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1
00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,600
What is it, exactly, to lead?
2
00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:22,000
It is one thing to make bold plans
and speak of victory to your men,
3
00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:26,400
but to fill their hearts with a fire
4
00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:29,200
so they willingly die for you?
5
00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,000
As a wise man once said,
6
00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,640
"I do not fear
an army of lions led by a sheep."
7
00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,440
"I fear an army of sheep
8
00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:46,480
led by a lion."
9
00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,800
{\an8}Help me understand it, my king.
10
00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:58,840
Our numbers are unbeatable.
11
00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:01,680
- If we were to attack...
- Stop, Bessus.
12
00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:05,480
Just look.
13
00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:08,800
Breathe it in.
14
00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,880
That reckless boy king would have
to take pause at such a glorious sight.
15
00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:19,480
But "unbeatable," Bessus?
16
00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,920
A man of your experience using that word.
17
00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,080
I think we have the numerical advantage.
18
00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:26,840
We had that at Granicus too.
19
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:30,640
And you, Mazaeus.
20
00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:37,920
You think our hammer can crack this nut?
21
00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,360
I think under these circumstances...
22
00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:45,680
You can drop the diplomacy, Mazaeus.
23
00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,080
Our enemy has shown
we cannot rely on brute force.
24
00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:53,160
Our enemy is riding his luck.
25
00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,080
Which is why we need
to take the fight to him on our terms.
26
00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,400
We will isolate this bastard
and get rid of him.
27
00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:03,120
Once and for all.
28
00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:12,400
But the wise man also knows
that if you seek victory above all else...
29
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,600
you need an army of lions
30
00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:24,080
led by the biggest lion of all.
31
00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:09,200
Bad news?
32
00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:12,640
We're facing the largest army on Earth
33
00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:15,360
led by Darius.
34
00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,840
{\an8}For Darius, the defeat at Granicus makes
it clear that this is a serious problem.
35
00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:23,120
{\an8}Even more so as he sees
Alexander going down,
36
00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:24,720
{\an8}sort of, the Levant towards Egypt,
37
00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:27,640
that he's coming to do
some serious damage to the empire.
38
00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,640
So he then gathers an imperial army
39
00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:36,440
to confront Alexander
on that Levantine coast at Issus.
40
00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,960
Darius is determined
to stop him in his tracks right there.
41
00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:44,760
Sir.
42
00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:47,600
The Persians are retaking Issus.
43
00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:49,720
Of course they are.
44
00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,000
That will sever our supply lines,
reinforcements, communications.
45
00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,360
Not to mention
where our wounded are being treated.
46
00:03:58,880 --> 00:03:59,880
Alex.
47
00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:02,720
We'll be completely cut off.
48
00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:06,280
You asked for
a stand-up fight.
49
00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:09,120
Well, it'll happen there.
50
00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:11,480
But I'm not sure you'll want it.
51
00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,160
Alexander, you need
to hear this for yourself.
52
00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,120
You have to imagine Alexander
and Darius are moving through mountains.
53
00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,400
They don't have a drone they can send
to try and see where their opponents are,
54
00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:29,160
{\an8}so they're relying on reports
and strategy
55
00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,080
{\an8}and anticipating
what their opponents might do.
56
00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:38,600
Ptol, that's enough.
57
00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:48,160
A patrol caught him
in the Beilan Pass, spying on our lines.
58
00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,200
Turns out he knows a lot
about the Persian troop numbers too
59
00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:52,560
with the right prompting.
60
00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:53,880
Don't you? Huh?
61
00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:56,760
Darius has called in reinforcements,
62
00:04:56,840 --> 00:04:59,400
the city garrison of Babylon,
63
00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:01,720
along with
several thousand local conscripts.
64
00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,200
It gives them
a standing army of... 100,000 men.
65
00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:07,800
Versus our 40,000.
66
00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:10,320
Look, Alex.
67
00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:13,760
We need to at least consider a retreat.
68
00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:18,680
Or it'll be the kind of massacre
only the Androctasiae can dream of.
69
00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:19,800
What?
70
00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:22,360
Do you not know any mythology?
