All language subtitles for Ancient Powers s01e04 Kill or be Killed

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
civilization 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

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 are getting rich through
trade.

Now, each must protect their lands from
aggressive neighbors.

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 5
million square kilometers of land across

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.

Back then, the landscape was entirely
different.

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

The small Greek army is vastly
outnumbered, and no, they don't stand a

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

They were in constant fear of slave
revolt, and their army was effectively a

militarized police force whose main
objective was to control that slave

population.

Every Spartan male is a highly skilled
warrior.

They train constantly and start young.

Spartan children start their training
when they were about seven 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

objects.

They were punished because they were
caught, not because they stole.

And their training could be compared to
the modern special forces courses.

The Spartans' courage and skills are
famous throughout the ancient world.

Although one aspect of their modern
reputation isn't entirely true.

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 ancient close combat
is not a smart thing to do.

Spartans were the most heavily armed
infantry of Greece at that time.

With their fearsome reputation,

The Spartans are Greece's best hope of
holding the Persians at bay.

But they aren't alone at Thermopylae.

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.

King Leonidas positions his men between
the cliffs and the sea.

This is a good place to attend because
it was a very narrow spot where a

army could contain a larger army and the
larger army could not count on its

numerical advantage.

The Persians advance from the north.

The bloody battle begin.

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 cure the fallen enemies.

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.

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

costs him his life.

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 kilometers.

But to the west, rebellion is brewing.

The Zhou people, greedy for power, are
mobilizing.

But their army is outnumbered ten to
one.

What can they do to even the odds?

The Joe put their faith in new
battlefield technology.

Revealed in the giant tomb of a warrior
king.

The Marquis Cyan is buried surrounded by
all the things that made him great.

Weapons, armor, and dozens of horses.

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

War chariots like these are a
revolutionary addition to the Zhou's

There are usually three people in the
car. The one in the middle is called

Yuzhong. He drives the car.

On the right side of Yuzhong, this
person is called Rongyou.

Rongyou is the one who carries long
weapons.

For example, the one who carries this
kind of grid or fur.

What is the person on the left side of
Yuzhong doing?

He is carrying short weapons and bows.

He will shoot enemies from a distance.

The Zhou's 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.

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

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 new weapons technology
is key in the battle for control

in India they turn to a very different
weapon to save

themselves from destruction

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.

You cannot understand the history of the
Indian subcontinent unless you

understand the history of the elephant.

Indian societies, cultures, states,
civilization would not exist if not for

elephant.

Sacred and revered, elephants are
worshipped as gods.

But can the Indians unleash this
animal's dark side to protect their

These enormous creatures are capable of
such gentleness.

But they're also, when provoked, capable
of absolutely terrifying acts of

destruction.

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 Hydaspis River in

modern -day Punjab.

200 elephants lead the charge,
petrifying the battle -hardened

But the advantage doesn't last long.

Poor training and inadequate armor mean
many of the elephants suffer crippling

injuries.

Frightened and in pain, they go berserk,
trampling their own soldiers.

Defeat swiftly follows.

This leaves the Indians with a
challenge.

They need a new way to unlock the
elephant's destructive potential.

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 need 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
kilograms of food a day.

The key is training.

Both elephants and riders must learn the
art of war.

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

But there was a clear sense that even
though an elephant takes a lot of money

upkeep, they more than make up for it
with their enormous capabilities on the

battle.

But training alone isn't enough.

To become effective weapons, the
elephants also need protection.

As time goes on, we begin to see
depictions of elephants wearing armor of

overlapping plates. That would have
allowed them a great deal of flexibility

maneuverability in combat, as well as
providing protection from projectiles,

flashing weapons, as well as piercing
weapons like spears.

We also begin to see that they're
provided with infantry escorts and

guards to ensure that their advance to
and retreat from the battlefield is

better covered.

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 superweapon is complete.

And about to prove its worth.

In 322 BCE,

A new Indian power, the Mauryan Empire,
is on the rise.

The Mauryans assembled a force of
elephants that numbered at least a

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.

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.

There's a clear recognition from the
ancient powers that the elephants are

tanks of the battlefield, and they
invest extraordinary amounts in getting

hands on these priceless animals.

There's one particular Greek general who
trades his daughter's hand in marriage

for 500 war elephants.

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,

They spread from the borders of Mauryan
Par 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, they even reached the shores of

Britain and fight in battles near the
Thames River.

And that is the ultimate resounding sign
of the elephant's success.

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.

And stone.

Thanks to trade, it's getting richer.

But as a new young pharaoh, Ramesses 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?

Ramesses II is perhaps Egypt's most
celebrated pharaoh after Tutankhamen.

