Epic Moments in History - The 9 Lives of Alexander the Great

Epic Moments in History – The Nine Lives of Alexander the Great Alexander the Great is one of the most recognized figures of antiquity. Famed for his military career, he was a soldier's general who shared in the many trials of his army over the course of 10 years and 22,000 miles. Many imagine him as a victim prematurely robbed of his life at the young age of 32, yet they fail to understand that it was in fact the Great King who made a habit of cheating death. Today, we will be reliving the nine lives of Alexander the Great. First Blood After securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece, Alexander crossed the Hellespont into Persian territory with approximately 50,000 soldiers. He did so as the inheritor of his father's military ambitions and the Hellenistic dreams of avenging Eastern invasions from a century earlier. In May of 334 BC, Macedonian forces clashed with those raised by the satraps of Asia Minor along the banks of the Granicus. Here, Alexander led his forces in a swift assault across the river, leading from the front with his companion cavalry. A fierce struggle raged around the king, in which a Persian noble delivered a strike that cracked his helmet. Alexander recovered, hurled his opponent to the ground, and struck him through with his spear. However, from behind, the Persian Spithridates now prepared a killing blow. But before it could find its mark, the bodyguard Clytus struck off his arm, sword and all. The battle soon turned, and victory was achieved. Paralysis in Cilicia Capitalizing on their triumph, the Macedonians spent the following months securing Anatolia. The second year of campaigning saw Alexander march south. For weeks, they traveled through hundreds of miles of desert, plateau, mountains, and volcanic wasteland before passing through the Tarsus Mountains. Now, the weary army was faced with the broiling plains of Cilicia. The king was so hot that he plunged naked into the Sidonis River before the whole army. However, the flow was fed by snowmelt, and Alexander immediately went into sudden shock. His body paled, his muscles cramped, and he became paralyzed. The king was rushed to a tent, but soon burned with a fever that threatened to kill him as he drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few days. A Greek doctor attempted a risky remedy of oils and potions meant to purge his body. The treatment finally took its effect, and Alexander walked out of his tent to the deafening cheers of his army. Clash of Kings In late October, Alexander moved south towards a mountain path that would lead him into Syria and the heartland of the Persian Empire. However, Darius, King of Kings, had arrived with a vast army to crush the invaders. The two met across a river by the town of Issus. As at the Granicus, Alexander had his troops assault rapidly while he once again led the right flank. This time, however, the Macedonians met their match in the center and were pushed back while the left struggled to hold its own. Yet the thrust of the elite companions proved decisive. As they poured into the rear of the Persian troops, Darius stood firmly atop his war chariot alongside his guard troops. Alexander saw this as an opportunity to gain the glory of Achilles. He charged recklessly, receiving a wound in his thigh but slaying all before him. In a scene frozen in time, Darius, master of Persia, fled before the astonishing force of a 23-year-old warrior king. The ensuing route was contagious and the great host disintegrated. Omens at Gaza Darius withdrew back to the east, abandoning his western provinces to Alexander. Over the following year, the Macedonians campaigned across Syria and the Levant. Tyre fell after a brutal seven-month siege. Their resistance was matched by the fortified city of Gaza and its obstinate governor. Undaunted, Alexander immediately set about constructing siege works. One morning, he witnessed a bird of prey drop a stone at his feet. The omen promised that the city would also fall at his feet, but that the king must not fight that day. Rebuking the gods, Alexander rushed to the front lines. Almost immediately, a bolt fired from atop the walls pierced his shield, penetrated his armor, and lodged itself in his shoulder. The bull-headed king attempted to fight on, but collapsed, unconscious from blood loss. The defenders cheered, only to realize the following day that he had defied the odds and survived. When Gaza was eventually taken, a furious Alexander had the commander lashed to his chariot and pulled through the rocky desert around the city until long after he was dead, swallowed by the desert. In November of 332 BC, the armies of Macedon crossed into Egypt, seizing it without bloodshed. The king's fascination with his destiny drew him to the famed oracle at Siwa, three hundred miles to the west. Accompanied by guides and close companions, the king traveled along the coast before turning south into an endless sea of burning desert. The going was tough, and supplies soon began to run out as the guides lost their way in the shifting sands. All seemed hopeless until a rainstorm broke above them. While this gift from the gods brought a temporary reprieve from the heat, they were still lost. According to legend, however, two ravens soon flew overhead, circling the skies before heading southwest. The expedition set off in pursuit and came to the remote Gaara oasis. Life was restored to the group, and they were able to make the remaining journey to Siwa. At last, Alexander ascended to the Sanctuary of Amman and sought answers to his divine destiny within the closed doors of the temple. Assassins In 331 BC, the Macedonians left Egypt, thrusting their dagger deeper into the heart of the Persian Empire. At Gagamella, Darius returned with overwhelming numbers, only to be cast back once more in a battle that would immortalize Alexander in the annals of military history. This victory cleared the way to the heartland of Persian territory in Mesopotamia. With Darius fleeing east to his satraps in Central Asia, Alexander was left to take the great cities of Babylon, Susa, and the capital at Persepolis virtually unopposed. Yet the young king could not be satisfied. Ever restless and desiring of glory, he set off in pursuit of Darius. When robbed of this prize by the mutinous satrap who killed the great king, Alexander furiously chased the traitor. However, the army was weary from campaigning and increasingly off-put by Alexander's adoption of Persian