71
00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,600
He means the spirits of slaughter, Ptol.
72
00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:28,560
But I disagree.
73
00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:31,960
Darius is running this by the book.
74
00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:33,440
Meaning?
75
00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:35,680
I've read it.
76
00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:40,800
It's a well-worn Persian tactic.
77
00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:44,200
He'll trap us here...
78
00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:49,760
between the Amanus Mountains and the sea,
79
00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:51,920
then use their superior numbers...
80
00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:55,720
to crush us.
81
00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,800
Those same mountains and sea
prevent him from outflanking us.
82
00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,880
Meaning he can't bring his entire force
to bear on us all at once.
83
00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,160
Parmenion, can you hold their horses?
84
00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:14,240
For how long?
85
00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:19,160
Get me enough time to drive at them
and they'll fold. I know it.
86
00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:24,360
There's no small risk to this strategy.
87
00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:27,960
But also no small merit.
88
00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:31,400
I'll do my duty on the field.
89
00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:35,280
Then let's take the battle to them.
90
00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:40,960
It's clear from the outset
that Darius doesn't expect this
91
00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:45,320
to be a minor confrontation
or a stepping stone to a larger battle.
92
00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,160
He wants this to be decisive.
93
00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,320
He wants to deal with the issue
and get Alexander out of the way,
94
00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:53,880
so he's kind of throwing
everything he has at this battle.
95
00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:03,400
Macedonians.
96
00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:07,880
Already, danger has threatened you.
97
00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:10,080
And you...
98
00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,640
You have looked it triumphantly
in the face.
99
00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:14,720
Yeah!
100
00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,280
But this time, the struggle
will be between a victorious army
101
00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:22,360
and an enemy already once vanquished.
102
00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:24,960
And don't forget.
103
00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:27,120
They are Persians.
104
00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:34,600
Men who, for centuries,
have lived soft and luxurious lives.
105
00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:39,600
While, for generations past,
106
00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,640
we of Macedon
have been trained in warfare.
107
00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:48,400
There is a stain...
108
00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:54,680
upon your houses.
109
00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,800
An infestation led by
a degenerate king with one aim.
110
00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:01,080
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
111
00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:05,480
To sully all that is good
112
00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:08,600
and pure about Persia.
113
00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:09,680
Yeah.
114
00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:13,720
My question to you.
115
00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:17,160
Will you let him?
116
00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:19,160
No!
117
00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,600
Will you stand by and watch him
take your homes, your livelihoods?
118
00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:25,080
No!
119
00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,840
Let their filthy Greek hands
molest your wives?
120
00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:29,080
No!
121
00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:31,360
Then I say fight!
122
00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:34,640
Not for me, not for Persia,
123
00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:36,360
but for yourselves!
124
00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:38,440
Yeah!
125
00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:44,280
When Darius travels,
he takes the whole of the court with him.
126
00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:45,240
Persia!
127
00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:47,800
Queen Stateira,
Barsine, his daughter,
128
00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,200
were all present themselves.
129
00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:54,320
It was an absolute standard
royal Persian practice
130
00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:57,320
to bring the women
close to the battlefield.
131
00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:00,880
That suggests to me
that Darius thinks the outcome of this
132
00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:02,800
is already secured,
133
00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:07,760
{\an8}that his wife and his family
are going to see the spectacle
134
00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,080
{\an8}of the king slaughtering his enemies.
135
00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:11,000
Yeah!
136
00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:13,040
Hopefully,
as far as Darius is concerned,
137
00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,720
he'll put an end to this mess
once and for all.
138
00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:18,280
But, above all, remember this.
139
00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:21,200
We are free men,
140
00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,160
and they are mercenaries
fighting for Darius,
141
00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:27,520
fighting for pay.
142
00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:29,800
But we...
143
00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:32,880
Brothers,
144
00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:35,840
we will be fighting for Macedon,
145
00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:38,560
and our hearts will be in it.
146
00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:40,160
Yeah!
147
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,440
Yes! Come on!
148
00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:55,320
Yeah!
