All language subtitles for Ancient.Powers.S01E04.Kill.or.Be.Killed.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-FLUX_track5_[eng]

**

Narrator:
Thousands of years ago,

ancient powers ruled our world.

Egypt, China,

India, Greece, and Rome--

players in a high-stakes game
of strategy and luck.

Success will bring them wealth
and immortality,

failure--
oblivion, and death.

In their battle for survival,

each civilisation will face
the same challenges.

How they respond
will shape their destiny.

**

In this episode,
"Kill or Be Killed."

In a world where enemies
watch for weakness,

our ancient powers must use
all their strength and cunning

to defend their people
and conquer new lands.

Who will rise to the challenge
of the battlefield?

**

Our ancient powers have settled,
built their cities,

exploited
their natural resources...

...and they're getting rich
through trade.

Now, each must protect
their lands

from aggressive neighbours.

**

**

Greece is home to hundreds
of independent city states.

They exist
as competing alliances.

But collectively, they are
becoming a distinctive culture.

It's a flourishing ancient power
on the verge of a golden age.

But it's facing a crisis.

To the east is Persia,
the region's dominant force.

It has already conquered nearly
five million square kilometres

of land across
the Mediterranean and Asia.

Now it is turning its attention
to Greece.

The Persian army is a quarter
of a million men strong.

And in the summer of 480 BCE,

they invade mainland Greece

to confront
the Greek forces here.

**

Skarmintzos:
Back then, the landscape
was entirely different.

The coastline was up to the road
as we see today.

**

Narrator: The small Greek army
is vastly outnumbered

and know they don't
stand a chance.

They must retreat and regroup.

But how can they do this against
such a formidable aggressor?

To buy them time,
one unit must stay and fight.

These need to be the Greeks'
fiercest warriors.

The obvious choice is
the Spartans,

led by their king, Leonidas.

Sparta is one of the few Greek
states with a standing army,

and for good reason.

Skarmintzos: They were in
constant fear of slave revolt,

and their army was effectively
a militarised police force

whose main objective was to
control that slave population.

[ Man shouting ]

Narrator: Every Spartan male
is a highly skilled warrior.

They train constantly
and start young.

Skarmintzos: Spartan children
started training

when they were
about 7 years of age.

And they had to forage
for their own food.

That's why they had to sharpen
their skills in stealth,

camouflage,
and stealing objects.

They were punished
because they were caught,

not because they stole.

And their training
could be compared

to the modern
special-forces courses.

Narrator:
The Spartans' courage and skills

are famous
throughout the ancient world,

although one aspect
of their modern reputation

isn't entirely true.

Skarmintzos: Legend had it that
Spartans fought naked.

And this is reinforced
by modern people

seeing the statue of Leonidas

that has the artistic
concept of heroic nudity.

But that's false.

Fighting naked
in hands and close combat,

it's not a smart thing to do.

Spartans were the most
heavily armed infantry

of Greece at that time.

Narrator:
With their fearsome reputation,

the Spartans are Greece's
best hope

of holding the Persians at bay.

But they aren't alone
at Thermopylae.

Skarmintzos:
Everyone thinks

because of how history
is presented,

that there were only
300 Spartans here.

Actually, there was a group
between 7,000 to 8,000 men

from various city states.

They all were under
the command of the Spartans,

who were the best warriors
of Greece.

Narrator: King Leonidas
positions his men

between the cliffs and the sea.

Skarmintzos: This is a good
place to defend

because it was
a very narrow spot

where a smaller army
could contain a larger army,

and the larger army
could not count on

its numerical advantage.

Narrator: The Persians advance
from the north,

and the bloody battle begins.

**

In the ancient world,

hand-to-hand combat
was extremely horrific

and very brutal.

The men were tightly packed,

and they were shoving the enemy

and puncturing
with their spears.

So a number of these men
would be losing their balance,

go down,

and the rear ranks
would use their spikes

to skewer their fallen enemies.

Narrator:
Despite overwhelming odds,

the Spartans hold off
the Persian advance

for three days,

buying the main Greek army
enough time to retreat.

But it can't last,

and eventually
the last of them falls.

