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(dramatic music)

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(woman vocalizing)

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(simmering, brooding music)

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- [Narrator] Founded in
the sixth century BC,

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the Persian Empire
dominates the Middle East.

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In 499 BC, Miletus, what was once Miltos,

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a Greek city in Ionia under
Persian control, rebels.

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The uprising spreads to
other cities in the region.

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The insurgents appeal for
help from independent Greeks,

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who are nevertheless divided.

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Two cities, Athens and Eretria,

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help the rebels to seize Sardes,

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one of the Persian capitals.

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(wind howling)

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(grunting)

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(heartbeat thumping)

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(yelling in foreign language)

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(yelling)

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(pensive music)

20
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(woman vocalizing)

21
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(determined music)

22
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(clapping)

23
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(Darius chuckling)

24
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(grand, impressive music)

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- [Narrator] Darius
the Great has inherited

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the Persian Empire,

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composed of 50 or so eastern kingdoms.

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The duty of every king of kings

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is to strengthen his
borders, then to extend them.

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Allying power, strength, and authority,

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the Persian campaigns enable
the empire to spread out

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from present day Iran over
six million square kilometers,

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a massive portion of the Middle East.

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(woman vocalizing)

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Most of the subjugated peoples

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have accepted Persian domination.

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Despite being obliged to pay taxes,

38
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they are free to conserve
their own culture,

39
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religion and institutions.

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In Darius' eyes, the Ionian
Greeks and their allies

41
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deserve to be punished
for the capture of Sardes.

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(tense music)

43
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Miletus, the seat of the insurrection

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will be the first stage in his vengeance.

45
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Darius lay siege to the
city on land and by sea.

46
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Miletus, the jewel of Greek
civilization is crushed.

47
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(woman screaming)

48
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Its inhabitants are reduced to slavery.

49
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The misfortune suffered
by the people of Miletus

50
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fills the rest of Greece with sadness.

51
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Darius takes revenge for
the humiliation of Sardes.

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From now on, the cities
that helped the Ionians

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are in his sights:

54
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Eretria and notably Athens.

55
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(thoughtful music)

56
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Athens is seemingly unaware
of the punitive campaign

57
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about to bear down on her.

58
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(laughing)

59
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(men laughing)

60
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- Themistocles wasn't born

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into one of the most
prestigious families of Athens.

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Plutarch describes him as without fortune,

63
00:08:16,736 --> 00:08:19,217
but that may be an exaggeration.

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His father Neocles certainly
worked in commerce,

65
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so it's true that Themistocles

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isn't a member of the wealthy,
the land owning aristocracy,

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and thus doesn't have
the same opportunities

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as those who were well born.

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Yet as a child, his intelligence stood out

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and if we are to believe Plutarch,

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one of his teachers once told him

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"My boy, thou wilt be
nothing insignificant,

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"but something great of assurety
either for good or evil."

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- [Narrator] Promoted
to the rank of captain

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and already admired, Themistocles
has a taste for honor.

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- [Themistocles] I find Athens
more magnificent than ever.

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I never tire of contemplating my city.

78
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Other cities are more renowned,

79
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but I was born in Athens.

80
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And duty calls me there.

81
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But I have not always felt such pride.

82
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Many years earlier

83
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a drunken knight cost
me my family's esteem.

84
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After this one night too many,
my father was categorical.

85
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I was corrupted with vice.

86
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And all I was good for was bringing

87
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shame and dishonor on our family.

88
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My mother pleaded the excesses
of youth, but in vain.

89
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His mind was made up.

90
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My father disowned and disinherited me.

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(men arguing in foreign language)

92
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I had a mad thirst for fame
and a whole host of projects.

93
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I began to devote myself to
politics and state affairs.

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It became my passion.

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Soon people began to seek my counsel.

96
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I arbitrated conflicts between citizens

97
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and my success is now earning
me quite a reputation.

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People listen to me.

99
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I hold the keys to my own destiny.

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- The original political regime in Athens

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was a fantastic springboard
for Themistocles.

102
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- He was 15 when the
city became a democracy.

