Isis from his subjects now for

the Persians this is a matter of respect

a simple kiss of the hand it could be

combined with a bow with kneeling or

even prostration face down on the ground

but for the Greeks this gesture is a

form of worship exclusively reserved for

the gods Alexander's command is hotly

contested by his followers and Kalista

knees his official historian refuses to

do it

he speaks boldly to his longtime friend

you should remember Greece for her sake

you undertook this expedition into Asia

when you returned home will you force

the Greeks the greatest freedom lovers

of all to bow down before you from this

point

Kalista knees loses the favour of

Alexander and as so many have discovered

before him that can be a tragic mistake

Alexander orders Kalista knees his own

historian to be executed

all it meant to Alexander was that here

was this damned intellectual who'd

served his purpose and crew was now

becoming an becoming a nuisance and was

therefore expendable and being expended

well he was thereupon

expended Alexander's desire to pursue

Persian tradition slowly evolves into a

life of hedonism he clearly saw himself

as a god and he was being treated as a

God people have been reluctant to

believe this because they think of

Alexander through modern lenses and no

one these days thinks of himself as a

God unless he's nuts

but what if Alexander

Alexander now began to imitate the

Persian luxury he dressed himself in a

white robe in a Persian sash

he added concubines to his retinue in

the manner of Darius in numbering not

less than the days of the year and

outstanding and beauty each night

he's paraded about the couch of the king

so that he might select the one with

whom he would lie that night

Alexander could better cope with warfare

than peace and leisure as soon as he was

free of these worries that beset him he

yielded to dissipation and the man whom

the arms of Persia had failed to crush

fell before its vices they were parties

early in the day drinking and mad

revelry throughout the night it was a

general decline in to the ways of the

forum by affecting these as though they

were superior to those of his own

country Alexander so offended the

sensibilities and eyes of his people

that most of his friends began to regard

him as an enemy

his long-sought conquest of Asia

complete Alexander continues to want

more

in early 326 BC he begins a campaign in

India where King Porus attempts to stop

him at the river hide ESPYs

[Music]

alexander's forces find themselves

fighting an enemy not writing just

horses elephants

while the Macedonians prevail the

contest is the most difficult they have

fought

a consequence of this battle with pooris

was that it blunted the edge of the

Macedonians courage and made them

determined not to advance any further

into India at first Alexander was

overcome with disappointment and anger

as he shut himself up and lay posted his

tent his soldiers crowded around the

entrance and pleaded with him

uttering loud cries and lamentations

until finally he relented and gave

orders to break camp Alexander was now

eager to see the outer ocean he had a

large number of or propelled ferries and

rafts constructed and was rolled down

the rivers on these at a leisurely speed

but his voyage was by no means a

peaceful affair as Alexander travels

downstream he will land assault the

cities near the banks and subdue them

all then comes the walled city of Mali

home of the independent tribe of

mullions Alexander neared the city

thought to take it by storm one of the

seers came to him and reported that

there had been revealed to him a great

danger which would come to the king from

a wound in the course of the operation

he begged Alexander to leave the city

alone for the present and to turn his

mind to other activities the king

scolded him for dampening the enthusiasm

of the soldiers and then disposing his

army for the attack led the way in

person to the city eager to reduce it by

force

[Music]

Alexander stationed his infantry in a

ring around the outer defenses and moved

up in close formation the defenders took

refuge in there in a stronghold here

they continued to resist and not without

success for they turned and fell upon a

small party of Macedonians driving some

of them out again and killing about 25

before they could get away

Alexander meanwhile brought the scaling

ladders into position all round the

inner strong but the men with the

ladders are too slow for Alexander

impatiently he grabs one himself leans

against the fortress wall and it's the

very first to climb to the top cutting

down at the enemy left and right until

suddenly Alexander stands alone to the

horror of his men down below he is now a

perfect target for enemy archers what he

should do now is go back jump down to

rejoin his men but what he does do is

jump forward inside the enemy fortress

where in hand-to-hand combat he fights

for his life horrified the Macedonians

rush for the walls in such numbers they

break their own ladders only three of

them manage to join him inside the

fortress including the bearer of

Alexander's Trojan shield two of the

Macedonians are cut down by the enemy

and Alexander himself receives an arrow

which penetrates his body armor and

Pierce's his lung the fourth Macedonian

defends his leader with the great shield

of Troy desperately Alexander's army

finally manages to scale the walls and

their witness an impossible sight

[Music]

