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(dramatic music)

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(clattering)

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- [Themistocles] I am Themistocles,

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General of the Athenians.

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(yelling in foreign language)

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My story begins 10 years ago.

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King Darius the Great
rules the Persian Empire.

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Incredibly powerful, he puts down

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the Greek rebels of Asia Minor,

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(woman shrieking)

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and threatens us next:

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Athenians, free Greeks
who went to their aid.

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(whooshing)

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Our resistance is organized by Militiades,

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the Great Strateger and my role model.

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Few cities help us.

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Practically alone, Athens stands
up to the Persian invader,

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and leads the Greeks to a
victory in the plain of Marathon,

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a victory that brings glory
and prestige to Athens.

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(dramatic music)

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(tense music)

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(speaking foreign language)

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- [Narrator] For Darius,
the defeat at Marathon

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has left a bitter taste in his mouth,

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even though it doesn't
have any real consequences

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on his empire or on his standing.

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To everyone, he seems invincible.

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(speaking foreign language)

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(dramatic music)

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(dog barking)

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(speaking foreign language)

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- [Themistocles] Yes, I
envied Militiades' glory.

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He was the true hero to Marathon.

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He found a way to defend our
city from the Persian invader,

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and lead us to victory,

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but what good is honor to him now?

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(dramatic music)

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Athens may mourn Militiades
and believe itself

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free from all danger,

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but I already know that is not the case.

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I only have to look out
to sea to realize that.

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(dramatic music)

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(faint yelling)

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- [Narrator] The shores of
Athens and the Aegean Sea

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should be peaceful after
the Persian retreat,

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but in reality, it is
the theater of clashes

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between rival cities.

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Pirates from the Greek
island city of Aegina

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regularly attack the modest
trading fleet of Athens.

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Hardened fighters, the Aeginians

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are far superior seafarers
than the Athenians.

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- We must remember that at this time,

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Greece isn't a unified country.

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It's a series of separate city-states

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which are often at odds with each other.

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Old squabbles between
cities, briefly put aside

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for the Battle of Marathon flare up again.

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So, there's no single
authority on the seas.

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- Athens, by tradition, has no great navy,

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no great naval skill.

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Instead, Athenian ships
at harbors are attacked

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by brilliant sailors from the
neighboring island of Aegina.

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Aegina, not Athens, rules
the waves of the Aegean Sea.

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Very few Athenians can
imagine that their city

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will soon be targeted
by a far greater navy

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than little Aegina could ever afford.

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The navy of the vast Persian Empire.

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But there is one man
who does see the danger.

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(speaking foreign language)

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(dramatic tense music)

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- [Narrator] Darius the Great

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dies after 36 years on the throne

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without seeing through
his punitive campaign

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against Greece, which has been delayed

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due to troubles in Egypt.

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(tense music)

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His son, designated by
Darius while he was alive,

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inherits a great civilization
with 1,000 year old history.

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(speaking foreign language)

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(crowd cheering)

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(dramatic music)

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To begin with, Xerxes
must defeat the Egyptians

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and make an example of them.

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Egypt is a major stake for the empire,

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as much for its wealth as for its

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strategic geographical location.

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This first military campaign is a chance

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for Xerxes to show his
mettle and prove himself

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worthy of the title King of Kings.

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(speaking foreign language)

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(dramatic music)

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- [Themistocles] I'm seeking
to perfect the rostrum,

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the fearsome ram of our triremes.

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By covering it in bronze plating,

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I will make it more effective
during naval warfare.

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(dramatic music)

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(speaking foreign language)

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- Suddenly, the discovery of a silver seam

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at the mines of Laurium
on the outskirts of Athens

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brings new wealth to the city.

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The seam is exceptionally
rich, and the profits,

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as is the custom, are shared
out among the citizens,

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and the Athenians are delighted

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with this unexpected prosperity.

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- Meanwhile, Xerxes is
leading his campaign

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in Egypt with determination.

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Once the revolt is
crushed, he plans to impose

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even harder servitude than
during the reign of Darius.

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The stakes are high.

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If he can pacify Egypt,
he will earn his spurs

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as a warrior king and merit his place

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in the continuity of the dynasty.