149
00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:07,520
The interesting thing here
for Alexander is that
150
00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,160
he only has to lose one battle
and that's it. If he loses that battle,
151
00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,320
you can be pretty sure that Darius
isn't going to be magnanimous,
152
00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:16,080
because he sees him as a rebel.
153
00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:18,240
Of course, the stakes
are pretty high for Darius too.
154
00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,960
I mean, let's not underestimate those.
155
00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:25,000
If Darius loses, basically, he loses
the western part of the Persian empire.
156
00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:41,200
The terrain of the battlefield
really did work against the Persians,
157
00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,960
particularly because
of the size of their army
158
00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:46,840
and their dependence on cavalry.
159
00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:49,480
I mean, basically you're almost
in a little bowl, right?
160
00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:51,920
You know, sort of squashed
between the foothills
161
00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,240
of a not insignificant mountain range
162
00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,520
and the Mediterranean coast.
163
00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:00,400
And so, although Darius had
a greater number of troops,
164
00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,200
they're squashed together,
and they don't have the space to maneuver
165
00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:08,240
as effectively as they could
on a flatter, more open battlefield.
166
00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:13,320
Persians are using
a force of 100,000 men
167
00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,600
as opposed to something like
40,000 troops that Alexander has.
168
00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:20,160
So the odds are
certainly stacked against him.
169
00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:23,160
The Persians become
a little bit overconfident
170
00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,480
because they seem
to have superiority in numbers,
171
00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:29,280
but what really matters is
command and control, not the numbers.
172
00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:33,280
If Alexander is going to win this battle,
173
00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:35,960
then he has to win it on his terms
174
00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,760
and employ the usual off-center tactics
175
00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:43,160
that he's always employed
and have always been successful for him.
176
00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:55,600
Yeah!
177
00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:31,840
Shields up!
178
00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:43,200
The Persians swarm
around Alexander's troops,
179
00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:45,440
especially those led by Parmenion.
180
00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:47,800
It's looking pretty desperate for them.
181
00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,320
Several major players
on the Macedonian side
182
00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:52,680
are killed at that point.
183
00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:55,200
Where the hell is he?
184
00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:57,560
Mazaeus. Quickly!
185
00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,840
Target their left flank.
Their cavalry is starting to fall.
186
00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:02,240
I will hit them hard.
187
00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:04,240
Troops! Charge!
188
00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,400
The Persian way of fighting
in battle,
189
00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:11,080
it tends to be that the commander,
in this case, Darius himself,
190
00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,760
they tend to stay at the center
of the army so they're surrounded.
191
00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:16,640
Okay? So it's about keeping them safe,
192
00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,640
but also, of course,
issuing orders from the center itself.
193
00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,760
And that's in complete contrast
to Alexander's way of doing it,
194
00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,840
who likes to cut through the center
all the time and actually get to the head,
195
00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:27,920
to the charge.
196
00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:32,320
So it's a very different
fighting technique to Alexander's.
197
00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:46,960
We need to buy him more time.
198
00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:55,480
Hoplites! Hold the line! Hold the line!
199
00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,760
Alexander clearly sees
that this is not going well.
200
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:18,280
One of his major players, Parmenion,
his friend, is in desperate danger.
201
00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,160
Alexander suddenly sees
that there's an opening,
202
00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:31,920
and, as ever the opportunist,
203
00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:33,400
Alexander seizes the moment
204
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:35,640
and takes decisive action.
205
00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:37,680
Cavalry, on me!
206
00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:41,640
- Charge!
- Go!
207
00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:44,720
The war-winning aspect
with Alexander's army is his cavalry.
208
00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,080
And why is that?
Because he's able to move.
209
00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,440
And he's able to move with alarming speed.
210
00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:54,880
He kicks things off.
211
00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,320
He starts it with his charge
from the right companion cavalry
212
00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:00,160
heading towards the Persian lines.
213
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:04,400
But this isn't a haphazard,
flat-out gallop towards the Persians.
214
00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:08,040
Alexander has deliberately
picked a spot in the Persian lines
215
00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:10,080
that he thinks is going to be the weakest,
216
00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,720
where he sees the potential
for an opening, and it works.
217
00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:15,360
Hold the line!
