Tristan Hughes

So you need to kind of take a pinch of salt because he's a Greek.

But him almost advising what seems in hindsight the better strategy of them not engaging Alexander and just kind of burning the fields, stopping him getting any resources whatsoever.

And so he ultimately has to retreat.

Now...

Seems like a good idea.

Until you realise that the satraps, you know, this is their land.

So actually, you can actually see why they would want to engage and not do something so destructive.

Yeah.

And this is what defines the next part, isn't it?

So from Granicus, if you think, let's say, near Troy, so like Hisarlik, so northwest Anatolia, what he does is he follows the Aegean Sea coast down, which are the Greek cities in Persian occupation at the time, and takes them one by one, goes all the way down, also goes inland to Sardis, obviously a capital of the famous semi-mythologized King Croesus and the like, so another rich area.

The story of linking to the Temple of Artemis, of course, you know, with the legend of his birth on the day that that temple was destroyed.

So he offers to help rebuild the temple.

And there is resistance all the way in Miletus.

There are like little garrisons and they try to hold out, but Alexander ultimately does beat them.

And you see little contingents going out here, there and everywhere, trying to get other cities to his side.

So much so that you get to a place like Halicarnassus, which is now the scene as this is one of the first big notable sieges that he faces.

You've got Memnon of Rhodes there on the opposition.

And Halicarnassus, which we mentioned in the last chat, is the home of that guy who was considering to defect to Philip.

I don't think he's there at the moment, Pixadaris.

But you get that siege, don't you?