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(dramatic tense music)

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(speaking foreign language)

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Xerxes wins fame where his father failed.

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The new king is capable of military feats

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and worthy of carrying out the mission

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to expand the empire given to every king

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of kings by their god, Ahura Mazda.

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(speaking foreign language)

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Mardonius tells Xerxes, "You have punished

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"the insolence of the Egyptians.

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"Do not let the insults of
the Athenians go unpunished.

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"If you march with all your forces

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"on Athens, you will earn such renown,

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"that do one will dare to fight."

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(speaking foreign language)

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(dramatic music)

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A year later, back in Persepolis,

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Xerxes begins working
on a plan for invasion

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from Asia Minor and into Europe to seize

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Athens and other Greek cities.

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(dramatic music)

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(speaking foreign language)

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Mardonius aims to
subjugate the Greek cities

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of Thrace, Macedonia and Thessaly

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before attaining Athens
in the heart of Attica

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and finishing by the Peloponnese.

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(dramatic music)

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(speaking foreign language)

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- [Themistocles] In the
port of Piraeus in Athens,

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we count the wounded to lament the loss

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of entire loads of goods.

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(speaking foreign language)

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On the sea, without a maritime port,

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we're in no shape to defend ourselves.

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Here, tempers rise at
the very name Aeginians.

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Repeated trashers are driving

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my fellow citizens to detest
their great neighbors,

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to forget the Persians
and focus their hate

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on those that torment us daily.

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I cannot blame them.

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But I fear that wars between cities

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are weakening all Greeks in
face of a Persian invasion.

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- Meanwhile, Xerxes has
begun his preparations

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which are on an unprecedented scale.

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He orders the mobilization
of countless troops,

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plans his route and orders gigantic works,

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like excavating a shipping
channel across Mount Athos.

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He puts provisions in place
in Thrace and Macedonia,

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orders the building of
a bridge so his troops

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can cross the Hellespont,
the Dardanelles Straight.

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Greek writers portray
Xerxes as a mad megalomaniac

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swollen with pride and in contempt

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of the limits imposed on men by the gods.

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In reality, his aim is clear:

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to punish Athens and subjugate all Greece.

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His plan is detailed, coherent

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and far from being extravagant.

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(melancholy music)

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- [Narrator] At the
Ecclesia, it's a special day.

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Today, the profits from the silver mines

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at Laurium are being shared out.

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For many, this unexpected
income is a chance

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to improve daily life
and plan for the future.

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(speaking foreign language)

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(crowd applauding)

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(crowd booing)

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(clapping)

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- [Themistocles] The art of oratories,

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a source of all inference.

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I used the Aeginians as a
pretext to finally build

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the maritime force we severely lack.

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(dramatic music)
(crowd applauding)

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Of course, I am really
concerned with the Persian fret,

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but I failed to mention that.

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(dramatic music)

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Amid the hub bub of the ship building,

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I'm delighted to be
building this war fleet.

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Each trireme will hold 200 men

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and I'm planning to build
100 triremes a year.

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The poorest citizens already thanked me

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for this shipyard, which
offers them unhopeful work.

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(splashing)

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(dramatic music)

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This fleet will be our biggest asset

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and for three reasons:

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it will defend our coasts
from attacks by sea,

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it will protect our merchant ship convoys

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and our communications, but primarily,

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it will be our offensive
against our enemies.

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(dramatic music)

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Athens will rule the waves.

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- In Greece, it's only
Athens which is launching

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a huge program of building warships.

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- Meanwhile, Xerxes assembles
a huge land army in Asia Minor

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whose troops come from the
50 people of the empire.

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He also put together an impressive fleet,

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manned by Egyptians, Phoenicians and also

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Greeks from Asia Minor.

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As for the Mount Athos channel,

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work is progressing despite difficulties.

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To avoid the caving in of the walls,

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the Phoenicians have
the idea of excavating

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in a 'V', despite doubling
the size of the task.

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Thousands of laborers work
in shifts for three years.

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When finished, the channel
measures two kilometers long

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by 30 meters wide and 50 meters deep.

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- Greeks understand that engineering,

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recruitment of troops on this
scale means only one thing.