218
00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:17,960
Hold the line!
219
00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,600
All the classical sources agree,
and it's even in the iconography as well,
220
00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:43,560
that, for the first time, Alexander
and Darius lock eyes on one another.
221
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,000
It must have been quite remarkable.
222
00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,120
You know, these two great kings,
these two warriors are there,
223
00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,440
and the history of the world
is going to be formed
224
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:54,760
by what happens in the next few seconds.
225
00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:09,080
I think if he could've,
he would've killed Darius there and then.
226
00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:12,480
Clear a path! Clear a path!
227
00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:14,920
We can't leave the men!
228
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,480
Sir, my duty is to the king, to Persia.
229
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,320
Move it! Ha-ya!
230
00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:24,480
No!
231
00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,640
Darius's bodyguards are quick
to maneuver Darius out of the way.
232
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,120
They immediately turn the chariot
off the field.
233
00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,120
Darius has to
leave the battlefield.
234
00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:37,360
Darius cannot die on that battlefield.
235
00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:39,320
It's not because he's a coward.
236
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,080
It's not because he's running away
for any personal reason.
237
00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:44,840
It's because of what he represents.
238
00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:49,880
If Darius dies on the battlefield,
that is the end of the Persian house.
239
00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,040
Alex, the battle has turned.
We can win this.
240
00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:01,000
No. We can win the war. Come!
241
00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,400
So, basically, Alexander is able
242
00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,000
to make a tactical assessment
of the battlefield really quickly
243
00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:11,280
and to respond to it.
244
00:17:11,360 --> 00:17:13,880
And he sees the weakness
in the opposing ranks,
245
00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:16,080
and that's what Alexander
takes advantage of.
246
00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,400
It is a very, very bold maneuver.
247
00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:20,600
And it works.
248
00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,040
With Darius gone from the scene,
249
00:17:24,120 --> 00:17:27,280
the instinct that
all the Persian soldiers have
250
00:17:27,360 --> 00:17:30,960
is to follow their king, of course.
And this is essentially what happens.
251
00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:35,320
First of all, the middle lines,
those that were around Darius, go with him
252
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:38,760
until only the front line is left,
and they too then begin to peel away.
253
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:41,440
And this is when
the Macedonians simply hack them down.
254
00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,800
They are slaughtered to a man
as they are leaving the battlefield.
255
00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:50,880
{\an8}The loss of the Battle of Issus
meant for Darius
256
00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:54,400
{\an8}that his Western satrapies are gone
257
00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:57,920
and now are going to be
in the hands of Alexander.
258
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,160
They are facing a new military force,
259
00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:09,400
and the traditional Persian army
is not capable of withstanding Alexander.
260
00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:19,080
My king.
261
00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,680
Mazaeus, send word
to your garrison to regroup...
262
00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:23,040
Sir, please.
263
00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:25,320
- With the remaining Kardakes...
- Darius!
264
00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:29,920
Where are the women?
265
00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:33,440
Barsine and Stateira.
266
00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:48,480
Quickly, give me your horse.
267
00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:52,960
- Sir... Sir.
- We're going back.
268
00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:57,000
It's too dangerous. For Persia,
your safety must be the priority.
269
00:18:57,080 --> 00:18:59,000
But they are Persia!
270
00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:22,920
After the battle, Alexander is able to,
basically, take the spoils of victory,
271
00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,040
which is Darius's camp.
272
00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:27,720
That camp included Darius's family.
273
00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:32,760
So, he advances to the royal tent
where we have a rather fateful meeting.
274
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:41,480
King Alexander.
275
00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:44,880
My husband will not tolerate
any bad treatment.
276
00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:50,040
You're not Alexander.
277
00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:52,440
No, he is.
278
00:19:54,120 --> 00:19:55,120
As much as I am.
279
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,880
I read that Persian rulers
bring their families to battle.
280
00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:16,200
So this is how Darius wages war.
281
00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:25,400
Such...
282
00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:28,280
luxury.
283
00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:31,360
For the Persians,
284
00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,120
Persianness and the centrality of Persia
was everything.
285
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,720
Civilization was the hub of Persia.