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From then on every citizen
plays a part in politics.

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In practice, the wealthiest
fill the highest positions,

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such as archon or strategos.

106
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But their power lies in their
charisma and their ability

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to win over their fellow citizens

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with their ideas and actions.

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- Themistocles will grab his chance.

110
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If we are to believe the
historian Thucydides,

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he's incredibly gifted, smart,

112
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intuitive and quick to solve problems.

113
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He also has a great oratory
and improvisation skills.

114
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(pensive music)

115
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The task has fallen to me

116
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of training young hoplite
in the military arts.

117
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Starting with making discipline
the first of virtues.

118
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If we were Spartans we would
already be constant soldiers,

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broken into the duty
of collective obedience

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from our earliest years.

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We would train nonstop, urged
on by a heroic vision of fate,

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death and combat being
the finest of deaths.

123
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But Athenians are not Spartans.

124
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Am I persuasive enough, I hope so.

125
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My future grandeur depends
on my ability to command.

126
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I will continue in my
aim, despite only having

127
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a handful of citizen soldiers,
far from a professional army.

128
00:12:15,130 --> 00:12:17,049
But how can one not admire men

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who keep in top physical condition

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and equip themselves at their own expense?

131
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The important thing is that
they know how to take up arms

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when danger threatens.

133
00:13:06,119 --> 00:13:09,424
These young Athenians seem
sensitive to the common good.

134
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But how they struggle to obey.

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They still believe that
collectively obeying orders

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is tantamount to loss of freedom.

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Do we Athenians not laud
individual potential?

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I have certainly benefited from mine.

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- Miltiades is strategos,
one of the 10 generals

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who command Athens' forces.

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But as the Persians draw near,

142
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Miltiades is especially
valued and trusted.

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00:14:00,538 --> 00:14:03,822
Unlike most Athenians,
he knows the Persians.

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00:14:03,822 --> 00:14:05,282
He has in the past

145
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campaigned with King Darius' Persian army.

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- A few years earlier, he
administered a province

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under Persian rule.

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An experience that proves useful

149
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because he knows how they fight.

150
00:14:19,255 --> 00:14:20,871
But the Athenian troops look so weak

151
00:14:20,871 --> 00:14:22,824
compared to Darius' powerful army.

152
00:14:24,618 --> 00:14:26,491
To resist a Persian invasion,
the Greeks will need

153
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to put aside their divisions and unite.

154
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- Can Miltiades and Athens
persuade other Greeks

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to fight with them?

156
00:14:33,873 --> 00:14:38,680
Greece is made up of more
than 100 quarreling states.

157
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But they have a common
language and a shared religion.

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When a common enemy appears

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they can sometimes work as
allies against the danger.

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(thoughtful music)

161
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- [Narrator] Darius launches a war

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00:16:21,293 --> 00:16:23,017
to subjugate the whole of Greece.

163
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On land, the Persians seize Greek cities

164
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one after the other.

165
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After the Ionian coast,
it's the turn of Hellespont,

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Cherronesos and Thrace to be subjugated.

167
00:16:38,060 --> 00:16:41,459
Everywhere ambassadors
demand the land and the water

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as a sign of allegiance.

169
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As far as Macedonia, Greek
cities accept submission.

170
00:16:47,215 --> 00:16:50,062
General Datis is well advised by Hippias.

171
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A Greek in the service of a Persian.

172
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What a strange arrangement,

173
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unless one goes back to the past.

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Hippias was the last tyrant of Athens,

175
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the heir of a power
that was taken by force

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and exercise to excess.

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00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:21,948
His ousting signaled the
end of 49 years of tyranny.

178
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Sick of arbitrary executions,

179
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the Athenians helped by the Spartans,

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stood up for their freedom.

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The people seized power

182
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and installed a new regime, democracy.

183
00:17:47,442 --> 00:17:50,351
- [Narrator] Hippias advises
General Datis to take advantage

184
00:17:50,351 --> 00:17:52,666
of Persian naval superiority.

185
00:17:52,666 --> 00:17:54,595
He should embark as many horsemen,

186
00:17:54,595 --> 00:17:57,585
archers and spear carriers as possible.

