01x06 - A World Still to Conquer

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music playing]

And so the world did burn.

A raging firestorm

that spread across the land.

And for some,

it would end.

But in that white-hot heat,

which loyalties would crack?

And which would be forged anew?

[Salima] Darius had already been beaten

very badly at Issus,

and so, he had been retreating.

He'd lost large chunks of his empire.

His family was in hostage to Alexander,

so, he tried to broker a deal

with Alexander,

offering him half the empire,

untold wealth,

and the hand of his daughter in marriage.

[Jennifer] Barsine had actually

been betrothed to Mazaeus,

so, the fact that Darius was willing

to give his daughter to Alexander

really shows that Darius

is trying everything at his disposal

to prevent this w*r from continuing.

Alexander sent a reply

that he was not interested in anything

- No.

- [Jennifer] that Darius was offering.

But he sends this letter through Mazaeus

so that Mazaeus is able to see

that Darius is willing

to be disloyal to his own men

in exchange for peace with Alexander.

A messenger delivered this.

Direct from Alexander.

It seems you have your answer, my king.

[dramatic music playing]

[Jennifer] As a result of Alexander

rejecting Darius's peace offer,

there will now be one final showdown

at Gaugamela in modern-day Iraq.

[Lloyd] Gaugamela, without a doubt,

is one of those moments in history.

- [spears pounding]

- [Lloyd] It is the moment when

the future of the world is decided.

[music intensifies]

[weapons rattle]

[soldiers shouting]

And so, the battle breaks

- in storming chaos.

- [horses gallop]

[soldiers shout]

[swords clashing]

Troops inflamed,

slashing each other with bronze.

- [soldiers shouting]

- [weapons clashing]

Charge!

[man screams]

But the wise man knows

- [swords slash]

- [soldiers scream]

you can crush your enemy with strategy

[horse neighs]

or with sheer force of will.

[music wanes, echoes]

- [swords clash]

- [men scream]

[ethereal music playing over battle noise]

[horse neighs]

On paper, Darius should have

this battle won before it even begins.

He has ten times as many men as Alexander.

[soldier grunts]

- [grunts]

- [soldiers shout]

What Alexander does

is kick things off from the right.

He actually draws the Persians out

further and further

and further to the right,

pulling the Persian line apart.

General Parmenion,

attack their right flank.

[man screams]

Cavalry, follow me! Yah!

- [soldiers shout]

- [dramatic music playing]

We have Parmenion

trying to defend the left side

of the Macedonian army against Mazaeus.

[roars]

[soldier screams]

[Carolyn] But they are outnumbered,

there are gaps opening up,

and Parmenion is struggling.

He's leaving their center exposed.

General Mazaeus! Quickly!

Counter the cavalry on the right.

[Mazaeus] On me!

Darius responds to this action

by sending chariots

right into the Macedonian phalanx.

[horses neigh]

[Jennifer] But they're too smart for that,

and they simply open gaps in the line

and let them ride right through.

[horses neigh]

[swords clashing]

[screams]

[horse neighs]

[yells]

Meanwhile, Alexander is still fighting

on the Macedonian right.

His opening tactics to split apart

the Persian lines have worked,

and a gap has now opened up.

[soldiers shout]

Hold the line!

This is our moment.

He charges at Darius, who is, of course,

at the heart of the Persian army.

- [horse neighs]

- [men shout]

Darius sees Alexander coming to him,

and I suppose

there's a sense of déjà vu here.

Here we go again.

He needs to get away

from Alexander as quickly as he can.

Many people think, "Oh my God.

This is an act of great cowardice."

But this is actually an act of statecraft,

because if the king dies,

then that's the end of the empire.

[Oracle] When they finally surrender

to the whim of the gods,

and when those gods stride forth

in all their blazing power

- [strains]

- [man screams]

Guards, stop them!

what mortal man can compete?

[breathes heavily]

[horses neigh]

[breathes heavily]

[Hephaestion, muffled] Alexander

- Alexander.

- [panting]

Their commanders have taken flight.

Not even Achilles

could dream of such a triumph.

Alexander?

Seeing Darius flee from the b*ttlefield,

his old colleague, Mazaeus, also flees.

- Cavalry! On my mark, follow me!