they're invincible leader lying on the

ground in a pool of blood

[Music]

for Alexander leading the charge to take

on the enemy of Mali in 326 BC is

nothing new

the wound he receives is but one of

several he suffers on the fields of

battle but for the seemingly invincible

warrior this injury is different

Alexander's troops realize in his

life-threatening

immediately the rumor ran through the

camp that Alexander had been killed

meanwhile his attendants with great

difficulty sawed off the wooden shaft of

the arrow and the succeeded in removing

his breastplate they then had to cut out

the arrowhead which was embedded between

his ribs what it was extracted the king

fainted away and came there near to

death even when the danger was past

humane week and for a long time needed

careful nursing slowly Alexander

recuperates during the next two years he

heads his army west back towards Greece

half by land half by sea in July of 324

BC Alexander suffers an even deeper hurt

his close friend affection dies of an

unknown illness Alexander is devastated

we're told that Alexander flung himself

on the body of his friend and lay there

nearly all day long in tears and refused

to be parted from him until he was

dragged away some have said that he had

a fist James dr. hanged for giving the

wrong medicine all the accounts agree

but for two whole days after her

festoons death

Alexander tasted no food and paid no

attention in any way to his bodily needs

but lay on his bed crying

I think FST on because of his close

personal relationship with Alexander was

one of these confidence and when

Alexander lost him he lost a very very

close ally in developing policy and you

might even say that he begins to go

downhill after half st annes death that

he shows signs of of losing some some

will after Hephaestus death less than

one year after him fest Ian dies

Alexander rests in Babylon planning a

possible conquest of Arabia when he too

becomes ill during a 10-day period what

begins as a mild fever evolves into a

mysterious life-threatening illness the

soldiers were passionately eager to see

him some hoped for a sight of him while

he was still alive

others wished to see his body for a

report had gone round that he was

already dead and they suspected that his

death was being concealed by his guards

but nothing could keep them from a sight

of him and the motive in almost every

heart was grief and a sort of helpless

bewilderment at the thought of losing

their king

it is at this critical moment when the

enormity of Alexander's influence is

acutely felt by all who know him

it is my belief that there was in those

days no nation no city no single

individual beyond the reach of

Alexander's name never in all the world

was there another like you and therefore

I cannot but feel that some power more

than human was concerned in his birth

I have admittedly found fault with some

of the things which Alexander did of the

man himself I'm not ashamed to express

ungrudgingly admiration

it is also at this moment when

Alexander's officers begin to question

what will happen if Alexander dies who

would rule the conquered territories the

prospect of ruling such a vast empire

without Alexander is a daunting one

there is no doubt along Alexander's

officers then no single human being

could ever take his place the

territories would have to be divided

they also know that if Alexander himself

does not proclaim who will inherit which

regions fierce jealousy would rear its

ugly head resulting in wars between the

very leaders who fought united under the

banner of one mighty king

would Alexander be able to defeat his

illness resume his conquest and lead his

loyal forces to even greater glory or

would he finally prove that he is not

the immortal son of Zeus by dying the

death of a mere mortal

[Music]

