ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.
Persepolis: Empire, Fire, and Memory
From Darius’s founding of the Apadana to Alexander’s blaze and modern preservation, the documentary traces the rise, destruction, and legacy of Persia’s ceremonial heart.
Chapters
- 0:07 Rise of Darius
- 1:43 Xerxes Expands the Palace
- 3:10 Alexander’s Conquest and the Fire
- 3:26 Legacy and Preservation
On-screen text
- 0:07 Rise of Darius
- 0:14 Rise of Darius
- 0:31 Darius claims the throne (c. 522 BC) Historical record · Behistun Inscription
- 0:49 Apadana foundations laid by Darius Historical record · Excavations at Persepolis (Herzfeld, 1935)
- 1:07 Tribute relief shows 23 nations Historical record · British Museum, Relief BM 125847
- 1:34 Bronze vessel bears Median envoy's name Historical record · Archaeological Museum of Tehran, Bronze Vessel (c. 5th c BC)
- 1:43 Xerxes Expands the Palace
- 1:50 Xerxes Expands the Palace
- 2:07 Xerxes continues Persepolis works Historical record · Herodotus, Histories 7.1
- 2:25 Xerxes adds larger Persian figures Historical record · Excavations at Persepolis (M. Stronach, 1975)
- 2:43 Cuneiform tablets record labor payments Historical record · Persepolis Fortification Tablets (c. 502–493 BC)
- 3:01 Bronze vessel bears Median envoy's name Historical record · Archaeological Museum of Tehran, Bronze Vessel (c. 5th c BC)
- 3:10 Alexander’s Conquest and the Fire
- 3:17 Alexander burns Persepolis (330 BC) Historical record · Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri 3.5
- 3:34 Fire marked empire's end
- 3:41 Reliefs shipped to Alexandria
- 3:50 Apadana relief recovered
- 4:05 World Heritage site since 1979
Sources
Historical record: Behistun Inscription · Excavations at Persepolis (Herzfeld, 1935) · British Museum, Relief BM 125847 · Persepolis Fortification Tablets (c. 502–493 BC) · Archaeological Museum of Tehran, Bronze Vessel (c. 5th c BC) · Herodotus, Histories 7.1 · Excavations at Persepolis (M. Stronach, 1975) · Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri 3.5 · Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica 17.20
Tradition / scripture: Plutarch, Life of Alexander
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 135 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (15) — the next things to make
- Clay tablet being read by a scholar.
- Clay tablet being read by a scholar.
- Clay tablet being read by a scholar.
- Clay tablet being read by a scholar.
- Alexander’s Conquest and the Fire: Narrate the 330 BC burning of Persepolis and the contemporary accounts of its devastation.
- Flames engulf stone columns, soldiers watch.
- Alexander gestures to flames, recalling Greek temples.
- Alexander gestures to flames, recalling Greek temples.
- Charred stone fragments falling from a wall.
- Charred stone fragments falling from a wall.
- Historian points to charred reliefs, explaining symbolism.
- A wooden ship at night, crates of stone stacked on deck, waves lapping under a moonlit sky, heading toward Alexandria's harbor.
- Conservators gently apply a cleaning solution to a stone surface, using fine brushes to remove centuries of grime.
- Schoolchildren on a field trip sketch the ruins, a teacher points to a column while the group watches attentively.
- Final lingering shot of Persepolis on the horizon, silhouettes fading into twilight, the silence emphasizing enduring memory.