- [soldiers screaming]

This moment must have been one of both

sheer elation and ecstasy for Alexander,

but also incredible frustration,

because this is the closest

he has come to owning Persia.

But he still can't catch Darius.

And it's not over

until Darius is dealt with.

[Bessus] Gather as many men as you can.

Babylon has surely fallen.

We head east, deeper into the empire,

and raise a new army.

Persia will never capitulate.

Ha!

[horse neighs]

My king.

- Ha! Ha!

- [horse neighs, gallops]

Mazaeus has no inclination

to follow Darius,

and instead, he heads back

to the city of Babylon,

the city, of course, he governs as satrap.

Not far behind him

rides Alexander and his inner circle,

and they too enter into Babylon,

this jewel of all Persian cities.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Salima] It is quite extraordinary

that this young general, Alexander,

has conquered Egypt,

marched through most of the Middle East,

and now has arrived

at the gates of Babylon.

And now, that too has fallen to him.

It would have been unthinkable

when people first saw

Alexander marching out of Macedon

that he would achieve so much

in such a short amount of time.

[dramatic music playing]

[footsteps approaching]

You're not gonna take his seat?

Alex.

Do you remember?

At the shrine in Troy, you were so worried

you could never be like Achilles.

You could never be

"a lionheart who mauls battalions."

I didn't worry for one second.

[softly] Look at you now,

hey?

Stop. Please.

[scoffs]

What?

You want me to kneel

before the King of Asia?

[firmly] I said stop.

I will not sit,

because it is not yet mine, Heph.

Victory is total.

Alex, you have his throne.

His city.

His family.

What else is there?

You even have his dreams.

But he is still out there.

The King of Persia.

And until I deal with that,

I'm the king of nothing.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[music wanes]

Barsine.

Mazaeus.

- And where is my father?

- [horse neighs]

[Ptolemy] With any luck,

he's now as dead as a dog.

What?

Did you think

you would just walk off into the sunset?

I I made my choice.

- Come with us.

- I will surrender to Alexander.

It's time for you to kneel

in front of the new King of Asia.

[soldier] Come on.

[Ptolemy] My king.

Your royal baggage.

Look at that, Ptolemy.

Someone has toppled

the brutal Persian conqueror.

[Ali] There is a story that's related

that says that Alexander finds

a statue of Xerxes, and Xerxes,

for Alexander, of course,

is the great king

who led the second invasion of Greece

and sacked the Acropolis.

He has this internal dialogue

where he's torn

about what to do about this statue.

It does exemplify Alexander's

deeper anxiety, shall we say, at this time

of his relationship with the Persians.

Shall I leave you lying there because

of the expeditions you led against Greece?

Or shall I pick you up

because of your virtues in other respects?

[Mazaeus] Sir.

May I humbly suggest

a w*r is no true measure of man,

but that only in a life of public service

can he be judged.

[dramatic music playing]

Then perhaps you can help me

return this to its rightful place.

[Mazaeus strains]

This is my decree.

If your citizens offer no resistance,

there will be no bloodshed.

But I think their governor

and his fiancée

are best placed to deliver that message.

Don't you?

[gasps softly]

[inhales]

Of course.

King

of kings.

[dramatic music playing]

[kisses hand]

[Salima] The great fear for Ptolemy

and Alexander's soldiers

is that the further east Alexander goes,

the more Eastern and, in their mind,

sort of dissolute he becomes.

He is then losing

his Greekness, his Macedonian-ness,

and that, for the army,

is a vital problem.

[Ptolemy] What was that?

When they said that

you had gone native, I stood up for you.

But this

Excuse me?

Paying respects to this scum

who slaughtered our ancestors

and then promises of no bloodshed

when you were more than willing

to put Greeks to the sword.

At Granicus? At Halicarnassus

- Oh, be silent, I will not have

- [shouts] What?

You will not have what?

Our people avenged

for centuries of tyranny?

Because I'm telling you now, Alexander,

that is the only reason why your men

have fought and bled

and died in your name.

For vengeance until the score is paid!

And it is you who will make sure

that that doesn't happen again, brother!

That the Babylonian people

have my protection.

Do you hear me?

Because now,

all of this

This is the Macedonian empire.

And we

We are all native now.

Darius does not think that

it's all over for him yet.