187
00:17:57,585 --> 00:17:59,777
The Greeks only know how to fight on foot

188
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and in hand to hand combat

189
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and are impeded by their heavy equipment.

190
00:18:03,458 --> 00:18:06,232
With arrows reigning down
and charged by the cavalry,

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they cannot resist.

192
00:18:07,733 --> 00:18:10,277
The Athenians do not have
the military expertise

193
00:18:10,277 --> 00:18:11,146
of the Spartans.

194
00:18:41,770 --> 00:18:43,498
- [Narrator] Darius takes Hippias' advice

195
00:18:43,498 --> 00:18:45,823
and decides to seek glory on the seas

196
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with 600 ships carrying
the finest Persian warriors

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including 50,000 soldiers
from the four corners

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00:18:52,236 --> 00:18:53,104
of the empire.

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(tense music)

200
00:19:10,405 --> 00:19:13,098
(men grunting)

201
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- [Narrator] On land, the king of kings

202
00:20:23,264 --> 00:20:25,381
reinforces his positions while he begins

203
00:20:25,381 --> 00:20:27,272
to display his authority on the sea.

204
00:20:30,209 --> 00:20:33,514
Soon nearly the whole Aegean
Sea is under his control

205
00:20:33,514 --> 00:20:37,282
as one by one the Greek Islands
fall into Persian hands.

206
00:21:30,853 --> 00:21:32,500
- [Narrator] All of Asia is bearing swords

207
00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:35,482
and marching to the orders
of the king of kings.

208
00:21:35,482 --> 00:21:38,506
Nobody can resist wave after
wave of Persian troops.

209
00:21:38,506 --> 00:21:40,939
And Athens sees the danger looming.

210
00:23:04,499 --> 00:23:06,918
- [Themistocles] My mind is
made up, I agree with Miltiades

211
00:23:06,918 --> 00:23:09,159
and disagree with those who
are so stricken with terror

212
00:23:09,159 --> 00:23:10,984
that they have forgotten their own values.

213
00:23:10,984 --> 00:23:13,250
We can stand up to the Persians.

214
00:23:19,910 --> 00:23:23,038
(suspenseful music)

215
00:23:44,956 --> 00:23:46,791
Spurred on by Miltiades' words,

216
00:23:46,791 --> 00:23:49,919
I train relentlessly, convinced
there is no middle ground

217
00:23:49,919 --> 00:23:51,580
between freedom and slavery.

218
00:23:52,839 --> 00:23:54,757
And the freedom of sovereign authority

219
00:23:54,757 --> 00:23:57,531
for the people is
something I'm attached to.

220
00:23:57,531 --> 00:23:59,825
So what if one must fight to defend it

221
00:23:59,825 --> 00:24:01,934
as long as the outcome is glorious?

222
00:24:32,190 --> 00:24:34,651
I will not dishonor the sacred arms.

223
00:24:34,651 --> 00:24:37,946
I will not abandon my
comrade wherever I am.

224
00:24:37,946 --> 00:24:40,459
I will fight for the sake of principles.

225
00:24:40,459 --> 00:24:42,586
I will not let my homeland be weakened,

226
00:24:42,586 --> 00:24:45,360
but I will, even greater and stronger,

227
00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:47,779
uphold our established laws.

228
00:24:47,779 --> 00:24:49,875
And if anybody seeks to overturn them,

229
00:24:49,875 --> 00:24:50,941
I will not allow it.

230
00:24:55,482 --> 00:24:58,611
(suspenseful music)

231
00:25:04,421 --> 00:25:08,112
- [Narrator] The Persian fleet
reaches the Eretrian coast.

232
00:25:08,112 --> 00:25:11,034
A week later, the city
capitulates to the Persians.

233
00:25:12,898 --> 00:25:15,494
On entering the city
they pillage and set fire

234
00:25:15,494 --> 00:25:18,549
to the temples in revenge
for the great fire of Sardes.

235
00:25:18,549 --> 00:25:20,635
And force the inhabitants into slavery,

236
00:25:20,635 --> 00:25:22,181
following Darius' orders.