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Xerxes is utterly determined
and Greece is his target.

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(tense music)

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- [Themistocles] I have
done everything to ensure

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that all Greeks are
aware of the considerable

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preparations of Xerxes on land and sea.

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For the first time, 31
Greek cities must unite

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to debate on how to act.

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The most important, Sparta, Corinth

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and Aegina are all present.

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I am ready to speak on behalf of Athens.

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(speaking foreign language)

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Yes, I have yielded
command to the Spartans,

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but who was it who convinced the cities

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to unite against the Persian invader?

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Isn't that more important?

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Rather than linger on dark thoughts,

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I prefer to assess the Persian forces.

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(dramatic music)

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(speaking foreign language)

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- [Narrator] After four
long years of work,

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Xerxes' massive invasion
plan is coming to fruition.

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The contingents must cross the Hellespont,

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and join up with the fleet.

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(dramatic music)

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Xerxes ordered the building
of this pontoon bridge

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from Asia to Europe.

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Mardonius has linked the two
shores of the Dardanelles

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by joining together 674 triremes.

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This bridge covers the
full width of the straight,

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one and a half kilometers.

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The ships, anchored and bound
with linen rope and bark,

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are covered with planks,
then with leveled earth.

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Wooden barriers prevent the animals

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from being scared by the waves.

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Herodotus assesses Xerxes'
army at five million men

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and notes that the
crossing took seven days

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and seven nights.

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This is surely an exaggeration.

259
00:28:45,423 --> 00:28:46,945
The Persian army must have numbered

260
00:28:46,945 --> 00:28:48,895
one to two million men.

261
00:28:48,895 --> 00:28:50,928
The Persians advance,
supported by the fleet

262
00:28:50,928 --> 00:28:52,952
which follows the coastline.

263
00:28:52,952 --> 00:28:55,820
(dramatic music)

264
00:28:58,899 --> 00:29:02,722
(speaking foreign language)

265
00:30:07,490 --> 00:30:10,358
(dramatic music)

266
00:30:36,495 --> 00:30:39,415
Indeed, Xerxes will
provoke unprecedented fear.

267
00:30:41,059 --> 00:30:43,197
Although his army is
a logistical nightmare

268
00:30:43,197 --> 00:30:45,569
to move around, it nonetheless captured

269
00:30:45,569 --> 00:30:48,463
Thrace and Macedonia with ease.

270
00:30:48,463 --> 00:30:51,080
Xerxes is now ready to
descend on central Greece

271
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:52,605
without cause for concern.

272
00:30:56,481 --> 00:30:59,348
- The feedback from spies throws
the Greeks into confusion.

273
00:30:59,348 --> 00:31:01,361
- For Sparta and her
neighbors in the south,

274
00:31:01,361 --> 00:31:04,343
the preferred defensive line
is the Isthmus of Corinth,

275
00:31:04,343 --> 00:31:07,294
the narrow gateway to southern Greece,

276
00:31:07,294 --> 00:31:09,682
but to protect Athens and central Greece,

277
00:31:09,682 --> 00:31:12,268
two advance positions are to be guarded,

278
00:31:12,268 --> 00:31:14,426
the narrow Pass of Thermopylae,

279
00:31:14,426 --> 00:31:17,095
and the sea right next
to it, a narrow channel

280
00:31:17,095 --> 00:31:20,192
between Thermopylae and Cape Artemisium.

281
00:31:20,192 --> 00:31:22,716
In the late summer of 480, Leonidas,

282
00:31:22,716 --> 00:31:25,135
one of Sparta's two kings, heads there

283
00:31:25,135 --> 00:31:27,846
with 300 elite Spartan citizens and about

284
00:31:27,846 --> 00:31:31,516
7,000 hoplites from other states.

285
00:31:31,516 --> 00:31:34,769
- Eurybiades, the Spartan
general, leaves for Artemisium

286
00:31:34,769 --> 00:31:37,897
with Themistocles and
the entire Greek fleet.

287
00:31:37,897 --> 00:31:41,359
- What happens at Thermopylae
soon becomes legendary.

288
00:31:41,359 --> 00:31:46,573
Persians cross the mountains
to encircle Leonidas' position.