If he can get himself

to the Eastern satrapies,

that's tough terrain

for Alexander to follow him to.

They travel further

and further east all the time

until they're starting to approach

what would now be

the border with Afghanistan.

[dramatic music playing]

Where are we headed now?

He's been spotted heading east

towards the Hindu Kush mountains.

So we're going after Darius again?

Alex, he's contained.

He's powerless. Alex.

This has become an obsession.

[Alexander] If he makes it to Bactria,

we could lose him forever.

- Alex. It's become

- [men shouting]

[music intensifies]

[horses neighing]

[music wanes]

[Lloyd] Darius's ambition at this time is

to open up

a long guerrilla warfare campaign

against Alexander.

With the backing of Bessus,

Bessus's soldiers, and his own mercenary,

they can hold out in the mountains

for months, if not years.

Alexander is upon us.

A small battalion

has been spotted a few hours away.

This will never end.

He'll k*ll us all.

[men chattering in low voices]

[dramatic music playing]

[music wanes]

It doesn't have to be treachery.

Believe me.

I know that now.

Look at it, Bessus.

Just

look.

What an exquisite idea.

An empire built on truth

honor.

A civilization.

And all it needed was a custodian

who would stay true to it.

[intense music builds]

[grunts, moans]

What motivates Bessus to do this

is a personal greed, personal power,

complete and utter dissatisfaction

with Darius.

And the man who had been most loyal

to him claims everything for himself.

Now, when Alexander hears

about these events

from scouts,

he is shocked by it.

So we have this amazing overnight journey

where Alexander and his men

travel 18 hours

on horseback without stopping

until they begin to catch up.

They can see

the cortège of Darius ahead of them.

[softly] This is no way for a king to die.

[loudly] This is no way for a king to die.

[solemn music playing]

He was the king of kings,

and he deserves the respect that befits.

[man] Men, gather his body.

[Salima] If Alexander was living

a scripted drama of his life,

he probably would not have written in

that Darius gets k*lled by someone else

because, for him,

the moment where

he took over the empire properly

should have been when he k*lled Darius.

[bird caws in distance]

Bessus was then put to death

at Alexander's request

because, of course,

Bessus was a king m*rder*r,

and you can't let that go,

because otherwise Alexander might feel

that others would do

the same to Alexander.

When you think about it,

Darius's fight against Alexander

ended so tragically for him.

- [sobs]

- [Lloyd] He lost his wife,

he lost his chief friends and advisers,

and then, ultimately,

Darius III lost his life.

[Carolyn] Alexander uses Darius's death,

basically, as a form of propaganda.

He honors his body.

So, he's trying to show

that he is a legitimate, respectful heir.

[solemn music playing]

[Alexander] He deserved more

than to die in some filthy ditch.

And perhaps I drove him to that.

No.

He drove himself to that.

All you did was return his body to me.

And for that

I am grateful.

[exhales]

[solemn music continues]

[sighs]

[Lloyd] With the death of Darius,

Alexander can justifiably

claim to be the King of Persia.

Alexander is at his pinnacle.

In just six short years,

he's gone from being a Macedonian prince

to the king

of the four quarters of the world.

The King of Persia.

There is no greater accolade.

[Hephaestion] An honorable man

and a formidable opponent.

The turning of a page.

And for us too.

We can finally go home.

What if we don't?

In death, Darius has pointed

the way for me to continue east.

Is Zeus not sending me a sign

that my divine calling

has not yet been fulfilled,

that my conquests are incomplete?

I need to create

an empire that eclipses all others.

[Hephaestion] But we could escape

this fray.

Live forever.

Like Homer said,

"Never a trace of age,

immortal."

Oh, my dear Heph.

"But the fates of death await us."

"So we either give our enemy glory"

"Or win it for ourselves."

[Alexander] Find Ptolemy.

Parmenion too,

if he's not deep in his drink.

In fact, summon all my generals.

I have a world to conquer.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[Oracle] And so,

the w*r between two men will go on.

But not as we see now,

a battle between Alexander

and those he might conquer,

but the battle within Alexander himself.

Two sides of the living god.

A conflict that

will truly shape the world to come,

that will build a city

that will last for millennia

and obsess people till the end of time.

[car horns honking]

[Salima] Alexander's legacy lives on

in so many ways,

but the most obvious and the most elegant

is the city of Alexandria

that he founded over 2,000 years ago.

