Michael Wood travels through Syria and Iraq to uncover the story of Alexander the Greats decisive battle against the might of the Persian Empire in 331 BCE. Ancient writers agreed that it was fought somewhere near the city of Irbil in northern Iraq but the exact location has never been discovered.
Using dramatic new finds in the UK a cuneiform clay tablet in the British Museum and a papyrus dug up in Egypt Michael sheds new light on the course of events. Then to reconstruct the campaign he follows Alexanders route through Damascus and Alleppo to the river Euphrates in Syria and travels into Northern Iraq with the British and US military.
Exploring a landscape long barred to outsiders by Saddam Hussein he carries out a detailed reconnaissance on the ground with US forces on patrol between Mosul and Kurdistan.
Accompanied by the Head of British forces in Iraq General Sir Rob Fry he pieces together the dramatic events that led to this ancient War of the Worlds and finally with the help of Kurdish villagers solves a mystery that has baffled historians and archaeologists for centuries.
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