late in the evening of June the 9th 323

BC a group of Alexander's officers keep

vigil as their Kings condition worsens

he tells them I foresee a great funeral

battle over me towards the end they

gather round his bedside to ask the

critical question to who will he be cui

vindaloo

Alexander whispers his last words Crotty

stone to the strongest early in the

morning of June the 10th his eyes closed

forever for centuries historians have

debated the cause of Alexander's death

from alcoholism to poisoning to

compulsive self-destruction if we're

asking what killed him you've got a

whole smorgasbord to pick from and again

funnily enough it might be the case of

all things conspiring together he never

really got over them terrible trouble

headed arrow wound that he got in India

that really nearly killed him there is

also the probably endemic malaria

whatever disease it was that he had

during his last days

I feel that Alexander died ultimately

because he pushed himself too hard with

Alexander he has this wonderful military

campaign and then dies well for him

that's kind of a good thing for him

because I'm not sure he would have been

real good as an administrator again it

comes back to your own personal opinion

about what exactly made Alexander so

great but my feeling is that Alexander

would have pushed himself until he died

or burned out and and I think that had

it not happened in 323 there would have

happened in 321

there would have happened in 320 I don't

see Alexander mellowing out and living

into an old age

[Music]

just as in life Alexander was a powerful

figure so - in death his corpse while

enroute home to Greece finds its final

resting place instead in Alexandria

Egypt in the chaos that follows

Alexander's death his embalmed body

becomes a major asset Alexander had said

that he wished to be buried at sea were

with his spiritual father the god Zeus

Imam but the Macedonians want their

noble leader to be buried at home as the

body is being transported by land in a

golden sarcophagus it is hijacked by

soldiers under the command of

Alexander's former general Ptolemy now

the new ruler of Egypt controlling the

body of Alexander lenss new power to the

reputation of Ptolemy and his successors

for several hundred years Alexander's

sarcophagus is viewed here by thousands

including Julius Caesar but when the

Ptolemaic pharaohs fall from power after

the death of Cleopatra they lose control

of Alexander's remains today no one is

certain exactly where the remains of

Alexander are located most agree they

are buried beneath the streets of

Alexandria most probably near the mosque

of Daniel the mosque is very active with

prayer services held every day

[Music]

if Alexander the Great was indeed buried

somewhere near the mosque of Daniel and

it's likely that he would have been

brought here part of the labyrinth of

tunnels underneath all of Alexandria

these were designed as systems for the

storage of water in this particular one

is directly underneath the mosque this

is believed to be a holy place where the

bodies of religious leaders have long

been buried many attempts have been made

to find Alexander's remains but so far

none have come even close to success

the death of Alexander the Great brings

to a close a conquest never again

equaled by any warrior at any time in

history the statistics alone are

staggering one man leading 40,000

soldiers by foot and horseback more than

20,000 miles over 12 years

[Music]

the vast kingdom which Alexander fought

so hard to build over a 12-year period

ultimately becomes divided among more

than 20 rulers

today historians scholars and soldiers

continue to debate the complex character

of King Alexander of Macedon why do we

call him Alexander the Great

most agree he was the finest military

commander that ever lived he also

created a cultural exchange between east

and west that became a pivotal point in

human history but he gained his empire

at a huge cost of death and destruction

if he had lived how much further would

he have gone perhaps we're fortunate

that we will never know at the end of

his short life Alexander was walking a

fine line between genius and insanity

Alexander gives an example to the world

of a general the likes of which we have

never seen since every major-general

compares himself to Alexander and I

think most every major-general feels

that somehow he falls short of Alexander

Alexander himself was so powerful a

figure that during his lifetime men who

afterwards became great kings marshals

and leaders while he lived they were no

more than senior officers lands to his

long table and even after his death they

were still so scared of him that in

council meetings his crown and his

scepter his royal robe presided at the

head of the table he was still there for

them even though he was dead

[Music]

Alexander appears to have had not one

moment of self-doubt not one moment of

fear whether he was a god or not he

certainly had the confidence of one he

had an absolute vision of his own

greatness and in the end we are forced

to agree with him he is and will always

remain Alexander but the rate

[Music]

[Music]

you

[Music]