237
00:25:27,444 --> 00:25:30,248
The threat of a landing
weighs down on Athens

238
00:25:30,248 --> 00:25:31,500
and the whole of Attica.

239
00:25:34,397 --> 00:25:38,131
- Hippias chooses Marathon,
40 kilometers north of Athens,

240
00:25:38,131 --> 00:25:40,477
because it's so near to Eretria.

241
00:25:40,477 --> 00:25:43,324
There's a bay big enough to
contain the Persian fleet.

242
00:25:43,324 --> 00:25:46,702
And Marathon is also a plain,
closed off to the south

243
00:25:46,702 --> 00:25:48,944
by Mount Pentelikon and the one place

244
00:25:48,944 --> 00:25:52,834
within the territory of Athens
that favors a cavalry charge.

245
00:25:52,834 --> 00:25:54,074
You would have to know the terrain

246
00:25:54,074 --> 00:25:55,576
to choose such a battlefield.

247
00:25:55,576 --> 00:25:58,162
And that's where the complicity
of the turncoat Hippias

248
00:25:58,162 --> 00:25:59,479
plays a determining role.

249
00:26:01,644 --> 00:26:06,858
(tense music)
(men yelling)

250
00:26:07,327 --> 00:26:08,683
- [Narrator] While the landing at Marathon

251
00:26:08,683 --> 00:26:11,227
is being prepared, back in Persepolis

252
00:26:11,227 --> 00:26:14,991
Darius and Xerxes admire
the skills of the immortals,

253
00:26:14,991 --> 00:26:17,546
the crack troops who
make up the king's guard.

254
00:26:17,546 --> 00:26:22,759
(men yelling)
(swords clanking)

255
00:26:23,145 --> 00:26:25,001
Darius sent some of these immortals

256
00:26:25,001 --> 00:26:28,672
to provide backup for General
Datis' campaign in Greece.

257
00:26:28,672 --> 00:26:30,799
They are all born and bred Persians,

258
00:26:30,799 --> 00:26:32,874
men used to the fiercest battles

259
00:26:32,874 --> 00:26:35,258
and completely devoted to their sovereign.

260
00:27:32,642 --> 00:27:34,957
- [Narrator] Rumors spread
about the atrocities committed

261
00:27:34,957 --> 00:27:37,355
in cities that have
fallen into Persian hands.

262
00:27:42,089 --> 00:27:44,737
Faced with danger and warned
of the pillage and burning

263
00:27:44,737 --> 00:27:46,896
the Persians have left in their wake,

264
00:27:46,896 --> 00:27:48,140
Athens grows worried.

265
00:27:59,700 --> 00:28:01,598
- I need to reassure Athenians

266
00:28:01,598 --> 00:28:03,548
the Persians will not enslave our homeland

267
00:28:03,548 --> 00:28:06,102
before we have sown disorder
amongst their ranks.

268
00:28:20,314 --> 00:28:23,651
- It seems impossible for
Athens to defend itself alone.

269
00:28:23,651 --> 00:28:25,507
She has fewer than 10,000 hoplites

270
00:28:25,507 --> 00:28:28,958
ready to face an enemy number
four or five times more men.

271
00:28:28,958 --> 00:28:31,888
- Persia has already
taken a terrible revenge

272
00:28:31,888 --> 00:28:35,924
on the Ionian Greeks who
revolted earlier in the 490s.

273
00:28:35,924 --> 00:28:39,180
Many Greek states will now
be too scared to resist.

274
00:28:40,387 --> 00:28:41,721
But Athens has allies

275
00:28:41,721 --> 00:28:45,298
from a brave little
neighboring state, Plataiai.

276
00:28:45,298 --> 00:28:49,564
And above all, Athens
hopes for help from Sparta.

277
00:28:49,564 --> 00:28:53,473
Sparta's hoplites are seen as
the best soldiers in Greece.

278
00:28:53,473 --> 00:28:57,143
They're true specialists,
trained, deeply disciplined,

279
00:28:57,143 --> 00:28:59,729
frighteningly brave and often accompanied

280
00:28:59,729 --> 00:29:02,805
by loyal allies from neighboring states.

