Leaving the Small Town Page #4

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else can we do but work?

And what else do we do

anyway? Look at my hands.

- We are so inadequate, and

there is so much work to do.

It is not likely to finish.

- We should add new things.

Many legends arose from Mesopotamia,

where civilization was born.

You were in some really

important places, father.

Is it raining?

I don't think so.

- I felt a drop on my hand.

- Stone carving.

What?

- It also began in Mesopotamia.

Yes. That's right.

The cradle of civilization.

"La barceau de la

civilisation" in French.

Then, Babylon for instance.

Have you seen Babylon?

- I have heard about it.

Babylon is very important.

That is where Alexander

the Great died.

He conquered the world from

end to end in his youth.

Dad, tell us how did

they cross the river?

- Tell us about the elephants.

- All right. Listen then.

Alexander comes

to the river Hidaspes.

On the other side of the river

is King Poros, with his army.

Alexander first

builds his camp

and later splits

his army into three..

And marches down

the river with one part..

Poros' army was very strong

because of the elephants.

Of course there were plenty

battles. Four are important.

The first one was at..

Granicus in 334 BC.

Then at Pineros, which is

called Delicay now..

somewhere around Iskenderun.

And then the third

on Gaugamela plain...

northeast of Mosul.

Finally there was

the one against Poros.

I met a man from Iskenderun,

and asked him about Delicay.

He was amazed

I had heard of Delicay.

But, didn't he win all the

battles with his army?

No one remembers

their names.

Only Alexander.

- You are wrong.

Of course

he needed his army,

but 2300 years ago

to go on a campaign

and winning all battles under

those circumstances isn't easy.

Do you think it is easy

to lead an army all that

way for 13 years.

Sultan Selim couldn't

even reach Caldiran

because his army

rebelled against him.

- But why did he do it?

Just to make history?

He invaded

peaceful countries.

That's enough

about Alexander.

- What's so special

about this Alexander?

- People who don't know the

past can't see the future.

We have many great commanders too.

Fatih the Conquerer for instance.

Or Urukagina, that

great Mesopotamian king.

Urumachine?

What kind of name is that?

- Urukagina. The king of Lagesh.

He appeared when the priests

were exploiting the people.

And about invasions.

Alexander expanded civilization.

He built new cities, and...

brought cultures together.

The Persians had been

making the Greeks suffer,

constantly attacking them.

First he dealt with the attacks.

He wanted to conquer

Egypt so that...

Mother.

Get down, mother.

Get down.

He reached the Gedrozia

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