289
00:31:46,875 --> 00:31:50,431
He sends away his allies to save them

290
00:31:50,431 --> 00:31:54,330
and himself dies fighting
with his 300 Spartans.

291
00:31:54,330 --> 00:31:56,729
The Spartans, always
brilliant at propaganda,

292
00:31:56,729 --> 00:31:59,721
turned this into a moral victory.

293
00:31:59,721 --> 00:32:01,859
They have proved they're
the bravest of warriors

294
00:32:01,859 --> 00:32:04,559
who will always lead their
allies from the front.

295
00:32:04,559 --> 00:32:06,259
Sparta's leadership of the Greeks

296
00:32:06,259 --> 00:32:09,547
wasn't undermined by this
defeat, it was cemented.

297
00:32:10,628 --> 00:32:13,381
The fleet fights well, but withdraws

298
00:32:13,381 --> 00:32:15,393
after the fall of Thermopylae.

299
00:32:15,393 --> 00:32:17,976
- [Dominique] Xerxes
invades Phocis, Boeotia,

300
00:32:17,976 --> 00:32:20,252
and beseiges the cities he crosses,

301
00:32:20,252 --> 00:32:23,349
whose only choice is to
surrender or be destroyed.

302
00:32:23,349 --> 00:32:25,278
The Persians are at the gates of Attica.

303
00:32:25,278 --> 00:32:27,523
The Athenians need to turn to the gods.

304
00:32:33,846 --> 00:32:37,670
(speaking foreign language)

305
00:33:04,581 --> 00:33:05,985
- [Themistocles] Alarmed by our future,

306
00:33:05,985 --> 00:33:08,415
we questioned the gods
through the Oracle of Apollo,

307
00:33:08,415 --> 00:33:11,585
as is the custom, but how should we greet

308
00:33:11,585 --> 00:33:15,203
the divine announcement of
great misfortune to come?

309
00:33:15,203 --> 00:33:16,072
With deciduity?

310
00:33:18,684 --> 00:33:22,507
(speaking foreign language)

311
00:33:52,615 --> 00:33:55,806
Frustrated, I convince my fellow citizens

312
00:33:55,806 --> 00:33:58,090
to pan an extra tax to obtain another

313
00:33:58,090 --> 00:34:00,664
consultation with the Oracle.

314
00:34:00,664 --> 00:34:03,532
(dramatic music)

315
00:34:25,557 --> 00:34:29,380
(speaking foreign language)

316
00:34:32,468 --> 00:34:34,480
- [Oracle] Once the enemy has seized all

317
00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:37,984
that encloses the country,
Jupiter the Omniscient

318
00:34:37,984 --> 00:34:40,820
will grant Athena a wall of wood,

319
00:34:40,820 --> 00:34:43,917
which will be neither taken nor destroyed.

320
00:34:43,917 --> 00:34:46,065
It will be your salvation,

321
00:34:46,065 --> 00:34:48,676
that of you and your children.

322
00:34:48,676 --> 00:34:52,499
(speaking foreign language)

323
00:35:02,748 --> 00:35:05,167
Do not quietly await the large army

324
00:35:05,167 --> 00:35:07,545
which will come to attack you by land.

325
00:35:07,545 --> 00:35:08,861
Rather, take flight.

326
00:35:09,818 --> 00:35:13,154
A day will come when
you will stand up to it,

327
00:35:13,154 --> 00:35:16,578
for you, oh divine Salamis.

328
00:35:20,537 --> 00:35:23,529
- Themistocles interprets the
prediction in his own way,

329
00:35:23,529 --> 00:35:25,594
and explains it to the Athenians.

330
00:35:25,594 --> 00:35:29,160
The Oracle evoked their enemy's
downfall, not their own.

331
00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:32,173
If they must evacuate the
city, and protect their army,

332
00:35:32,173 --> 00:35:34,394
it's so as to fight better, later,

333
00:35:34,394 --> 00:35:37,867
on the sea at Salamis, an
island close to Athens.

334
00:35:37,867 --> 00:35:39,806
If the outcome were disaster, the Oracle

335
00:35:39,806 --> 00:35:42,989
would have said ill-fated
Salamis, and not divine Salamis.