The Spartan suicide mission
allows their Greek allies

to fight another day

and creates a fearsome
military legend.

Skarmintzos: The Spartans are
remembered in history

as the epitome of
the disciplined warrior,

the warrior who stands
his ground on the battlefield

no matter what,
even if it cost him his life.

**

Narrator: The Greeks defend
their homeland

with the ultimate warriors.

**

In China, a new dynasty
is turning to technology

in its fight for supremacy.

**

**

The Shang dynasty have ruled
China for 500 years.

Their territory extends over
1.2 million square kilometres.

But to the west,
rebellion is brewing.

The Zhou people, greedy
for power, are mobilising.

But their army is outnumbered
10 to 1.

What can they do
to even the odds?

**

The Zhou put their faith
in new battlefield technology,

revealed in the giant tomb
of a warrior king.

**

The Marquis Xian is buried
surrounded

by all the things
that made him great--

weapons, armour,
and dozens of horses.

But pride of place is reserved
for his fleet of war chariots.

**

The two rows in the north
are 20 war chariots.

We can be certain

they are the earliest Chinese
war chariots ever discovered

and the earliest
armoured vehicles.

Around the chariot box
is bronze armour,

like the armour
worn by soldiers.

Narrator:
War chariots like these

are a revolutionary addition
to the Zhous' army.

On the chariot, there are
usually three people.

The middle one is called
"Yurong", he drives the chariot.

To the right of Yurong,
there is Rongyou.

Rongyou holds a long weapon,
such as a dagger or spear.

What does the person
to the left of Yurong do?

He carries a short weapon,
bow and arrows,

so he can shoot at the enemy
from a long distance.

Narrator:
The Zhous' bid for glory

comes to a head on the banks
of the Yellow River.

Led by just 300 chariots,

they face down
the vast Shang army.

**

[ Men shouting ]

The Zhou chariots lead
the charge

and smash into the mass ranks
of Shang infantry.

In the chaos, the Shang are easy
pickings for the advancing Zhou,

who route the entire Shang army
in a single day.

**

Victorious, the Zhou are now
China's new leaders,

building a dynasty that will
rule for almost eight centuries,

the longest ever
in China's history.

**

For the Chinese,

news weapons technology is key
in the battle for control.

In India, they turn to
a very different weapon

to save themselves
from destruction.

[ Elephant trumpets ]

**

India is under threat.

The most aggressive fighters
on Earth

are gathering
on its northern borders--

the Macedonians.

They want India
for their growing empire.

Few have withstood
their attacks,

but one Indian kingdom
has a secret weapon.

**

Kanisetti: You cannot understand
the history

of the Indian subcontinent

unless you understand
the history of the elephant.

[ Elephant rumbles ]

Indian societies, cultures,
states, civilisation

would not exist
if not for the elephant.

**

Narrator:
Sacred and revered,

elephants are worshipped
as gods.

But can the Indians unleash
this animal's dark side

to protect their land?

**

Kanisetti:
These enormous creatures

are capable of such gentleness.

But they're also,
when provoked,

capable of absolutely
terrifying acts of destruction.

Narrator: Elephants seem
perfectly designed for war,

capable of charging the enemy,

breaking their ranks,
and instilling terror.

They are put to the test
in a battle on the banks

of the Hydaspes River
in modern-day Punjab.

**

200 elephants lead the charge,

petrifying the battle-hardened
Macedonians.

But the advantage
doesn't last long.

Poor training
and inadequate armour

mean many of the elephants
suffer crippling injuries.

Frightened and in pain,
they go berserk,

trampling their own soldiers.

Defeat swiftly follows.

[ Elephant trumpeting,
men shouting ]

This leaves the Indians
with a challenge.

They need a new way to unlock

the elephant's
destructive potential.

Kanisetti:
These are highly intelligent,

highly sensitive,
very social animals.

You can't treat them
like a chariot.

You need to treat them
like elite warriors,

like nobles, like kings, even.

All of them needs to be
trained in unique ways.

All of them have
different preferences

in terms of the kind of food
that they might want to eat.

And these animals consume

hundreds of kilogrammes
of food a day.

Narrator:
The key is training.

Both elephants and riders
must learn the art of war.

