01x04 - The Golden Empire

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music playing]

What is the prize

that only the mighty

have conquered and kept?

A place whose wealth, beauty, and history

have obsessed Alexander since childhood.

It is the ancient, glittering jewel.

Egypt.

[horse neighs]

Em hotep nefer!

Brother, I don't think we're welcome here.

Hotep!

Good people of Egypt.

[suspenseful music playing]

Please, Alex.

What in the name of gods is he doing?

[dramatic music intensifies]

[dramatic music fades]

Em hotep nefer.

Do you know what that even means?

I come in peace.

Really?

You seek peace with Egypt?

Yes.

And much more.

Such as?

Such as liberation.

[swords sheathing]

Welcome to Egypt, Alexander.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[music fades, echoes]

[Lloyd] Egypt was one of the most

important components of the Persian Empire

because of its vast wealth.

Egypt was always known

as the breadbasket of antiquity

because it produced more fertile soil,

and, therefore, more wheat and barley

than anywhere else in the Persian Empire.

And yet the relationship

between Egypt and the Persian Empire

had always been a fractious one.

It had often broken away

from the empire, had been reconquered,

and, even under Darius III, of course,

it was in a rather perilous position.

I think there was an increasing awareness

of a kind of

an independence movement in Egypt.

[Carolyn] Egypt's kind of

cut off by this point.

You know, Alexander's got

a massively successful army.

If Egypt resists him,

who's gonna come to their aid?

So it may just have seemed like

the easier thing to do,

the logical thing to do.

Hand Egypt over to Alexander

and hope that everything goes smoothly.

You know that in my official capacity

as viceroy to King Darius

I should have you beheaded right here.

So why shouldn't I give that order?

Satrap Mazaces.

I slaughtered your predecessor

when he led the Egyptian garrison

against us at the Battle of Issus.

The sand ran red with their blood.

All of them.

Summoned and massacred.

And in whose name?

Darius.

That heartless Persian

who demands Egypt calls him king

but has never cared to visit.

Who sees Egypt as nothing more than

providing grain and gold for his empire.

What do you see?

The center of the civilized world.

A place of beauty,

history, and endless potential.

With a people

who should be nurtured and protected.

Not slaughtered.

Then

it will need a protector.

One that the world will know and fear

from here all the way to Persia.

I think that the Egyptians

almost wholeheartedly welcome Alexander.

After all, one foreign ruler

is like another foreign ruler.

For the Egyptians, when Alexander came,

for them, it was like a godsend because

they wanted to get rid of the Persians,

and here was someone who wanted

to get rid of the Persians for them

and who had the military might

that would make it possible.

They're more than happy to say,

"Welcome" in Egypt,

and basically let him in

so that he could do the work for them.

[heroic music playing]

[Lloyd] But they see

in Alexander, clearly,

a way to get rid of the hated Persians,

and they offer Alexander

the, the crown of Egypt.

[heroic music continues]

[music ends]

There was a big coronation ceremony,

which was done

the way it would have been done

for an Egyptian pharaoh.

Alexander's coronation

was important in many ways.

First of all, it gave him legitimacy.

So the Egyptians could say,

"Yes, you are a legitimate pharaoh

because you've gone through

the right ceremonies."

"You have been crowned in Memphis."

Hail the son of Ra.

Our blessed and beloved Pharaoh.

[Salima] And having someone who also

embraces Egyptian religion in this way,

that was just perfect.

[dramatic music playing]

[Salima] This must have been really

the first major step

in achieving his ambitions

and really creating

what became his persona.

So it must have been a big head rush.

[regal music playing]

[music fades]

[Darius shouts] Pharaoh?

[softer] So not just a cowardly surrender.

They made him a living god?

What kind of conspiracy is this?

[Bessus] I understand

they also presented him with a gift, sir.

Eight hundred gold talents.

[Darius scoffs]

Then how revealing

is this gift from Egypt.

Filthy insects.

No better than the excrement they feed on.

Then again, sir, as Queen Stateira said

[shouts] But she's not here!

Is she?