traditions. Trees and his whispers around the camp intensified. In 330 BC, an assassination plot was discovered by a low-level Macedonian who reported it to Philotas, urging him to warn the king. However, no action was taken. Alexander eventually gained word of the plot and the failure of his subordinate to report the threat. The king had him flogged, tortured, and brought before the army for trial. The troops sided with Alexander, and Philotas, along with the conspirators, were stoned to death. Fearing an uprising by the father, Alexander immediately dispatched riders to Akbatena and had Parmenion executed on charges of conspiracy. Further purges of the army were carried out as more plots were revealed in the following months. The Rapids With the dissenting forces within the army silenced, Alexander continued his advances east. For many months, he fought and established settlements throughout the regions of modern Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan before crossing the Hindu Kush. The renegade Satrap Bessus was captured, but still the 27-year-old king was not satisfied. He campaigned relentlessly in Bactria and Sogdiana before turning to India in the seventh year of the campaign. The Macedonians were able to overhaul many minor kingdoms, and even defeated King Porus and his 100 elephants at the bloody Battle of the Hadaspis. But in the eighth year of the campaign, facing unending conquests at the edge of the world, the army mutinied. They would go no further. A reluctant and deeply disappointed Alexander was now forced to head home. The army sailed down the Hadaspis for five days until the river became narrow, swift, and dangerously turbulent. Many of the boats were overturned or collided into one another, becoming damaged or sinking entirely. Alexander's own flagship was caught in the chaos. The king leapt into the river, only to be sucked into the swirling rapids. Having never learned to swim, he began to drown. However, his friends managed to jump in after him and dragged Alexander back to the shore, saving his life. An Arrow to the Chest The Macedonians recovered from their near disaster, setting off once more. Next, they would come against the feared tribe of the Mali, who controlled the river ahead. Alexander set off overland in an ambitious operation to strike their territories from the flank. The maneuver forced the Indians back to their most fortified city. In the following siege, the king was the first to storm the citadel. Clambering a ladder with three companions, he leapt fiercely onto the battlements. However, the other assault troops failed to reach the top, and the group was left isolated. Alexander was exposed on the parapets and leapt to the ground below. He fiercely killed several defenders before his friends joined him on the ground. The Mali retaliated with arrows at close range. One struck a Macedonian in the face, while another hit Alexander straight on, penetrating his armor and puncturing a lung. The two remaining soldiers took defensive positions on either side of their lord, who was bleeding profusely and struggling to breathe. Panicked Macedonian soldiers, who had lost sight of the king, swarmed over the walls and came to the rescue. Alexander was carried to a nearby ship for immediate treatment. He remained motionless for several days. Many speculated he had died. Wary of such rumors, the king finally summoned the energy to mount a horse and ride through the ranks to the amazement and booming cheers of the men. The Gedrosian The journey south continued until they reached the Indus Delta. Alexander now split his army in three, with the main force accompanying him in the overland route to Persepolis. This southern passage would lead through the vast Gedrosian desert of modern-day Iran. It was into this most inhospitable of regions that 50,000 soldiers and a vast train of camp followers would march. However, the accompanying fleet, led by Nyrkis, was delayed by monsoons and would never find its way back to the caravan. The travelers quickly consumed their supplies and began to devour the pack animals. Water ran out as the days quickly turned into weeks. What little supplies could be gathered at the rare oasis were rapidly consumed. Soldiers, and especially the accompanying civilians, were dying by the thousands of heatstroke, thirst, and sickness. When a small waterhole was discovered by scouts, they managed to fill a single helmet, which they offered to the king. Alexander poured the precious water into the hot sand in full view of his army. He would share their suffering and die alongside them if need be. After nearly two months, the emaciated army finally stumbled into Persepolis. They had lost almost half the soldiers and virtually all the camp followers to the ravenous desert. The Reaper It was the tenth year of the campaign. Alexander had now returned to the heartland of his new empire and turned to long overdue administrative tasks. He paid off debts, punished disobedient governors, reorganized the army, and began to plan future campaigns. The nights were replete with banquets and drinking parties in true Macedonian fashion. However, after a particularly heavy night of festivities in June, Alexander awoke with a fever. The next day saw him increasingly incapacitated. The king attempted to carry on his duties, despite a rapidly deteriorating situation. His fever burned through the night and left him exhausted for many days. Soon it became apparent that he was gravely ill. The generals gathered by his side while men from the army filed past his bed in silent tears. No one could believe that the king, who had cheated death so many times before, would breathe his last. And yet the fever raged on. Alexander, just short of his thirty-second birthday, may have sensed the end and removed his royal apparel, beckoning his closest companions to draw near. According to legend, when asked to whom the kingdom should go, he merely replied, to the strongest. With that, he closed his eyes one last time. Though death may have finally settled the score with Alexander the Great, he would achieve immortality in the tales we tell to this day. This video was sponsored by Simon & Schuster Publishing. Relive history with their fantastic book, Alexander the Great, which formed the basis of today's video. A huge thanks is owed to our supporters on Patreon, and the many talented researchers, writers, and artists who made this video possible. Please consider contributing to fund future content. 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