(electric organ music)
(uplifting orchestral music)
- [Narrator] Four centuries before our era
it was the Persian Empire that ruled the world.
The Greek Empire was glorious, but finding it difficult
to fight off the powerful enemy.
Um...
Ah! There's Greece.
How small, when compared to the powerful Persians.
- It's pretty small, right?
- Anyone near that small, who cares?
- Yeah, you tell us about it.
- Now I'll tell you something that you may not know.
One man by himself can change the course of history.
You just wait, you're going to see how.
(horse neighs)
- Ah, good horse. How much?
- Twelve gold talents.
- That's too much, no no no.
- But he's a noble animal, a horse for a king.
- An expert horse will show us.
Go on.
- Yes, sir.
Whoa.
(soldiers laughing)
- Since you find it so amusing, you try and we'll see.
- No, no, your majesty, I'd rather not.
- I order you to ride him.
- Ride him? I thought you'd never ask.
(horse neighs)
- [Soldier] Ooh!
Ow.
- Whoa!
- There's no point having a horse no one can ride.
- Let me, I can ride him.
- You? (laughs)
Alexander, why would you succeed?
- Because the others weren't watching,
but you must forgive them.
- Oh, boasting a little, aren't we?
- Please let me try?
I noticed something about this horse.
He's afraid of his shadow.
(Alexander grunts)
Whoa, nice horsey.
All right, let's show him.
Get!
(soldiers chuckle)
Hee-ya!
(horse neighs)
- This is a fantastic horse, father.
He's worth the price of 12 gold talents.
- My son, one day you'll have to conquer an empire
of your own, Macedonia won't be big enough for you.
- Alexander named his horse Bucephalus.
And it was to carry him far and wide
to places where no man had gone before.
- Only tell us, maestro, where is Macedonia, exactly?
- Macedonia was a very small country, located...
Just north of Greece, but in a few years,
just as his father had predicted,
Alexander had forged a great empire.
The greatest empire that civilization has ever known.
- And he did that all alone?
- No no, of course not.
Many people had a hand in it.
One man had a great influence on Alexander,
but he didn't pay close attention, and that was too bad.
- Oh, and who was that?
- He was a great philosopher, who looked rather like...
- Ah, Aristotle, I was looking for you.
I need you.
- Philip of Macedonia, well I greet you sire.
What can I do for you, your majesty?
- My son, Alexander, you must prepare him to be king.
- And why have you come to me?
- Because you and Plato are our greatest philosophers.
- That's true, a king must be brave in battle,
but must also be wise.
I'll teach him.
(boys sword fighting)
- Now, all awareness comes from our senses
so we can tell what's real
from what only appears to be real,
but all that appears real has to be explained
by reason, because that is how we discover
the hidden truth of our observations.
Look around you: your senses tell you the earth is flat.
- Yes, there are mountains and valleys, but it's flat.
- Now, have you seen an eclipse of the moon?
- Yes, once I did, but there was kind of a shadow over it.
- That was caused by...
- Well, uh...
- It was the Earth's shadow. Draw it.
Go on. Good.
Now, if the Earth is flat,
why does the shadow form a curved line?
- Is it because the Earth is round, like a ball?
- [Aristotle] Exactly.
- And really large?
- Thousands, millions of times larger than all Macedonia.
- I guess that means Macedonia is really small.
- [Aristotle] Well, (laughs) in a way.
- Hmm.
- (cries) See, that proves the Earth is flat.
- [Shepherd] Help us!
We're in need of help!
- My friend, tell us what is the trouble?
- The lion down from the mountain,
he killed one of our sheep and we're all frightened.
- A lion?
I can fight a lion with my bare hands.
- That's not bravery, it's foolishness.
- Am I not brave, Aristotle?
- Know that the coward flees danger and hides
cowering before power, the foolhardy man
rushes to danger without thinking.
Whereas the truly courageous man
confronts danger, but using his reason.
Facing a lion with bare hands is foolhardy.
Reason lets man create weapons,
which increase his power in a fight.
- But I'm not an ordinary man,
the blood of the gods runs in my veins.
My ancestor Achilles was a god.
- So you're immortal, then.
- Gods are immortal, don't you know that?
- Stop and think, Alexander.
I know Macedonia, and I know that
all Macedonians are mortals.
- Yeah, so?
- Aren't you a Macedonian?
- So, I'm a Macedonian.
- You are a Macedonian, all Macedonians are mortal,
ergo you are mortal.
That is logic.
- That we shall see.
