Alexander, recreating a classic Greek ceremony, runs naked in Troy to the supposed tomb of Achilles to place a garland

Alexander is presented in Troy with a shield, said to have been dedicated by Athena to the Trojans, which will always accompany him into battle

Alexander moves south through Syria and Palestine, excluding the Persian fleet from their familiar harbours

Alexander the Great's army arrives in Egypt and the Persian governor of the province rapidly surrenders

While in Egypt, Alexander founds Alexandria – the best known of the many towns he establishes to spread Greek culture

As a conclusive end to the long rivalry between Greece and Persia, Alexander destroys the great palace of Xerxes at Persepolis

Alexander takes a major new step, leaving Persian territory and moving through the mountain passes into India

In the Indian monsoon Alexander's Greek troops have finally had enough and threaten to mutiny unless he turns for home

Back in Persia, to emphasize that Greece and Persia are now one, Alexander marries eighty of his senior officers to Persian wives

Alexander, still only 33, dies in Babylon following a banquet

The spread of Greek rule by Alexander introduces the Hellenistic age, which will last for three centuries

The first Roman road, the Via Appia, links Rome with Capua

The flexibility of the Roman legion transforms the Greek phalanx into an even more effective fighting machine

Vesta, goddess of the hearth, is served in Rome by virgin priestesses who tend the sacred flame in her shrine

The Roman siege technique is improved by the 'tortoise' which protects the attacking force