281
00:29:02,805 --> 00:29:04,692
- Can Athens and Sparta join forces

282
00:29:04,692 --> 00:29:06,419
to face foreign invasion?

283
00:29:06,419 --> 00:29:08,425
That's the question citizens will ask

284
00:29:08,425 --> 00:29:10,875
at the next convening of the ecclesia,

285
00:29:10,875 --> 00:29:12,672
before a surprise visit.

286
00:29:14,349 --> 00:29:17,257
(crowd murmuring)

287
00:29:17,257 --> 00:29:18,800
- [Narrator] Darius has
sent one of his emissaries

288
00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:20,232
and an interpreter.

289
00:29:22,523 --> 00:29:26,608
(speaking in foreign language)

290
00:29:48,767 --> 00:29:52,852
(speaking in foreign language)

291
00:31:26,584 --> 00:31:29,827
We do not want this last
chance to avoid combat.

292
00:31:29,827 --> 00:31:32,726
Nor do the Spartans find
to believe the rumors.

293
00:31:32,726 --> 00:31:35,311
Only Sparta and Athens will
dare to brave the advancing tide

294
00:31:35,311 --> 00:31:38,422
of Persian troops and
obstinately refuse submission.

295
00:31:40,616 --> 00:31:42,875
(yelling)

296
00:31:49,783 --> 00:31:52,129
(thudding)

297
00:31:54,883 --> 00:31:55,752
- [Narrator] Darius' fleet

298
00:31:55,752 --> 00:31:58,439
expects to avenge the king of kings.

299
00:31:58,439 --> 00:32:00,555
Has he not been asking one of his officers

300
00:32:00,555 --> 00:32:03,517
to remind him at every meal
since the capture of Sardes,

301
00:32:03,517 --> 00:32:05,897
sire remember the Athenians.

302
00:32:11,035 --> 00:32:13,047
When the Persians want
to capture an island,

303
00:32:13,047 --> 00:32:15,508
they round up its
inhabitants as if with a net,

304
00:32:15,508 --> 00:32:17,378
so there can be no escape.

305
00:32:19,001 --> 00:32:23,933
They hold hands, forming
a long line north to south

306
00:32:23,933 --> 00:32:27,127
and sweep the whole island
on a massive scale manhunt.

307
00:33:15,353 --> 00:33:17,466
- Pheidippides was a professional herald,

308
00:33:17,466 --> 00:33:18,665
known as a hemerodrome.

309
00:33:20,281 --> 00:33:24,191
Etymologically it means man
able to run a whole day.

310
00:33:24,191 --> 00:33:26,443
It said he ran the 240 kilometers

311
00:33:26,443 --> 00:33:29,387
that separate Athens
and Sparta in 36 hours.

312
00:33:30,322 --> 00:33:32,992
Many people doubted this
sporting achievement for years

313
00:33:32,992 --> 00:33:35,890
until a Greek, Yiannis
Kouros, won the first

314
00:33:35,890 --> 00:33:40,040
Athens to Sparta race in
1983 in just under 22 hours,

315
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:43,328
far below the supposed
36 hours of Pheidippides.

316
00:33:44,211 --> 00:33:46,036
Moreover, Pheidippides' performance

317
00:33:46,036 --> 00:33:47,798
seems all the more likely given that

318
00:33:47,798 --> 00:33:51,259
hemerodromes used to train
like genuine athletes.

319
00:33:51,259 --> 00:33:54,126
(dramatic music)

320
00:33:55,934 --> 00:33:59,737
- [Narrator] Meanwhile Datis,
Hippias and their naval troops

321
00:33:59,737 --> 00:34:01,770
fervently continue their invasion plan.

322
00:34:03,762 --> 00:34:06,598
Observers note an army of 1000 faces

323
00:34:06,598 --> 00:34:08,798
reflecting the multicultural nature

324
00:34:08,798 --> 00:34:11,092
of the king of Persia's subject peoples.