286
00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,600
The further away you went from that,
the more barbaric you became.
287
00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,880
So this outcrop of land
which is called Macedonia,
288
00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,600
for the Persians,
was the ultimate site of barbarity.
289
00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:49,920
Just get behind me.
290
00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:54,960
Stateira would have thought of Alexander
as the ultimate barbarian.
291
00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:00,680
If you even breathe on her...
292
00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:02,360
What?
293
00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:05,600
- I will make it my mission...
- No.
294
00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:08,280
No.
295
00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:14,440
What kind of barbarian do you think I am?
296
00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:25,520
Please.
297
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,400
- I've not harmed you.
- No.
298
00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:35,280
And you won't either.
299
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:40,800
Because we have no value to you dead.
300
00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,280
Then, if only in this regard,
we have an understanding.
301
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,560
They can gather their belongings
and bring them.
302
00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:59,920
The women must have been terrified.
303
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:04,520
Or if not terrified,
resigned to an unenviable fate.
304
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:06,960
Let's be honest. The fate of most women
305
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,840
on the losing side of a battle
in antiquity was rape and death
306
00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:12,440
or enslavement,
307
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:15,680
regardless of their status.
308
00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:19,000
And so, when Alexander entered the tent,
309
00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:21,840
they knew they were at his mercy.
310
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,080
Uh, their fate was entirely in his hands.
311
00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,360
I think taking
Darius's wife and daughter
312
00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:40,080
sent a huge signal,
uh, to many of the mercenaries
313
00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:42,680
and Darius's immediate followers
314
00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,840
that the king, who cannot even
take care of their own children and wife,
315
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:48,880
how could they defend the empire?
316
00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:54,480
- Any word?
- I have no words.
317
00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:57,240
- Mazaeus...
- We let them be taken.
318
00:22:57,840 --> 00:22:58,960
Don't.
319
00:22:59,040 --> 00:22:59,880
You...
320
00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:03,360
...underestimated Alexander.
321
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,000
You're right.
322
00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:11,520
And for that, I'm sorry.
323
00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:16,240
But we are Persians.
324
00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:20,000
We do not cower.
325
00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:22,880
We do not panic.
326
00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,640
Certainly not with 60,000 men
still on the field.
327
00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:30,760
What good are they when that thug
328
00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:34,920
is holding my fiancée,
your daughter, captive.
329
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:39,800
I know.
330
00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:44,520
I know you're right.
331
00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:49,800
They are the world to me.
332
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:03,840
So that is what I will offer them.
333
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:05,720
What?
334
00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:07,800
A bribe?
335
00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:11,760
Will that work?
336
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:13,920
Trust me.
337
00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:16,000
He's Macedonian.
338
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:19,720
Find me a messenger.
339
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:26,520
Darius realizes that
he needs to get his family back
340
00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:30,280
{\an8}because Stateira,
given her high royal status,
341
00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:34,440
{\an8}had provided a legitimacy to him
in his early days of kingship.
342
00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:36,680
So he sends Alexander a letter.
343
00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:38,760
- We have the momentum.
- My king.
344
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:42,160
No, Ptolemy, now is not the right time.
345
00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,680
The right time?
Parmenion, his army is scattered.
346
00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,720
They're licking their wounds.
Now is the time. Let's finish this.
347
00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:54,040
The Persians may be scattered,
but they still substantially outnumber us.
348
00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,040
Without reinforcements,
we could suffer the fate of Antaeus.
349
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:00,680
- He was crushed to death by Herakles.
- Yeah, I got that one.
350
00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,320
Then perhaps we should
just stay here and give up.
351
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,120
It's an offer from Darius.
352
00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,840
We keep all the territories and cities
we've taken so far,
353
00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:17,360
plus a ransom.
354
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:20,080
Ten thousand gold talents.
355
00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:25,760
- What does he ask in return?
- His family, mainly.
356
00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,280
But also an end to our war.
357
00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,080
It's a bribe for my obedience.
358
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:37,000
It's a good offer, sir.
359
00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,280
Think of all the cities
you conquered for Macedon.