[softer] Right now, we don't even know

whether she's alive or dead.

Look around you!

My empire!

All the pomp and state and military might.

All the riches of Croesus.

But in reality

[objects shattering and clattering]

[softly] it all counts for nothing.

[Touraj] The loss of Egypt

for Darius was a further blow

into his prestige

and the reach of the empire.

It showed that the empire

has certain weaknesses,

and it cannot control

the distant satrapies.

[Stateira] All hail the son of Ra.

That was a great honor.

What an honor indeed.

Did you ever consider

my ambition may extend beyond w*r

to something more?

Something much greater?

[both breathing heavily]

[both panting]

[Lloyd] From Stateira's point of view,

I suppose there are two ways

of thinking of her situation.

She could either have been

completely repulsed by this barbarian

using her sexually in this way

and have never come to terms with it.

Or, if we want to see her

as taking certain agency for herself,

maybe she went along willingly with this

because maybe she sees in Alexander

the possibility of her future

as the Queen of Persia continuing.

[Stateira breathing heavily]

The capture of Stateira would have been

a huge blow to Darius on any level,

to his status, to his standing

in the eyes of the Persians.

Darius III wasn't

from the royal noble line.

Through marrying Stateira,

a Persian noble lady,

he was able to elevate his position

as someone worthy for the Persian throne.

[Lloyd] Alexander has inherited

the Egyptian throne from Darius.

He's become a a living god,

as far as the Egyptians are concerned,

and like everybody who conquers Egypt,

eventually, the conqueror becomes

conquered by Egyptian culture.

And I think Alexander just wants

to leave his mark on Egypt,

and what he does there, of course,

is leave his mark

in the most phenomenal way.

He founds a city,

and he names it after himself.

He founds Alexandria.

[Stateira] What's this?

What are you doing here, Alexander?

Building a city,

the greatest the world's ever seen.

The walls will be brilliant white,

so the sunlight reflects its beauty.

In time, these lines will become roads.

Buildings, a port.

A vast metropolis built

by the very best of Greek architecture.

[Stateira scoffs]

Looks like you've got it all planned out.

Yes.

The idea came to me in a dream.

It's a new kind of city.

Not just a center of commerce and trade,

but a symbol of culture.

Of learning and knowledge.

For me, it can't exist anywhere

but right here.

In Egypt.

[Salima] This was basically

a tiny little village,

but Alexander saw tactical advantages

to having an outpost on the sea.

It shall be built here.

[Salima] And he then laid out this city

and said, you know,

"This is going to be Alexandria."

This will house a record

of our entire history.

[Salima] And indeed, this became

one of the most important cities

on the Mediterranean.

[Lloyd] Traces of

the real world of Alexander,

of course, still survive,

and they are emerging from the archeology.

If we dig in Alexandria, it's almost

like cutting through a slice of cake,

where we can see

the layers of habitation there.

And we know that

somewhere on this bottom layer,

beneath the Arab,

beneath the Christian,

beneath the Roman layer,

is going to be the layer

of Alexander's world itself.

[car horn beeps]

It's sitting there.

We just have to find it.

[Calliope] My mission and my dream

is to find this Greek Alexandria,

the Alexandria of Alexander.

Look how deep we arrived

in order to find the layer

where Alexander built the city.

This is about ten meters and a half.

This is our secret of success.

So we are now in the deepest layer

of the city of Alexandria.

After these stones, there is nothing.

[Salima] What we know

about ancient Alexandria

comes from classical writers

and that is how we know

where the Royal Quarter should be

and what should be in it.

So, in fact, they describe Alexandria

as having two major roads,

and at the intersection where they cross

is where the Royal Quarter was located

at the heart of the city.

After moving tons and tons of earth,

Dr. Pepi made a discovery that

suddenly changed everything for her.

A limestone?

- [man] This? Yes.

- [Calliope] Mmm.

We uncovered the main broad road

of Alexandria.

The Royal Road.

This is one of the two broad streets

that Alexander himself planned.

One important evidence,

according to the maps we have,

is the direction of the road.