Where's this lion of yours?
I'll tame him!
- Come, I'll show you.
(dramatic music)
- Mm, take up your weapons and follow them.
- Now, this lion. Where is he?
- Ah!
(lion roars)
(Alexander groans)
- I believe this is human blood.
Your father Philip of Macedonia is a great king,
and of course he is also a very great man,
but he is still a man.
And humans, as with animals, always produce their own kind.
I believe, Alexander, you are only a man.
(arrow vibrates)
(spear flying)
(boys grunting)
- You have a hot temper, Alexander.
But your actions should be ruled by reason,
not your emotions.
You think about that.
- I respect you as I do my dad.
He's the one who gave me life, and you teach me
how to live it wisely.
- Love for his father and wisdom,
and soon he's going to have to choose between them.
Because, when his father takes for his second wife
the beautiful Cleopatra...
(men laughing)
- To my daughter Cleopatra, and to the child
she will soon have, the future king of Macedonia.
- Are you insinuating that I am illegitimate?
- No
(Philip growls)
- You see, Macedonians, your king who would lead you
to Asia stumbles when walking from one table to the next.
- [Narrator] Naturally, after this Alexander had
to flee far from the royal palace.
(soldiers whooping and yelling)
- There he is!
This way.
- Go.
- Mother.
- Alexander, is that blood, son?
You weren't badly hurt?
Tell me you're all right.
- Yes mother, I'm fine.
- Alexander, I am not worried.
You are invincible, immortal, my son.
I told you, my son, your father
was not Philip of Macedonia, that paltry king.
With the thunder, Zeus, king of all gods, created you.
Ah! It's about time.
I've been waiting for you.
(Philip screams)
(men cheering)
- You're king of Macedonia now, Alexander.
- And all the wealth of this world is as nothing.
See not riches as the purpose and goals of the good life.
- Who are you, what are you doing?
- Diogenes, a philosopher.
- Diogenes, is there anything at all that I can do for you?
- Yes, move aside. You're blocking the sun.
- (laughs) By all the gods, if I weren't Alexander
I would like to be Diogenes.
(drums roll)
- All of Greece is ready to follow you, Alexander,
if you will free us from the Persians.
- Sure, Greece, but not us Spartans.
Not us!
- At the time, Persia had the greatest empire every known,
it extended right to India, China, Russia,
all the way to Egypt, and it included countries
that today are called Afghanistan and Pakistan,
Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and even Turkey.
The Persians could raise an army of a million men,
and it was said that their army had so many soldiers
that if they drank from the river it would dry up.
- Oh, by the golden sword, look here, sir.
It's dried up.
(epic trumpet fanfare)
- [Narrator] This was to be Greece's most powerful army,
30,000 foot soldiers, 10,000 on horseback.
- There are three times more Persians at the Hellespont.
- Yes, I know.
- What now?
- I know the gods are with me.
Forward. Advance!
- You are only 22, Alexander, and you
will know many successes, but remember,
don't be ruled by your fiery nature.
You must rule it.
- I claim possession of all Asia.
- Well, where are they?
- Alexander's army has reached Asia,
his soldiers number 30,000.
- He's mad.
Our 100,000 will soon dispatch
this puny Macedonian into the sea.
See to it.
- Uh huh.
The Greeks will surely come from here.
With that dawn attack, they will have the sun in their eyes.
We will position our troops on this ridge.
- We're near the Granicus river,
the Persians are on the opposite side.
- We'll camp here tonight and attack at dawn.
- That's just what the Persians think we'll do.
But look there, the sun is behind us and in their eyes.
We attack them and right now.
You, Parmenio, will command on the left.
Ptolemy, you will take the right.
I'll take the center.
Onward.
(trumpet blasts)
(arrows flying)
(soldiers fighting)
- [Narrator] It was victory at Granicus river.
And to the victor, the spoils.
- No, no, spoils of war we're supposed to share.
- Uh, naturally I was just looking. (laughs)
(crowd cheering)
- This is Apollus the painter,
and Lysippos the great sculptor.
They'll immortalize you.
- Good.
You can finish all that later, I can't waste all this time.
I have a whole world to conquer.
- [Apollus] Oh.
- Come on, Philotas, follow me.
- Not bad, but needs more red and the arm is too skinny.
- Oh, well it may be too skinny,
but at least it didn't fall off.
Alexander's not made of marshmallow.
- [Narrator] The Greek cities along the coast
of Asia Minor were liberated, and Alexander
advanced toward the interior.
