14. The Birth of Athens

In this spectacular episode, Ulysses, the Pleasure of Discovery recounts the clash between the Persian Empire and Greece that took place 2,500 years ago, a clash that stretched back in time and constituted a crucial moment in Western history. On one side, an empire that stretched from Egypt to India; on the other, the small city-states of Greece, perpetually at war with each other. In the conflict, two opposing visions of the state, two civilizations, two ways of life, clashed. And the way that war ended is at the root of who we are, of our ideas about politics, culture, and how to live together. These are historical events as compelling as the pages of a novel, recounted by Alberto Angela, with an original and spectacular approach, through computer-generated reconstructions.