It was the road that the kings were using

to go from their palaces

from the port of Alexandria

to the port of the lake.

[Salima] And now she thinks that she is

really honing in on the Royal Quarter

because she has found actually what might

be the foundations of a large building.

[tools scraping]

When these stones appeared,

it was a great day for me

because, maybe for the first time

in the Royal Quarter,

we see evidence

of the buildings that were here.

The size of this building is huge.

We have arrived in a length of 50 meters,

so we can compare it even with Parthenon.

That means this was

a very important building.

[Salima] One of the interesting finds

associated with the building is plaster.

Dr. Pepi has found lots and lots and lots

of fragments of painted plaster,

which shows

how the building was decorated.

[Calliope] Here we have samples.

Strong red,

nice yellow,

and a big quantity of light blue.

Light blue is not the Egyptian blue.

It's the Greek blue.

When we first saw

these colored fragments of plaster,

I was so excited because

I never saw that in Alexandria before.

[car horn beeps]

[Calliope] We know that these colors

decorated the tombs in Macedonia,

and this is, for the first time,

we find something like that

in the Royal Quarter of Alexandria.

Besides, we find architectural pieces,

and a nice surprise was the colored one

with egg motif,

pure, typical Macedonian Greek style.

I'm sure that it is

one of the famous buildings

we know that

were inside the Royal Quarter.

The library, the museum,

and the tomb of Alexander.

And from the size and the construction,

we understand how glorious

this building should be.

Having laid down

the foundations of Alexandria,

Alexander doesn't linger in the area,

and that's because, basically,

he's a man on a mission.

He's got a a spiritual quest to go on.

You're going to Siwa?

Yes.

You know, mythical temple

in the depths of the Great Sand Sea.

Ptol.

[Ptolemy sighs]

It's just a symptom of madness

to even consider that journey.

It's not madness, General.

[Parmenion] No?

Siwa is in this direction.

Persia is this way.

What am I missing?

- He needs to see the high priest.

- And our men need to fight.

That journey will take months.

If you make it out alive.

What are the men

supposed to do in the meantime?

Let them rest.

Let them enjoy Egyptian hospitality.

They've earned it.

With the w*r coming,

it may be the last chance they get.

Sir, with respect,

we will lose any strategic advantage

we had over the Persians.

Have faith, Parmenion.

I've led you to victory before.

And I will do it again.

But only when the time is right.

And you are in favor of this jaunt?

[Ptolemy] He's the king.

Doesn't matter what I think.

I don't care how native he has become,

how the foreign in him strengthens,

while the Macedon in him weakens.

I do.

I came here to fight,

not to see the damn sights.

[Salima] Alexander did something

extraordinary in Egypt.

Instead of going on to conquer

the rest of the Persian empire,

he takes a detour going to Siwa, which is

a small oasis in the western desert,

closer to Libya than anywhere else,

and he goes there

because it's famed for its oracle.

Alexander had already

been crowned pharaoh,

but he wants to go to the oracle at Siwa,

perhaps because

he wants spiritual legitimacy

as well as political legitimacy.

[Lloyd] Alexander's journey to Siwa

must have been arduous.

We should imagine him

day after day, high, high temperatures.

Alexander's aim to get to Siwa

obviously drives him forward.

So tell me, Alex.

Why are we risking certain death again?

Greatness, Ptol.

- [camels snorting]

- Greatness.

- [Ptolemy] Ah, yes.

- I've missed this.

Adventuring together.

Isn't that all we do now?

Without distractions, I mean.

She had nothing to do with this.

- I knew I'd make this trip before we left.

- I know.

It's just nice

to get you to myself for a few weeks.

And all I had to do was volunteer

for this suicidal lunacy.

Again, isn't that all we do now?

Sir, I have news.

We have located your wife and daughter.

- [sword clatters]

- Tell me.

Are they in Macedon?

No, sir.

Egypt.

When Alexander took Pelusium,

the women were there with him.

Our source says they are

in good health and being treated well.

[muttering] Almost too well.

What was that, Governor?

Sir.

They're not prisoners.

They're guests,

paraded at his side

and kept in his own royal quarters.