- Gordion, Asian citadel of King Midas.
- King Midas, whose touch turned everything to gold?
- Come look.
- Why is the chariot here?
- This chariot belonged to our old King Gordius.
Yes, the chariot is here because an oracle said
the one who can undo the Gordion knot
would be the master of Asia.
- Can't tell where it starts and where it ends.
Too hard.
- [Soldiers] Nobody can untie it, it's not possible.
Oh, he cut it with his sword!
- And he's the master of Asia.
- Alexander's army is powerful.
It grows every day.
He's already conquered Phrygia.
- Sire, you should take command.
- Very well, I shall lead the troops
and I'll teach that Macedonian a good lesson.
(trumpet fanfare and soldiers marching)
- Your majesty, Darius has raised a large army.
They're marching on us now.
It's said he has a million soldiers.
- Ah, then why are we waiting?
- Sire, you realize we're strongly outnumbered?
- Sire, wait, it's not finished.
- I haven't even started.
(soldiers marching)
- Halt!
- They're quite near, so what are your orders?
Fighting here on the plain, they have the advantage, sire.
- Yes, we are outnumbered 10-to-1.
Sire, look there!
- You're right.
We will march all night and wait at Issus Pass.
There we will destroy them.
(cavalry yelling)
(swords clanging)
- Yah!
- Ah!
(horse neighing)
- What! The king has fled.
We're lost without him!
- [Narrator] The battle at the pass was a great victory,
and Parmenio forges on, taking Damascus
and bringing back from there more than 300 cooks,
and 50 garland weavers, and 300 dancing girls.
The way to Persia is now open,
but Alexander turns and heads for Egypt.
The Tyrians manage to create a few problems for him.
Gaza was another hard nut to crack.
Greek fire, it was a novelty that was all the rage.
At last, here they are beside the Nile River,
and it is here that he founds his city:
his port, Alexandria.
He hopes it will become a beacon of Greek culture,
shining out to the rest of the world.
He goes on, hundreds of miles across the desert
to the Temple of Siwa at Ammon.
For he says I must honor my father, the ram god Zeus Ammon.
Alexander is strange. Troubling.
Once again, Darius raises a great army,
and they would meet in battle at Abreles.
(elephants roar)
(soldiers fighting)
- Ah!
(sword slicing)
And once again glorious victory and crushing defeat.
Babylon cheered Alexander the conqueror.
Alexander was astonished by the high level
of science, a culture going back thousands of years.
A people he had thought primitive.
Nevertheless, he let himself go,
indulging in the pleasures of the Orient.
Triumph and glory go to his head.
He loses all sense of proportion.
- Don't be ruled by your passions, Alexander.
Dominate them.
- [Narrator] On he goes, farther and farther,
into the unpredictable, fascinating Orient.
- What are you doing there?
- Looking for black gold.
That's petroleum oil, you could say.
You don't believe me, take a look.
- Wah!
- One day, it will bring my country
the greatest wealth the world has known.
- Susa, one of the capital cities, is taken effortlessly.
(arrows flying)
And the faithful Parmenio will take
the last enemy strongholds on the way
to the fabulous Persepolis.
- Yah!
(woman crying)
(soldiers laughing)
- Sire, this?
- [Narrator] Had he really gone mad?
A violent father given to excess,
a mother caught up in myths, claiming his father was a god,
is it any wonder that Alexander was crazed, unpredictable?
(soldiers carousing)
(Alexander laughing)
(girl whispering)
- Bring me a lighted torch!
(soldiers laughing)
By the gods, did I do that?
- [Narrator] And still he went on, farther and farther.
- Forward!
- [Narrator] Now Darius is dead, their victories
are unchallenged, but the men are weary,
and some of them protest.
Losing all sense of reality, Alexander orders
his friend Philotas killed.
Then his faithful general Parmenio.
(sad violin music)
And then came the turn of...
- No, Alexander, you are not a god.
A god acts alone, you succeeded through the courage
and devotion of all your men.
Men like Philotas and Parmenio.
- Ugh.
Many of these men had marched with Alexander
for thousands of miles.
Together they had crossed deserts and high mountains,
opening new routes by land and sea.
Many of the cities they founded are standing today.
But weakened by malaria, perhaps victim of a criminal act,
Alexander dies at the age of 33.
Yes, he was given to tragic excess,
but thanks to him, Aristotle's philosophy
found a place in Islamic doctrine.
And where he sowed Greek thought,
a new civilization would take root and flourish.
The Roman Empire.
(epic trumpet music)