Dr. Pepi Papakosta has found

what seems to be the Royal Road

and also the remains

of a monumental building.

Around this large building,

Dr. Pepi has found an array of objects.

[Calliope] These are oil lamps

from the time of Alexander.

We find hundreds of these lamps

in this area.

This small one was

for offering to the gods

connected with use of this building.

The way that today people go

to the church and light candle,

people used to offer

an oil lamp to Alexander.

We see signs of fire,

and that means

it's a an object that people here used.

People in Alexandria worshiped Alexander,

hoping that

he could protect them from evil.

He was considered a god.

In our excavation area,

we find a lot of votive offerings.

People used to offer

to Alexander small figurines

dealing with their problem, maybe.

They were old. They were sick.

The fact that we find

so many votive offerings here

means that people

were coming here to be helped.

People are still looking for any traces

they can find of the real man himself.

The ultimate thing,

of course, is his tomb.

Is it there in Alexandria?

Does it still exist?

I suppose that's

the million-dollar question.

To find Alexander in his coffin

with precious treasures around him

Oh my God.

If we If we manage to find this,

it will be the most greatest discovery

in the whole world.

[Salima] Alexander's tomb would not

really be what we think of as a tomb.

It would be far more monumental.

It would be like

a rather a large mausoleum.

[Calliope] We know by the ancient sources

that his tomb

was visible till 300 years AD.

[Lloyd] In late antiquity,

Alexandria was the site

of almost constant warfare.

It was attacked many, many times,

um, by Christian groups,

later on by Arab invaders.

The Alexandria of Alexander the Great

um, was battered and torn

and broken and decimated.

[Calliope] So, we lose the body.

We don't know if it was destroyed.

I believe that it was protected.

It was hidden.

So, that's why I hope

that the body, the sarcophagus,

still exists somewhere around here.

[Salima] There's another intriguing thing,

and that is a tunnel

with a wonderful pitched roof.

This could be part of a water system

for the city of Alexandria.

[man in Arabic] We have cleared a path

35 meters from the outside.

[Calliope] I am in the end

of our excavation work inside the tunnel,

and it was a surprise

because now we find a man-made wall.

So, I'm wondering

why they made the wall inside the tunnel

and why not use an already existing tunnel

in order to hide something valuable.

There is a precedent

for treasures being stashed away,

and, in fact, in Alexandria,

a life-sized statue of the Apis bull

was found walled up.

And so, behind this wall

that Pepi has found,

who knows what treasures lie.

[in Arabic] My wish is

to find something important

that shows where we are,

but what I wish more

is to find Alexander's tomb.

[dramatic music playing]

We have to go on.

We have to go excavating.

It's not easy,

and I hope that, in the end,

we will have

the surprise we are waiting for.

[Lloyd] I really admire Pepi's zeal

and her commitment to this project,

and I sincerely hope

that she finds what she's looking for.

But for me, you know,

Alexander has never gone away,

because we're encountering him

all the time.

We find him in legends and myths,

and he is so inspirational

to so many people too.

Alexander just grips the imagination.

He is someone who is

this shining moment of history.

And I think that he is

one of history's heroes.

- [crowd cheers]

- [dramatic music playing]

We will be fighting for Macedon,

- and our hearts will be in it!

- [soldiers roar]

[Lloyd] He was clearly

a very able soldier.

He also commanded loyalty.

[shouts] This

[calmly] is all it took.

He had a certain charisma.

He was an opportunist.

He was a young man with determination

and ambition and a charisma

to make people follow him.

[Carolyn] What he accomplishes

in his life seems impossible.

You know, it seems like

something only a hero out of,

you know, myth could do,

and yet he did it.

And at the end of the day,

we have to remind ourselves

that he was a real, living,

breathing, mortal human.

[both laughing]

[Lloyd] Alexander's story is

far from over.

In the next seven years,

we will see him

set out on a great adventure.

He will be on a quest

to authenticate his idea

of his own divinity,

but more than that,

he meets with another nemesis.

This is not a nemesis unlike Darius III,

for the nemesis that he has to encounter,

meet, and do battle with

is his own self.

It's his other Alexander.

[horse neighs]

[dramatic music playing]

[music ends]