325
00:34:11,092 --> 00:34:13,824
Crack horsemen, uncountable infantry men

326
00:34:13,824 --> 00:34:16,285
and an impressive fleet spread fear.

327
00:34:16,285 --> 00:34:18,172
At full sail, Datis and Hippias

328
00:34:18,172 --> 00:34:19,854
are bearing down on Marathon.

329
00:34:24,084 --> 00:34:26,931
- Persian strategy isn't
easy to reconstruct.

330
00:34:26,931 --> 00:34:28,641
It may have evolved.

331
00:34:28,641 --> 00:34:30,779
They will land their cavalry at Marathon

332
00:34:30,779 --> 00:34:32,030
but they will reembark it

333
00:34:32,030 --> 00:34:35,012
before the hand to hand combat begins.

334
00:34:35,012 --> 00:34:37,640
Here you can see the
effects of a change of plan,

335
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:39,965
perhaps on Hippias' advice.

336
00:34:39,965 --> 00:34:41,414
By landing at Marathon,

337
00:34:41,414 --> 00:34:43,823
the Persians will draw
the soldiers of Athens

338
00:34:43,823 --> 00:34:45,505
40 kilometers from their city.

339
00:34:46,555 --> 00:34:48,129
They will then head back out to sea

340
00:34:48,129 --> 00:34:50,736
and sail around Attica
to the Port of Phaleron

341
00:34:50,736 --> 00:34:52,676
just to the south of the city.

342
00:34:52,676 --> 00:34:56,242
Athens will then be defenseless
and the partisans of Hippias

343
00:34:56,242 --> 00:34:57,819
will open the city gates.

344
00:35:19,961 --> 00:35:22,221
(panting)

345
00:35:55,033 --> 00:35:57,553
(whispering)

346
00:35:59,710 --> 00:36:01,970
(panting)

347
00:37:15,725 --> 00:37:18,290
- [Narrator] The Athenians
were in dire straights.

348
00:37:18,290 --> 00:37:20,907
The alliance of Greek cities
against foreign dominion

349
00:37:20,907 --> 00:37:23,562
was still in a more embryonic form.

350
00:37:23,562 --> 00:37:26,892
A mere 9,000 Athenians and 1,000 Plataeans

351
00:37:26,892 --> 00:37:29,186
stand to face the biggest
army in the world.

352
00:37:30,395 --> 00:37:33,700
(Miltiades speaking in foreign language)

353
00:37:33,700 --> 00:37:36,481
(pensive music)

354
00:37:41,772 --> 00:37:46,068
50,000 Persian troops,
including 5,000 cavalrymen,

355
00:37:46,068 --> 00:37:48,163
set foot on the soil of Marathon

356
00:37:48,163 --> 00:37:51,101
and pitched their formidable
camp in less than a day.

357
00:38:43,093 --> 00:38:45,471
- [Themistocles] In Athens,
it's all we can think about,

358
00:38:45,471 --> 00:38:47,963
the army of Darius the Great has landed.

359
00:38:47,963 --> 00:38:50,872
We hear it's only a
day's march from the city

360
00:38:50,872 --> 00:38:53,010
and with the memory of
the sacking of Melitus,

361
00:38:53,010 --> 00:38:55,074
and the massacre and
enslaving of its inhabitants

362
00:38:55,074 --> 00:38:58,265
still fresh, many Athenians
are gripped with fear

363
00:38:58,265 --> 00:39:00,017
and beseeching the gods.

364
00:39:00,017 --> 00:39:01,581
Without divine intervention

365
00:39:01,581 --> 00:39:03,815
they believe it's impossible
to escape the enemy.

366
00:39:03,815 --> 00:39:07,899
(speaking in foreign language)

367
00:39:14,083 --> 00:39:15,470
I do not agree.

368
00:39:15,470 --> 00:39:17,430
For the very first time in its history,

369
00:39:17,430 --> 00:39:20,665
Athens is faced with its
own destiny and must fight.

370
00:39:22,843 --> 00:39:24,364
The Athenians have heard me.

371
00:39:24,364 --> 00:39:26,939
The citizen soldiers
are heading to Marathon.