[ Elephant trumpets ]

Kanisetti: They were taught
how to attack dummies.

They were taught
to charge on command,

move on the battlefield,
attack in particular ways.

And they invested in this
in an absolutely massive way.

The elephants were possibly
the single biggest item

of expenditure for the army.

But there was a clear sense
that even though an elephant

takes a lot of money to upkeep,
they more than make up for it

with their enormous capabilities
on the battlefield.

Narrator: But training alone
isn't enough.

To become effective weapons,

the elephants
also need protection.

Kanisetti:
As time goes on,

we begin to see depictions
of elephants

wearing armour
of overlapping plates.

That would have allowed them
a great deal of flexibility

and manoeuvrability in combat,

as well as providing protection
from projectiles

and slashing weapons,

as well as piercing weapons
like spears.

We also begin to see that
they're provided

with infantry escorts
and cavalry guards

to ensure that their advance
200 feet from the battlefield

is better covered.

Narrator:
The last piece in the jigsaw

is a turret
on the elephant's back.

From these, archers can safely
rain down arrows on the enemy.

India's super weapon
is complete

and about to prove its worth.

In 322 BCE,

a new Indian power,
the Mauryan Empire,

is on the rise.

**

[ Elephant trumpets ]

Kanisetti: The Mauryas assemble
a force of elephants

that numbered at least 1,000,
if not more.

Perhaps the single largest
elephant army

the world had ever seen.

And it becomes fundamental
to their success

as an ancient power.

Narrator:
The vast Mauryan elephant army

makes them almost invincible.

Over the next 90 years,
they conquer an empire

which stretches from modern-day
Bangladesh in the east

to Pakistan in the west.

And news of its terrifying
new weapon spreads quickly.

Kanisetti:
There's a clear recognition

from the ancient powers
that the elephants

are the tanks
of the battlefield.

And they invest
extraordinary amounts

in getting their hands
on these priceless animals.

There's one particular
Greek general

who trades his daughter's
hand in marriage

for 500 war elephants.

Narrator: The war elephant helps
keep the Mauryans in power

for almost 140 years.

And while India thrives,
its superweapon is adopted

across the Middle East
and Europe.

They spread from the borders
of Mauryan Empire

in Afghanistan,
all the way through Iran,

into the battlefields
of Iraq and Syria,

and into north Africa.

Eventually during the might
of imperial Rome,

even reached
the shores of Britain

and fight in battles
near the Thames River.

And that is the ultimate
resounding sign

of the elephants' success.

**

Narrator: The Indians' control
of their living weapon

helps them conquer an empire.

In Egypt, they will use
battlefield technology

to defend their borders

and propaganda to create
a legend.

**

Egypt is in its 19th dynasty.

Wealthy and prosperous,

it's blessed with an abundance
of natural resources--

gold,

wheat...

...and stone.

And thanks to trade,
it's getting richer.

But as a new young pharaoh,
Rameses II, takes the throne,

Egyptian territory
and trade routes

fall into enemy hands,

threatening his kingdom's wealth
and security.

What can he do to win them back?

**

Ikram: Rameses II is perhaps
Egypt's most celebrated pharaoh

after Tutankhamun.

He was
an extraordinary person--

taller than the average Egyptian
by a lot,

and also a fantastic warrior.

But he had an ego,

so he really wanted
to make his mark.

And the easiest way for
a hothead

would be to go to battle.

Narrator: Rameses' enemy is
the new superpower,

the Hittites.

They control the land
on Egypt's northern border.

Ikram:
The Hittites lived in Anatolia,

which is modern-day Turkey,

and they were quite warlike.

They were known for being brutal
and also power hungry.

Narrator:
Equipped with a huge army,

they are Egypt's
greatest threat.

If Rameses can beat them,

he'll kill two birds
with one stone,

making his name
as a warrior pharaoh

and taking back
his valuable trade territories.

The two forces come face to face
at the city of Kadesh

on the Egyptian-Hittite border.

There would have been about
20,000 people on each side,

which would have been
phenomenally huge.

And this is the first
military engagement

ever described properly
in human history.

Narrator: Rameses records
details of the conflict here,

at his own temple,
the Ramesseum.