336
00:35:46,219 --> 00:35:48,784
- [Themistocles] My family,
like those of all Athenians,

337
00:35:48,784 --> 00:35:50,320
packs our belongings.

338
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:56,698
My loved ones' hearts
are heavy with the idea

339
00:35:56,698 --> 00:35:58,804
of leaving our ancestral land.

340
00:35:58,804 --> 00:36:00,254
For the first time in our history,

341
00:36:00,254 --> 00:36:04,050
we Athenians must evacuate our city.

342
00:36:04,050 --> 00:36:06,743
(somber music)

343
00:36:26,905 --> 00:36:30,430
I bid farewell to that
which is most precious.

344
00:36:30,430 --> 00:36:33,506
My father may have
disowned me in the past,

345
00:36:33,506 --> 00:36:37,023
but that will not stop
me honoring his grave.

346
00:36:37,023 --> 00:36:39,716
(somber music)

347
00:36:49,438 --> 00:36:52,660
Would he understand
that Athens without wars

348
00:36:52,660 --> 00:36:55,941
will fall to the massed
Persian ranks marching on her?

349
00:36:57,133 --> 00:37:00,702
We have no other choice, flee or perish.

350
00:37:03,525 --> 00:37:07,279
I organize the evacuation of
the city and use our fleet.

351
00:37:07,279 --> 00:37:09,562
It's aboard our triremes
that the Athenians

352
00:37:09,562 --> 00:37:11,484
will go into exile and remain safe.

353
00:37:13,410 --> 00:37:15,798
May no one scorn our fleet.

354
00:37:15,798 --> 00:37:19,044
If we flee, it is to better attack later.

355
00:37:20,089 --> 00:37:23,168
(dramatic music)

356
00:37:23,168 --> 00:37:25,774
(dog barking)

357
00:37:45,389 --> 00:37:47,548
The height of the flames disguises nothing

358
00:37:47,548 --> 00:37:50,311
of the violence ordered by Xerxes.

359
00:37:50,311 --> 00:37:52,564
The Persians set about destroying Athens

360
00:37:52,564 --> 00:37:55,226
surely furious at finding
the city deserted.

361
00:37:57,089 --> 00:37:59,539
I refuse to be shaken by it.

362
00:37:59,539 --> 00:38:01,990
Our temples may have been disfigured,

363
00:38:01,990 --> 00:38:04,972
but we're all safe and free.

364
00:38:04,972 --> 00:38:08,225
May the Persians fear
the effects of our wrath

365
00:38:08,225 --> 00:38:10,147
when the time comes for our revenge.

366
00:38:11,371 --> 00:38:14,239
(dramatic music)

367
00:38:36,151 --> 00:38:39,975
(speaking foreign language)

368
00:39:14,207 --> 00:39:16,168
- [Narrator] Xerxes is
prepared to pursue the Greeks

369
00:39:16,168 --> 00:39:18,963
to their refuge, the island of Salamis.

370
00:39:18,963 --> 00:39:21,082
No subject kings dare oppose him.

371
00:39:22,581 --> 00:39:25,584
Everyone docilely agrees
to a naval battle,

372
00:39:25,584 --> 00:39:28,440
all except one person, a woman.

373
00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:32,263
(speaking foreign language)

374
00:39:34,499 --> 00:39:38,931
Artemisia I, Queen of
Halicarnassus, disagrees.

375
00:39:38,931 --> 00:39:41,923
She thinks it wrong to
underestimate the Greeks at sea,

376
00:39:41,923 --> 00:39:44,843
and that's it's preferable
to avoid naval conflict.

377
00:39:44,843 --> 00:39:47,220
She advises Xerxes to advance on land

378
00:39:47,220 --> 00:39:49,295
and capture the Peloponnese.

379
00:39:49,295 --> 00:39:53,119
(speaking foreign language)

380
00:39:54,092 --> 00:39:56,041
- Xerxes is unconvinced.

381
00:39:56,041 --> 00:39:58,752
He wants to pursue the
Athenians and their allies

382
00:39:58,752 --> 00:40:00,681
and face them in a naval battle.