372
00:39:26,939 --> 00:39:29,942
A handful of men against
a myriad of invaders

373
00:39:29,942 --> 00:39:31,343
intent on resisting.

374
00:39:33,219 --> 00:39:36,086
(dramatic music)

375
00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:38,858
- [Narrator] After a day's march,

376
00:39:38,858 --> 00:39:41,436
all of the Athenian
hoplites reach Marathon.

377
00:39:42,392 --> 00:39:44,603
They will soon be joined
by their trusty allies,

378
00:39:44,603 --> 00:39:45,917
the Plataeans.

379
00:39:45,917 --> 00:39:48,930
together they plan on
blocking the Persian advance

380
00:39:48,930 --> 00:39:50,755
by making use of the local terrain.

381
00:39:52,152 --> 00:39:54,748
- To have a good look at their enemy,

382
00:39:54,748 --> 00:39:57,981
at first, the Athenians
take a defensive position,

383
00:39:57,981 --> 00:40:00,473
about 1 and 1/2 kilometers away.

384
00:40:00,473 --> 00:40:02,965
This lets them block the Persian advance

385
00:40:02,965 --> 00:40:04,414
towards the city of Athens.

386
00:40:04,414 --> 00:40:07,323
And for a while they can still hope,

387
00:40:07,323 --> 00:40:09,875
though with less and less confidence

388
00:40:09,875 --> 00:40:12,571
that help will arrive from Sparta.

389
00:40:17,188 --> 00:40:20,045
- [Narrator] For five days,
Persians and Greeks face off,

390
00:40:20,045 --> 00:40:22,286
neither of them taking the offensive.

391
00:40:22,286 --> 00:40:24,413
Everything is going to Hippias' plan

392
00:40:24,413 --> 00:40:27,437
to have the Athenians believe
the danger is at Marathon

393
00:40:27,437 --> 00:40:29,054
and to let them assemble there.

394
00:40:31,202 --> 00:40:33,589
The Athenians are still
hoping for Spartan help

395
00:40:33,589 --> 00:40:36,585
and suspect nothing of what's
going on behind their backs.

396
00:40:39,898 --> 00:40:42,539
The city of Athens is
currently defenseless.

397
00:40:42,539 --> 00:40:45,271
Datis and Hippias are
finally ready for action.

398
00:40:46,237 --> 00:40:49,136
It's time to order the Persian
cavalry back onto the ships

399
00:40:49,136 --> 00:40:52,413
so it can see through its true
objective, to seize Athens.

400
00:41:20,261 --> 00:41:22,618
- [Narrator] Miltiades is in a
mind to engage them in battle

401
00:41:22,618 --> 00:41:23,890
without further ado.

402
00:41:23,890 --> 00:41:25,600
But the generals are divided.

403
00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,676
Of the 10 strategos, five
want to go into combat,

404
00:41:28,676 --> 00:41:31,522
while five believe they're
unable to fight the Persians

405
00:41:31,522 --> 00:41:33,399
and prefer to wait for the Spartans.

406
00:41:48,425 --> 00:41:50,552
- [Themistocles] If we succumb
to the power of the Persians,

407
00:41:50,552 --> 00:41:52,035
our punishment is decided.

408
00:41:53,325 --> 00:41:55,943
If we are victorious, our city will become

409
00:41:55,943 --> 00:41:58,476
the most important in all Greece.

410
00:41:58,476 --> 00:42:00,283
Callimachus is convinced.

411
00:42:04,868 --> 00:42:08,382
Naturally Miltiades has been
given command of operations.

412
00:42:08,382 --> 00:42:10,071
He's the most resolute.

413
00:42:10,071 --> 00:42:11,166
He knows we're alone

414
00:42:11,166 --> 00:42:14,138
and is no longer counting on Spartan help.

415
00:42:14,138 --> 00:42:16,734
His only concern is the
obvious disproportion

416
00:42:16,734 --> 00:42:20,735
of the present forces and
how to compensate for it.