He shows both armies
are well-equipped

with infantry, horses,
and chariots.

**

Ikram: Chariots are amazing
war machines,

because they give you
speed, dexterity.

You can manoeuvre much more.

And you're also higher up
when you're raining down arrows.

**

Narrator:
Rameses' Egyptian chariots

carry a charioteer
and an archer,

and they're his first
strike weapon in any battle...

...while the Hittite chariots
are bigger and heavier

and carry up to three men.

They were much more cumbersome,

and you can see it
in the images here.

So with that added weight,

you couldn't manoeuvre them
as well,

they weren't as fast,

and they had a tendency
to get bogged down.

Narrator:
Kadesh will be the biggest
chariot battle in history,

with over 6,000 of them
facing each other.

But will the lighter
Egyptian chariots

give them the edge
over their enemy?

**

As the Egyptian forces
approach Kadesh,

Rameses is impatient to fight.

Young and headstrong,
he races ahead of his army.

But the Hittites
are lying in wait.

Rameses winds up
in the thick of battle,

almost single-handedly
hitting left and right.

He could easily have lost
Kadesh and indeed his life.

If he hadn't been so stupid
as to go ahead

of all of his troops,

he might not have put himself
in such vital danger.

Narrator:
As the battle rages on,

the heavier Hittite chariots
crash into each other.

Ikram: The Egyptian military
seems to have been

far better trained,
and their chariots

could manoeuvre better
over this terrain.

We can see the Egyptian chariots
coming in,

cutting off Hittite chariots,

Hittite chariots
attacking the Egyptians.

**

Narrator:
Rameses gains the upper hand,

slaughtering thousands.

**

Ikram:
People are under his wheels.

They're crying out for mercy.

The noise, the blood, the flies,

the screams as animals and men
went down and were trampled--

it must have been horrific.

**

Narrator:
Rameses seizes his chance

and drives the Hittite army
into a nearby river.

**

But while Rameses wins
this battle,

he doesn't win the war,

failing to take back
the city of Kadesh,

although this confident pharaoh

doesn't let detail get
in the way of a good story.

Ikram:
When he comes back,

all of these temples
that he builds and decorates

are all engraved
with these extraordinary scenes

showing the battle of Kadesh

and his absolute victory
over the Hittites.

For him, this was
a great thing early on

in his reign as propaganda.

This is to say,
"I am a great pharaoh.

Everyone before me,
look at me and tremble."

**

Narrator: Throughout Egypt,
Rameses celebrates his victory

and massages his ego.

At Abu Simbel on Egypt's
southern border,

he erects giant statues
of himself--

a warning to any
potential invaders

of who they are dealing with.

**

He reigns successfully
for another 60 years,

his legend secured
by the battle of Kadesh.

Ikram:
Rameses would have been

absolutely delighted
with his legacy

because it worked out
as he had wanted.

He is well known,
his monuments stand,

people think of him
as this extraordinary,

brave warrior.

Clearly Kadesh was
a major turning point.

It epitomises who he was,

and it just set the tone
and formula for his reign.

**

Narrator: Egypt's chariots bring
fame for its pharaoh,

warning off foreign invaders.

But the ancient Chinese
must defend themselves

against the enemy within.

**

Nearly 600 years after
the Zhous' victory

at the battle of Muye,

their power has dwindled
and fragmented.

With rival warring states
locked in perpetual civil war,

each one is aggressively
vying to take control.

Armies are now made up
of thousands of peasants.

But in their untrained hands,

the traditional weapon of choice

is no longer fit for purpose.

**

It takes a long time to train
to use a bow and arrow.

So, it's not suitable
for mass scale training.

In the Warring States period
large numbers of commoners
joined the army

and they needed a more powerful
and easier to use weapon.

Narrator:
If one state is to win out,

they need a new,
simpler weapon...

**

...and this is it.

A crossbow is made of a trigger
slotted into a long wooden arm.

You place the bow on the arm,
hook the string and shoot.

After 2000 years all the wooden
parts have rotted away.

What we have left
is the bronze mechanism.

This part is called xuan-dao,
similar to a modern
pistol trigger.

This triangular part
is called ya and the string
is hooked onto it.