383
00:40:00,681 --> 00:40:02,402
It's not the usual plan.

384
00:40:02,402 --> 00:40:04,998
Until now, the campaign
has advanced simply.

385
00:40:04,998 --> 00:40:08,095
You besiege a city, it
surrenders or is razed,

386
00:40:08,095 --> 00:40:09,930
then you go on to the next one.

387
00:40:09,930 --> 00:40:12,662
As Athens is in ruins,
the king should sweep down

388
00:40:12,662 --> 00:40:14,258
on the Isthmus of Corinth to attack

389
00:40:14,258 --> 00:40:15,895
the cities of the Peloponnese

390
00:40:15,895 --> 00:40:18,136
and complete his conquest of Greece.

391
00:40:18,136 --> 00:40:20,337
But the Athenians are not subjugated

392
00:40:20,337 --> 00:40:21,609
and the king doesn't want to leave

393
00:40:21,609 --> 00:40:23,590
an enemy fleet behind him.

394
00:40:23,590 --> 00:40:26,061
So, the Persians sail
their fleet to Salamis,

395
00:40:26,061 --> 00:40:28,859
but the Greeks are divided
about what action to take.

396
00:40:29,955 --> 00:40:32,766
(waves crashing)

397
00:40:32,766 --> 00:40:34,111
- [Themistocles] The
Persians have defied us

398
00:40:34,111 --> 00:40:36,478
all day off the coast of Salamis.

399
00:40:36,478 --> 00:40:38,083
It was easy to convince the Greeks

400
00:40:38,083 --> 00:40:40,569
to refuse this unfavorable battle,

401
00:40:40,569 --> 00:40:45,111
but now, we must debate
which battle to take to them.

402
00:40:48,878 --> 00:40:52,701
(speaking foreign language)

403
00:41:06,792 --> 00:41:09,138
(clapping)

404
00:42:28,198 --> 00:42:29,810
- The tension mounts among the Greeks,

405
00:42:29,810 --> 00:42:32,072
due to the Persian 1,200 ship fleet.

406
00:42:32,072 --> 00:42:33,835
The alliance of the cities is threatened

407
00:42:33,835 --> 00:42:36,295
by the temptation of
every man for himself.

408
00:42:36,295 --> 00:42:39,444
The Peloponnesians want
to retreat to their lands.

409
00:42:39,444 --> 00:42:42,593
- In Themistocles' mind,
if they don't fight at sea,

410
00:42:42,593 --> 00:42:44,710
everyone will return to their cities.

411
00:42:44,710 --> 00:42:47,546
The army will disperse,
the fleet will break up,

412
00:42:47,546 --> 00:42:49,353
and all Greece will be lost.

413
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,823
(speaking foreign language)

414
00:43:32,862 --> 00:43:35,876
The Greek fleet has 378 triremes,

415
00:43:35,876 --> 00:43:37,544
about 200 of which are Athenian,

416
00:43:38,973 --> 00:43:40,714
and Salamis Bay has the advantage of being

417
00:43:40,714 --> 00:43:43,167
a real bottleneck where
numbers won't matter.

418
00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:46,991
So, the chances of success are real,

419
00:43:46,991 --> 00:43:50,154
if he can convince Eurybiades
and the other generals.

420
00:43:51,175 --> 00:43:54,729
(waves crashing)

421
00:43:54,729 --> 00:43:58,553
(speaking foreign language)

422
00:44:53,022 --> 00:44:55,309
- [Themistocles] Eurybiades must accept

423
00:44:55,309 --> 00:44:57,426
if the Athenian fleet leaves,

424
00:44:57,426 --> 00:44:59,230
it will certainly condemn the rest

425
00:44:59,230 --> 00:45:00,853
of the Greek fleet to defeat.

426
00:45:04,454 --> 00:45:08,278
(speaking foreign language)

427
00:45:24,082 --> 00:45:26,775
(somber music)

428
00:46:44,450 --> 00:46:47,203
- [Narrator] Faced with the
outsized Persian forces,

429
00:46:47,203 --> 00:46:48,965
it's not rare for kings or generals

430
00:46:48,965 --> 00:46:51,811
to go over to the enemy,
hoping for leniency.