360
00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,280
If I were Alexander, I would take it.
361
00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,480
And if I were Parmenion, I would too.
362
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:50,560
Alex,
363
00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:52,720
it pains me, but...
364
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:54,920
He's right.
365
00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,800
You've proved yourself,
more than anyone could've envisioned.
366
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:02,840
If I consider this,
I am no better than Attalus.
367
00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,360
Taking the Persian coin
with my head bowed?
368
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:08,880
And what is the alternative?
369
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,720
Stretch our dwindling resources
to breaking point?
370
00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:14,920
And thereby, truly test our mettle?
371
00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:19,920
Well, I hope, for your sake,
Parmenion, it doesn't come to that.
372
00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:24,320
Look at you all.
373
00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:29,760
Am I the only one
who still has fire in his heart?
374
00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:40,200
The classical sources suggest that
rather than go headlong into battle again,
375
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:45,600
Darius was prepared
to offer Alexander, uh, various gifts,
376
00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,320
everything from gold and silver coinage,
377
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:53,120
{\an8}or even, one classical source says,
half of his empire.
378
00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:56,920
{\an8}That is to say, if Alexander now takes
everything that he conquered so far,
379
00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:00,040
{\an8}Darius would be satisfied,
and let's just call it quits.
380
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:03,800
Good morning.
381
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:11,080
I trust the new accommodation
is to your liking?
382
00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:18,760
The beds comfortable?
383
00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:22,440
Is there something you need?
384
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:28,040
Please, sit.
385
00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:30,880
It would be very unusual for Alexander
386
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:33,800
not to seek to gain information
out of his captives.
387
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,360
It would be almost negligent
of him not to.
388
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:41,480
We don't know, for instance,
if Stateira had a rapport with Alexander.
389
00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:46,520
You know, could he have gone to her
for advice about her husband,
390
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,120
the running of the empire?
We simply don't know.
391
00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:51,840
It's pretty clear
if they're there in the baggage train,
392
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,480
they would've been a valuable source
of information for Alexander
393
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,880
about what's going on at the inner sanctum
of the Persian Empire, and also,
394
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:00,960
all sorts of things about the psychology
of Darius would've been revealed.
395
00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:03,640
If you're the wife and daughter
of the Persian king
396
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:05,680
who's just abandoned you to your enemy,
397
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:08,200
you're probably not going
to be entirely complimentary about
398
00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,480
what your husband or father has done.
399
00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,000
Egypt... What do you know of it?
400
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,720
You want me to draw you a pyramid?
401
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,480
No, I mean, what are his defenses?
402
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:27,440
Troop numbers, cavalry...?
403
00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,680
And you think
I would be party to that kind of detail?
404
00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:35,320
Yes, I do.
405
00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:42,720
It is the only jewel in the Persian crown
more prized than you.
406
00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:46,640
Its riches fill the Persian treasury.
407
00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,720
The crops of the Nile delta
fill the bellies of your subjects.
408
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:55,520
It's why Artaxerxes built an army
of 350,000 just to conquer it
409
00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,400
and gentrify all those barbarians.
410
00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:03,960
Hmm.
411
00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:07,280
Seems you already know a great deal.
412
00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,040
Only what
anyone can learn from a book.
413
00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:13,800
I want to know
what Egypt can teach me itself.
414
00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:16,720
What a place like that can show me.
415
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:22,920
So,
416
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,520
all that's stopping you
are 50,000 elite troops
417
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:29,640
who've sworn allegiance to my husband.
418
00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:38,880
Then again...
419
00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,760
he did once share a hated enemy.
420
00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:51,120
Us.
421
00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:58,000
So maybe all you barbarians
have more in common than you think.
422
00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:10,400
Mother.
423
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:13,600
What do you think you're doing?
424
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:15,240
Right now?
425
00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:17,480
Surviving.
426
00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:22,400
Persian royal women
were not silent partners.
427
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:27,080
They had a long, long history
of being determined go-getters.
428
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,840
And if Stateira was representative
429
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:33,600
of any of the line of Persian women
that had gone before her,
430
00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:36,520
then I think
she would have played on this situation
431
00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,080
and maximized on it as best as she could.