Narrator: This simple trigger
mechanism is the key.

Now, even in untrained hands,
a crossbow is deadly.

The advantages are,
the string is held for a long
time without effort,

which helps with accuracy.

The shooting distance is longer.

And when the crossbow is used
on a mass scale

tens of thousands of arrows
released at the same time

are lethal!

Narrator: The crossbow is
a major battlefield innovation,

one that won't be seen
outside China for 1,000 years.

Capable of shooting arrows
almost 200 metres,

its big test comes at one of
the bloodiest confrontations

in history.

[ Men shouting ]

The battle of Changping rages
on for over two years.

Over a million men
from two of China's

strongest military powers,
the Qin and the Zhao,

fight to the death.

450,000 are killed.

And it's the Qin who have
the technological edge.

We have found crossbows of very
good quality in the Terracotta
Warrior burial pits.

They show the Qin's crossbows
were very advanced

and a great military support
in their large scale wars
to unify China.

**

Narrator: After 250 years
of civil war,

the Qin are victorious.

They grant greater rights
to their peasant population

who won them their power,

ushering in a new age
of prosperity.

**

Thanks to new
military technology,

China is now ruled
by a single dynasty.

Far to the west, the Greeks
will use their army

to punch far above their weight.

**

**

The Spartans held the Persians
at bay at Thermopylae,

but since that heroic act,
many Greek city states

have fallen
to their Persian foes.

In the far north,
one man is plotting revenge.

He is Philip II.

**

Desperate to take the fight
to the Persians,

he creates an army
like no other,

implementing
stricter discipline,

improved training,
swifter promotion,

and even bonuses
for exceptional service.

It's a fearsome fighting force.

And Philip leads from the front.

This formidable warrior is
protected by his helmet of iron,

his gold and ivory shield...

...and a leather-and-gold
breast plate.

In his hand, he wields
a leaf-shaped sword

called Xiphos,

perfect for slashing
and thrusting.

And Philip isn't just protected
by his armour.

He also believes
the gods are on his side.

Golden Gorgons adorn his tunic.

These mythical beasts
possess the power

to turn people to stone

and are a powerful symbol
of protection.

The oak leaves and acorns
on his crown go one better,

connecting him to Zeus,
father of all gods and humans.

**

Philip goes on the march.

With his new model army
and god-given charisma,

he unifies almost all the Greek
city states in just 15 years.

**

But he wants more,

and he's ready to go
head-to-head

with his archenemy to get it.

**

But in a twist of fate,
Philip never gets the chance.

On the eve of the invasion...

[ Blade slices, man screams ]

...he's assassinated...

,,,brutally stabbed
by his own bodyguard.

**

It's now down
to his 20-year-old son

to take the fight
to the Persians.

Alexander is a brilliant
young general,

famed for his courage
and intelligence.

Equipped with his father's
formidable army...

...he rampages through
Persian territories,

liberating occupied cities,

overcoming violent
counter attacks...

...and stealing Egypt
from their grasp.

With the Persians defeated,
Alexander, aged just 32,

completes his father's work.

**

Charismatic leaders
and well-trained troops

bring Greece victory.

**

But the Romans will take this
to another level

to deliver total
military domination.

**

Rome's republic has existed
for 400 years.

It dominates
the Italian mainland,

much of southern Europe,
and parts of north Africa.

But holding all this land
is a struggle.

Invasions and uprisings
along its frontiers

stretch their army
to its limits,

risking loss of territory.

The main problem
is the army itself.

A small, part-time force,

it disbands after each campaign.

Mariotti: At that time,
they had a militia army.

There was a requirement
you had to be a landowner.

You had to provide
Your own equipment.

So to be in the army really
was a wealthy man's game.

Narrator:
What Rome needs is a larger,

stronger, and more permanent
military force.

So it begins to recruit from
the poorest in Roman society.

Mariotti: People who had
absolutely nothing

suddenly have an opportunity
at a profession,

which means regular pay,
regular meals, shelter.

From an army that once disbanded
at the end of the campaign

and lost all the experience,

now you have guys who are signed
up for 16 years of service.

And that is really
one of the key things

that makes Rome the military
powerhouse of antiquity.