431
00:46:51,811 --> 00:46:54,230
Xerxes, like his
predecessors, knows how to be

432
00:46:54,230 --> 00:46:56,264
generous with those who serve him well.

433
00:46:57,490 --> 00:47:01,314
(speaking foreign language)

434
00:47:03,093 --> 00:47:06,023
Could Themistocles,
disheartened by his allies'

435
00:47:06,023 --> 00:47:09,287
lack of commitment to the
Greek cause, betray his own?

436
00:47:09,287 --> 00:47:10,969
A surprising turn of events.

437
00:47:12,165 --> 00:47:13,865
- [Patrice] Themistocles
knows he must provoke

438
00:47:13,865 --> 00:47:16,628
a quick naval battle to save Greece.

439
00:47:16,628 --> 00:47:19,339
Eurybiades and the other
generals agree to follow him,

440
00:47:19,339 --> 00:47:22,019
but they could change their minds.

441
00:47:22,019 --> 00:47:24,823
A battle out at sea is
risky, due to the numbers.

442
00:47:24,823 --> 00:47:26,919
That's why Themistocles
must draw the enemy

443
00:47:26,919 --> 00:47:29,154
to where he wants them, Salamis Bay.

444
00:47:32,404 --> 00:47:34,729
- [Narrator] Xerxes was
already intent on engaging

445
00:47:34,729 --> 00:47:37,037
in a naval battle to
finish off the Greeks.

446
00:47:37,951 --> 00:47:41,747
Themistocles' betrayal is too
good a chance to turn down.

447
00:47:41,747 --> 00:47:43,843
Xerxes speeds up his plan.

448
00:47:43,843 --> 00:47:45,845
He wants to block, as soon as possible,

449
00:47:45,845 --> 00:47:47,909
the three exits from Salamis Bay

450
00:47:47,909 --> 00:47:50,384
so the Greeks are unable to escape.

451
00:47:50,384 --> 00:47:52,528
(dramatic music)

452
00:47:52,528 --> 00:47:55,354
That night, the sea blockade is deployed,

453
00:47:55,354 --> 00:47:58,513
with 200 ships to the
northwest of the Megara Pass

454
00:47:58,513 --> 00:48:00,463
and to the southeast on either side

455
00:48:00,463 --> 00:48:01,947
of the island of Psyttaleia.

456
00:48:02,862 --> 00:48:04,697
His plans to encircle the straight

457
00:48:04,697 --> 00:48:07,408
by surrounding the islands,
then to massively attack

458
00:48:07,408 --> 00:48:10,202
the Greek fleet by
maneuvering on the flanks

459
00:48:10,202 --> 00:48:11,071
and destroy it.

460
00:48:12,235 --> 00:48:15,191
- Themistocles' strategy
at Salamis is to prevent

461
00:48:15,191 --> 00:48:18,231
the Persian fleet doing to the Greek ships

462
00:48:18,231 --> 00:48:22,475
what Xerxes' army has done
to Leonidas at Thermopylae,

463
00:48:22,475 --> 00:48:25,561
using their superior numbers
to surround the Greeks.

464
00:48:25,561 --> 00:48:28,585
So, Greek ships are to
block a narrow channel

465
00:48:28,585 --> 00:48:32,620
between the Isle of Salamis
and the Athenian mainland.

466
00:48:32,620 --> 00:48:34,456
Persian ships seemed to have been lighter

467
00:48:34,456 --> 00:48:37,250
and more maneuverable
than the Greek ships,

468
00:48:37,250 --> 00:48:38,950
but in the Channel of Salamis,

469
00:48:38,950 --> 00:48:40,840
they'll be too cramped to maneuver.

470
00:48:41,734 --> 00:48:44,705
- Persian numerical superiority
will become meaningless.

471
00:48:44,705 --> 00:48:47,057
There will now be a ratio of one to one.

472
00:48:47,057 --> 00:48:49,924
(dramatic music)

473
00:48:59,752 --> 00:49:01,618
- [Themistocles] At the new day's dawning,

474
00:49:01,618 --> 00:49:04,632
I can only be proud of
the long road traveled.