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.

Ramesses' enemy is the new superpower,
the Hittites.

They control the land on Egypt's
northern border.

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.

Equipped with a huge army, they are
Egypt's greatest threat.

If Ramethes 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

phenomenally huge.

And this is the first military
engagement ever described properly in

history.

Ramathes records details of the conflict
here at his own temple, the Ramaseum.

He shows both armies are well equipped
with infantry, horses,

and chariots.

Chariots are amazing war machines
because they give you speed, dexterity,

can maneuver much more, and you're also
higher up when you're raining down

arrows.

Ramesses Egyptian chariots carry a
charioteer and an archer and are his

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
maneuver them as well. They weren't as

fast, and they had a tendency to get
bogged down.

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,
Ramesses is impatient to fight.

Young and headstrong, he races ahead of
his army.

But the Hittites lie in wait.

Ramses winds up in the thick of battle,
almost single -handedly. He's left and

right. He could easily have lost Kaddish
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.

And the battle rages on.

The heavier Hittite chariots crash into
each other.

The Egyptian military seems to have been
far better trained, and their chariots

could maneuver better over this terrain.

We can see the Egyptian chariots coming
in, cutting off Hittite chariots.

Hittite chariots attacking the
Egyptians.

Amethyst gains the upper hand,
slaughtering thousands.

People are under his wield.

They're crying out for mercy.

The noise, the blood, the flies, the
screams as animals and men went down and

were trampled must have been horrific.

Ramesses seizes his chance and drives
the Hittite army into a nearby river.

But while Ramesses 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.

When he comes back, all of these temples
that he builds and decorates are all

engraved with these extraordinary themes
showing the Battle of Kaddish 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.

Throughout Egypt, Ramesses celebrates
his victory and massages his ego.

At Abu Simbel, on Egypt's southern
border, he erects giant statues of

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.

Ramses would have been absolutely
delighted with his legacy because it

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.

epitomizes who he was and it just set
the tone and formula for his reign

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 Joes' victory
at the Battle of Meubier, 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.

If one state is to win out, they need a
new simpler weapon.

And this is it.

The simple trigger mechanism is the key.

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

The crossbow is a major battlefield
innovation, one that won't be seen

China for a thousand years.

Capable of shooting arrows almost 200
meters, its big test comes at one of the

bloodiest confrontations in history.

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.

After 250 years of civil war, the Qin
are victorious.

They grant greater rights to their
peasant population who won them their

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

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,

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 golden ivory shield.

And a leather and gold breastplate.

In his hand, he wields a leaf -shaped
sword called Cephos.

Perfect for slashing and thrusting.

And Philip isn't just protected by his
armor.

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

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 faith...

Philip never gets the chance.

On the eve of the invasion, 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 counterattacks.

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.

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

risking loss of territory.

The main problem is the army itself.

A small, part -time force, it disbands
after each campaign.

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.

What Rome needs is a larger, stronger
and more permanent military force.

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

People like 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.

Equipment is changing too.

In the past, soldiers had bought their
own armor 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 armor.

gives you a fantastic amount of
flexibility, covers the shoulders,

heart, covers all the organs.

But the most significant change is to
the shields.

Out goes the old round design, which
offered little protection, and in comes

long rectangular shield called a scutum.

It's a revolutionary piece of kit.

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.

And when used with the might of the
sword, it's a deadly combination.

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.

Fully equipped and full time, Rome's
first professional standing army is

But its real strength comes from
improved battlefield organization.

Troops are divided into identical
fighting units of 80 men, called

Six of these make up a cohort, and
multiple cohorts combine to create the

Legion. Working together, it's an almost
unbeatable force.

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 legionary, struck
fear into anybody who crossed them.

Locking shields, the centurions create a
unique defense known as the testudo, or

tortoise. What you see here is like
building a fortress.

They've got good vision, but any arrows
that are raining down, slingshots,

they're well protected.

While the testudo is perfect for
defense, for attack, something else is

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

This is the mutatio. So what you have
is, remember, you've got your line of

soldiers. Right behind you, he's holding
my sword belt, 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, a

little bit of water. I start back at the
end of the line.

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 its 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

the Dacian capital.

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

To celebrate this military victory,
Trajan erects an intricately carved

in the heart of Rome.

I think what you're looking at is
nothing less than the first example of

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

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.

Trajan's conquest extends Rome's borders
to its greatest extent.

A mighty empire of over five million
square kilometers with tens of millions

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, if killed,
will be killed.

But there are different routes to
victory.

The Greeks use unrivaled bravery and
charisma to inspire their people to

Egypt's sparrows 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 into 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.