Narrator:
Equipment is changing, too.

In the past, soldiers had bought
their own armour and weapons.

Now it's state-funded.

Helmets, chain mail,
swords, and spears

are all standard issue.

They also make game-changing
improvements

to the iron-plated armour.

It gives you a fantastic amount
of flexibility,

covers the shoulders,
covers the heart,

covers all the organs.

Narrator: But the most
significant change

is to the shields.

Out goes the old round design
which offered little protection,

and in comes a long, rectangular
shield called a scutum.

It's a revolutionary
piece of kit.

Mariotti: It's a fantastic piece
of defence.

It's covering the entire body.

You can hide behind it.

It gives you a little bit
of visibility over the edge.

Narrator: And when used with
the might of the sword,

it's a deadly combination.

Mariotti: People forget that
this is, in itself, a weapon.

If I'm facing my enemy
such as this,

I can shoulder barge into one,
strike the other.

**

Narrator:
Fully equipped and full-time,

Rome's first professional
standing army is born.

**

But its real strength

comes from improved
battlefield organisation.

Troops are divided into
identical fighting units

of 80 men, called centuries.

Six of these make up a cohort,
and multiple cohorts

combine to create
the mighty legion.

Working together,
it's an almost unbeatable force.

Mariotti: What they created was
this impenetrable wall

of tanks, essentially.

And because they're all dressed
in the uniform, this itself,

the image
of the Roman soldier,

of the legion who struck fear
into anybody who crossed them.

[ Speaking Italian ]

Narrator: Locking shields,
the centurions create

a unique defence
known as the testudo,

or tortoise.

What you see here
is like building a fortress.

They've got great vision,

but any arrows
that are raining down,

sling shots--
they're well protected.

Narrator: While the testudo is
perfect for defence,

for attack,
something else is needed.

This technique is where
the Romans really show

how their discipline,
their mentality,

their approach
to being a soldier

and to war
comes into perfect use.

This is the mutacho,
so what you have is,

remember, you've got your line
of soldiers right behind you.

He's holding my swordbelt,
which means that

if I go too far forward,
he brings me back.

At a certain point,
the whistle is blown.

I'm thrown to the side.

He comes forward
and protects me.

I go to the back of the line.

If I have any injuries,
if I'm able to fight,

I get a little bit of food,
little bit of water,

I start back
at the end of the line.

[ All speaking Italian ]

Narrator:
Rome's new professional army

makes it almost invincible.

It secures and expands
its territory.

By 107 CE, it's no longer
a republic,

but an empire.

And it's new emperor, Trajan,

has total European domination
in his sights.

Only the Dacians in modern
Romania stand in his way.

Crossing the Danube
ahead of a mighty army,

Trajan spends years laying siege
to the Dacian capital.

Finally, his forces prevail
when the king takes his own life

and the city falls.

**

To celebrate
this military victory,

Trajan erects an intricately
carved column

in the heart of Rome.

Mariotti: I think what
you're looking at

is nothing less than
the first example

of modern cinema.

**

If you look at it, physically
it looks like a reel of film

wrapped around a pole,
and cinema is a great tool,

because at the end of the day,
most Romans are illiterate.

This is a chance for them
to experience

what's happening
on the frontier.

But it's also Trajan saying
to people, "I did this."

**

Narrator: Trajan's conquest
extends Rome's borders

to its greatest extent--

a mighty empire of over
5 million square kilometres

with tens of millions
of people under its yoke.

Rome is at its zenith

thanks to its powerful
new army--

disciplined, regimented,
and tactically perfect,

the most brutally efficient
killing machine

in the ancient world.

**

For all the ancient powers,

it's kill or be killed.

But there are different routes
to victory.

The Greeks use unrivalled
bravery and charisma

to inspire their people
to glory.

**

Egypt's pharaohs consolidate

their great triumphs
with propaganda.

China pushes the boundaries
of technology

to achieve total domination.

**

India embraces the value
of training

to turn its elephants
in living superweapons.

And Rome employs its legions
to build an empire

almost unopposed.

**

But with their enemies subdued,
the next challenge

is to ensure the obedience
of their own people.

**