417
00:42:20,735 --> 00:42:23,282
(dramatic music)

418
00:42:23,282 --> 00:42:26,358
- [Narrator] Miltiades spreads
out the Greek front line.

419
00:42:26,358 --> 00:42:28,433
He puts his crack troops in the center

420
00:42:28,433 --> 00:42:30,519
and gives their command to Themistocles.

421
00:42:32,114 --> 00:42:35,037
Then he concentrates the rest
of his men on the flanks.

422
00:42:35,962 --> 00:42:38,350
Greek phalanxes excel at head on attack.

423
00:42:38,350 --> 00:42:40,612
But are vulnerable on the flanks.

424
00:42:40,612 --> 00:42:43,137
They need to strengthen
their lateral phalanxes

425
00:42:43,137 --> 00:42:46,337
to force the enemy flanks into retreat

426
00:42:46,337 --> 00:42:48,714
and make possible a pincer movement

427
00:42:48,714 --> 00:42:50,539
that will surround the Persian center,

428
00:42:50,539 --> 00:42:53,560
which contains their best
troops, the immortals.

429
00:42:56,966 --> 00:42:59,573
(tense tones)

430
00:44:32,948 --> 00:44:37,083
(speaking in foreign language)

431
00:44:37,083 --> 00:44:39,776
(army yelling)

432
00:44:51,213 --> 00:44:54,167
(arrows clanking)

433
00:45:23,665 --> 00:45:26,446
(body thudding)

434
00:45:56,833 --> 00:45:59,093
(yelling)

435
00:46:13,745 --> 00:46:16,964
- [Themistocles] 6,400
Persians have perished.

436
00:46:16,964 --> 00:46:19,748
Only 192 Athenians and 11 Plataeans

437
00:46:19,748 --> 00:46:21,573
have fallen on the field of battle.

438
00:46:22,490 --> 00:46:25,715
But the majority of the
fleet has evaded us.

439
00:47:45,925 --> 00:47:48,097
- [Narrator] Meanwhile,
the escaped Persian fleet

440
00:47:48,097 --> 00:47:50,102
is in fact sailing towards Athens.

441
00:47:51,204 --> 00:47:53,394
The Persians have such a reserve of men,

442
00:47:53,394 --> 00:47:55,302
that their loses are insignificant.

443
00:47:55,302 --> 00:47:57,682
And defeat at Marathon
without consequence.

444
00:48:15,311 --> 00:48:17,324
- [Themistocles] We have no
time to patch up our wounded

445
00:48:17,324 --> 00:48:19,899
and recover from the fatigue of combat.

446
00:48:19,899 --> 00:48:22,955
Under Miltiades' orders we advance as one

447
00:48:22,955 --> 00:48:25,944
at a forced march to Athens.

448
00:48:28,902 --> 00:48:32,291
(tense dramatic music)

449
00:51:25,254 --> 00:51:27,513
(yelling)

450
00:51:35,409 --> 00:51:37,899
- [Themistocles] Alone,
Athens has withstood

451
00:51:37,899 --> 00:51:41,215
the Persian invader considered invincible.

452
00:51:41,215 --> 00:51:44,270
2,000 Spartans would
arrive two days later.

453
00:51:44,270 --> 00:51:48,181
Too late for battle, but on
time to salute our valor.

454
00:51:48,181 --> 00:51:51,423
Our city will earn great
prestige from this victory.

455
00:51:51,423 --> 00:51:55,031
And be held up as a symbol
of resistance to oppression.

456
00:51:55,031 --> 00:51:58,629
For here, at Marathon, a handful of men

457
00:51:58,629 --> 00:52:01,781
have just beaten a multitude of enemies.

458
00:52:04,416 --> 00:52:06,397
- [Narrator] History has been made.

459
00:52:06,397 --> 00:52:09,507
It's likely that the Persian
empire won't stop there.

460
00:52:12,027 --> 00:52:14,102
That challenge is to come.

461
00:52:14,102 --> 00:52:16,306
Will Athens be able to rise to it?

462
00:52:17,485 --> 00:52:20,352
(dramatic music)

463
00:52:38,965 --> 00:52:42,006
(woman vocalizing)