475
00:49:04,632 --> 00:49:07,635
10 years of effort to
establish a naval policy

476
00:49:07,635 --> 00:49:09,056
and build this fleet.

477
00:49:10,294 --> 00:49:12,786
It's now her chance to shine today,

478
00:49:12,786 --> 00:49:14,808
in a moment of truth that will decide

479
00:49:14,808 --> 00:49:18,246
the subjugation of the
freedom of the Greeks.

480
00:49:18,246 --> 00:49:21,114
(dramatic music)

481
00:49:31,283 --> 00:49:34,182
The Persians are where I want them to be,

482
00:49:34,182 --> 00:49:36,653
but what will be the outcome of battle?

483
00:49:36,653 --> 00:49:38,767
That I cannot answer.

484
00:49:38,767 --> 00:49:41,634
(dramatic music)

485
00:49:47,633 --> 00:49:49,458
- [Narrator] Xerxes is
based on the mainland,

486
00:49:49,458 --> 00:49:51,043
facing Salamis.

487
00:49:51,043 --> 00:49:52,867
From here, he can keep track of his fleet

488
00:49:52,867 --> 00:49:54,484
and the deployments for battle.

489
00:49:57,038 --> 00:50:00,902
Confident in his fleet, he
can't wait for battle to begin.

490
00:50:00,902 --> 00:50:03,770
(dramatic music)

491
00:50:12,643 --> 00:50:16,467
(speaking foreign language)

492
00:51:09,972 --> 00:51:11,832
- [Themistocles] Enemy against enemy,

493
00:51:11,832 --> 00:51:14,032
the two fleets engage.

494
00:51:14,032 --> 00:51:18,476
At the first push, the massed
Persian navy remains unmobile.

495
00:51:18,476 --> 00:51:20,124
(dramatic music)

496
00:51:20,124 --> 00:51:21,717
(crashing)

497
00:51:21,717 --> 00:51:24,813
But soon, crammed into a tight space,

498
00:51:24,813 --> 00:51:27,785
numerous Persian ships start
getting in each other's way,

499
00:51:28,672 --> 00:51:31,122
ramming into each other
with their bronze rams.

500
00:51:32,269 --> 00:51:34,041
Whole rows of oars are splintered.

501
00:51:35,290 --> 00:51:38,497
(dramatic music)

502
00:51:38,497 --> 00:51:40,843
(crashing)

503
00:52:10,152 --> 00:52:13,258
Tainted with blood, the Battle of Salamis

504
00:52:13,258 --> 00:52:17,546
ends and plunges the Persians
into the darkness of grief.

505
00:52:23,581 --> 00:52:27,404
(speaking foreign language)

506
00:52:34,998 --> 00:52:37,866
(dramatic music)

507
00:52:49,961 --> 00:52:52,422
- [Narrator] Xerxes is
denied victory at sea.

508
00:52:52,422 --> 00:52:55,279
His fleet is weakened by the
lack of logistical support

509
00:52:55,279 --> 00:52:57,203
from his imposing land army.

510
00:52:57,203 --> 00:53:00,070
(dramatic music)

511
00:53:03,120 --> 00:53:06,154
Xerxes leaves, never to
have another opportunity

512
00:53:06,154 --> 00:53:07,305
to invade Greece.

513
00:53:08,446 --> 00:53:11,314
(dramatic music)

514
00:53:23,641 --> 00:53:26,821
Salamis was not an
ultimate defeat for Persia,

515
00:53:26,821 --> 00:53:28,844
but it did show the
Greeks that the Persians

516
00:53:28,844 --> 00:53:30,098
were not invincible.

517
00:53:31,190 --> 00:53:34,026
The Persian empire, far
from being bled dry,

518
00:53:34,026 --> 00:53:36,292
would continue for another 200 years.

519
00:53:38,020 --> 00:53:41,867
Greece owed its salvation to
the fleet of Themistocles,

520
00:53:41,867 --> 00:53:43,744
to the determination of a man

521
00:53:43,744 --> 00:53:47,972
who wanted his country to
remain free at all costs.

522
00:53:47,972 --> 00:53:50,926
(dramatic music)