Barsine too.

Sir.

He's treating your queen

like his own.

They are women

alone

in the company of savages.

Stateira only has

a number of cards to play

to survive.

[angrily] That b*stard!

I will k*ll him.

I will rip him apart

with my own bare hands! I swear it to God.

But you might not have to, my king.

There was more news.

Alexander has not turned his forces

towards Persia as expected.

Instead,

he has set out with a small caravan

across the Great Sand Sea.

The desert?

The very same

that swallowed King Cambyses himself.

And whether it be

the heat or the raging sand,

it will swallow him too. I know it.

[Darius scoffs]

[scoffs]

So our empire

and everyone we love

is threatened by a tyrant,

but you

are pinning our hopes on a sandstorm

to blow him away.

- And what would you suggest, sir?

- [sword rattles]

No more excuses!

No more waiting for the gods to intervene.

[whispers] We

will be the storm, Bessus.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[shouts] We will be the storm, Bessus.

[music fades]

Oh, no, thank you.

- Sorry. What I mean is I don't want

- She doesn't want tea.

She's feeling sick due to her condition.

That doesn't concern you, Barsine.

What?

That I am to have a b*stard sibling

by the enemy?

Mind your tongue.

How could you, Maman?

How could I what?

Keep us alive?

[scoffs]

Call it that

if it makes you feel better.

But it is a betrayal.

[sighs]

Of Papa,

of Persia itself.

[scoffs] But look around you, Barsine.

This is not Persia.

This is not our home.

We're not royal here.

We're Persian pawns in this violent w*r.

And the only protection you have

is what I can leverage.

This is the real world.

I'm so sorry, Maman.

Then, for both our sakes,

we must pray for his safe return.

[camels grunt]

[Lloyd] Alexander would have been told

that 200 years before him,

the Persian king Cambyses had tried

to move his army across this vast desert,

but had failed and had lost

tens of thousands of soldiers

in this vast, unforgiving wilderness.

[camel grunts]

[sandstorm rumbles]

[wind blows]

Everybody find cover. Now!

[dramatic music intensifies over storm]

[Alexander] Take cover!

- [wind blows]

- [Hephaestion] Ah!

Oh, my eyes!

Alex!

- I'm with you, brother!

- [Alexander] Ah!

[both] Ah!

[Ptolemy] Hold on!

[dramatic music continues]

[Alexander] Ptolemy.

- [wind blows loudly]

- [men shouting]

[Hephaestion] Alexander!

[dramatic music continues]

- [wind blows]

- [Hephaestion] Quickly! Alex! Alex!

[Alexander] Ptolemy, you all right?

[Hephaestion] Alex!

- [Darius roars]

- [music ends]

[pants]

[camels grunt]

[soft wind blowing]

[coughs]

[coughs]

[camel grunts]

- Right.

- [camel grunts]

- [Hephaestion coughs]

- [camel snorts]

[Hephaestion] No. [coughs]

[Alexander chuckles]

Woo-hoo!

[Hephaestion] Suicidal lunacy, yes?

What did I say? That's all we do.

[Alexander laughs]

- [gags, spits]

- [camels grunt]

Still alive? [pants]

[laughs]

[camel grunts]

Oh, the blessed gods!

It has passed.

All the trails, our path

They're gone.

[Salima] Going to Siwa was no picnic

because it's really

in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

Cambyses's army had been

entirely consumed by a sandstorm,

so Alexander was doing something

that was both brave

but also foolhardy.

[camel grunts]

Alex.

[camel grunts]

I just need a moment.

No, you really don't.

[dramatic music playing]

[Alexander] It's Siwa.

We're here.

We made it.

- That damn snake, huh? [laughs]

- [Alexander laughs]

This trip to Siwa is a very important part

of Alexander's PR campaign

to show that he has divine sonship.

And this part is just as important

to him as the military victories.

So this trip to Siwa is part and parcel

of Alexander's entire program,

and without it, he would not be

the king that we know him to be.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[dramatic music wanes]

We have been waiting for you, Alexander.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[dramatic music playing]