432
00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:47,360
Sir.
433
00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,480
Have you decided
how to respond to the Persian offer?
434
00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:51,560
I have.
435
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:53,880
Good.
436
00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,120
To the esteemed Darius Codomannus,
437
00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,800
son of Arsames and current king of Persia...
438
00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:13,360
No.
439
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:22,760
As I, Alexander of Macedon,
am now the de facto king of all Asia,
440
00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:27,560
it is up to me, and me alone,
to decide upon territorial divisions.
441
00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:32,280
My decision is this.
442
00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:39,280
I'm coming for you and your throne.
443
00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:43,520
Ptol, send that immediately.
444
00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:47,240
The rest of you,
prepare the troops and take on water.
445
00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:50,360
Tomorrow, we march south to Egypt.
446
00:31:56,120 --> 00:32:01,440
Egypt, where an entire garrison
of Persian infantry awaits us?
447
00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,600
Well, it's bold.
448
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:06,520
I'll give him that.
449
00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:09,280
It's a death wish is what it is.
450
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:15,320
Heph?
451
00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:20,120
You need to make your friend
see his mistake. Now.
452
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:25,000
Or we will all die
and it would be for nothing.
453
00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:39,920
So you might think that immediately
following his success at Issus
454
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:43,600
that Alexander would continue
his pursuit of Darius, get it done.
455
00:32:44,200 --> 00:32:49,400
But, in a very Alexander way, he doesn't.
Instead, he goes to Egypt.
456
00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:54,800
Alexander was probably interested
and somewhat obsessed by Egypt
457
00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:56,520
when he was quite young.
458
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,840
{\an8}He had read about it,
Aristotle had taught him about it,
459
00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:02,920
{\an8}and Egypt featured
in sort of the mythos of the world.
460
00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:09,320
Egypt is wealthy
in terms of financial resources,
461
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:12,520
but when you have an army,
you have to feed that army,
462
00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,240
and Egypt was one of the breadbaskets
of the ancient world.
463
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:17,440
It produced a huge volume of grain.
464
00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:19,560
So for Alexander to control Egypt
465
00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:24,280
would make it easier to have access
to the supplies he needed for his army.
466
00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:31,720
Poor Heph. They sent the friend
to talk down the madman.
467
00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:32,800
No.
468
00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:35,280
No, not talk down.
469
00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:38,760
Understand.
470
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:40,960
What is there to understand?
471
00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:47,640
Why you would march us
through a burning desert for weeks
472
00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:50,640
just to see us climb into a lion's mouth.
473
00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:55,280
What if I've been told the lion
might be friendlier than we think?
474
00:33:57,080 --> 00:33:58,520
And who told you that?
475
00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:02,240
Alex, who told you that? Stateira?
476
00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:07,280
I need to listen to all voices, Heph.
477
00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:08,920
Well, then listen to mine.
478
00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:17,640
I know this goes against
all military sense.
479
00:34:17,720 --> 00:34:19,840
But what if it's not a military decision?
480
00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:25,480
What if it's something
I have to do before I face Darius?
481
00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:30,520
You remember Homer's writings.
"The journey is the thing."
482
00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:34,480
Well, I finally found my destination.
483
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:38,680
The question is, will you follow?
484
00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:44,880
What is faith but a journey?
485
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:52,400
A pilgrimage that may lead you
through fire or hell itself...
486
00:34:57,520 --> 00:34:59,440
...that may be beset by doubt...
487
00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,080
or a dread of what is to come.
488
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,160
That may even be misunderstood.
489
00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:24,320
Alexander has arrived
at the gates of Pelusium.
490
00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:27,840
Pelusium? Are you sure?
491
00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,280
Straight towards
several thousand loyal troops
492
00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:33,400
ready to liberate the royal women
on your behalf, sir.
493
00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:37,600
Looks like the boy king may have
just made his first tactical error.
494
00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:42,600
And maybe his last.
495
00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:49,920
But one that if you can hold fast
and keep your nerve...
496
00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:51,880
So, what now?
497
00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:56,880
...a most glorious destination
awaits.
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