Documentary overview

About What Killed Alexander the Great?

Alexander the Great forged one of the largest empires of ancient history. But his early death, aged 32, ensured that it came crashing down within decades of his passing. In many ways, the story of this extraordinary conqueror’s early demise is more fascinating than that of his life. Over the years, lots of legendary stories became closely entwined with Alexander’s early death, written centuries after his passing by those eager to mythologise his story with an abundance of romantic, wondrous tales. So what’s the fact and what’s the fiction? Did Alexander die of illness? Or was it murder? And did he really leave his empire ‘to the strongest’. History Hit’s Tristan Hughes tells the story of Alexander the Great’s final days and addresses some of the myths around his passing. He also examines the aftermath of Alexander’s death and how this conqueror’s corpse ultimately ended up in Egypt.

What Killed Alexander the Great? is presented by History Hit. Its listed runtime is 33 minutes. The source link and publisher attribution are provided with the embedded film.

As a society documentary, What Killed Alexander the Great? uses killed, alexander as its central frame. Social documentaries work best as invitations to examine systems through lived experience. Distinguish individual testimony from wider claims, and consider which institutions, incentives and inequalities shape the choices shown.

Viewing context

What to consider before watching

  1. What evidence, testimony or observation does the film use to explain killed, alexander?
  2. Which people, institutions or historical conditions most influence the story told in What Killed Alexander the Great??
  3. How does History Hit's framing affect the documentary's emphasis, and which perspectives may deserve further research?
Subjects

Topics covered in this documentary

Societykilledalexander
Film information

Documentary details and original source

Title
What Killed Alexander the Great?
Category
Society
Runtime
33 minutes
Language
English
Publisher
History Hit

Free Documentary Vault provides independent discovery, organization and editorial context. The film remains hosted by its original publisher, who controls availability and playback.

Continue exploring
The 10 Key Battles That Made Napoleon Bonaparte documentary thumbnailEN32 min
The 10 Key Battles That Made Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte. One of history’s greatest commanders or a bit overrated? In this video, Dan Snow breaks down the pivotal battles that shaped the legendary commander’s legacy and left an indelible mark on the pages of history. From his sweeping victories at the Battle of Marengo and the Battles of Austerliz to the disastrous Russian campaign and the iconic Battle of Waterloo, Dan revisits the epic clashes, analyses the strategies, and witnesses the drama and chaos of the biggest battles that shaped Napoleon's rise and fall. SONY social pages

History Hit

The 10 Key Battles That Made Napoleon Bonaparte

32 minSociety
Largest Iron Age Hoard EVER Found (900 Coins!) documentary thumbnailEN21 min
Largest Iron Age Hoard EVER Found (900 Coins!)

BIGGEST Iron Age Hoard ever found. Over 900 gleaming gold coins. A mystery over 2,000 years in the making. Unearthed in the village of Great Baddow near Chelmsford, Essex, The Great Baddow Hoard is the largest discovery of Iron Age gold coins ever found in Britain. Buried deep in the earth during the Late Iron Age - around the same time Julius Caesar was launching his first invasions of Britain - this incredible collection of decorated staters is being revealed to the world in a brand new exhibition at the Museum of Chelmsford. The exhibition, Timeless Treasure: The Great Baddow Hoard, is now open at the Museum of Chelmsford. Access the to the exhibition is free with museum entry More information can be found here: You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more. History Hit is part of

History Hit

Largest Iron Age Hoard EVER Found (900 Coins!)

21 minSociety
Historian Answers Google's Most Popular Questions About The Napoleonic Wars documentary thumbnailEN20 min
Historian Answers Google's Most Popular Questions About The Napoleonic Wars

Historian Dan Snow answers the most asked questions about the Napoleonic Wars. Did Napoleon start the wars? How many Napoleonic Wars were there? How passionate is Dan about this history? Watch to find out. You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

History Hit

Historian Answers Google's Most Popular Questions About The Napoleonic Wars

20 minSociety
Napoleon's Sex Life Uncovered documentary thumbnailEN34 min
Napoleon's Sex Life Uncovered

When you think about Napoleon, you might think of the battles of Austerlitz, Borodino, the retreat from Moscow and Waterloo, but Napoleon was so much more than just a conqueror and emperor, he was a lover and he had an extraordinary love life. In particular, historians have been obsessed over the centuries with Napoleon's tempestuous, passionate and deeply complicated relationship with his wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais. That marriage and their traumatic divorce plays centre stage in the extraordinary new film 'Napoleon' (2023) directed by Ridley Scott, which features an image of this relationship that runs right the way through Napoleon's career. To get to the bottom of this complicated relationship, Dan Snow seeks the help of historian Dr Kate Lister, using Napoleon's raunchy love letters to get a better understanding of the real history behind their love life and how well both Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby depict this on screen. SONY social pages

History Hit

Napoleon's Sex Life Uncovered

34 minSociety
The Viking Age Explained documentary thumbnailEN38 min
The Viking Age Explained

What is it about the Viking Age that drives so much interest? A common view is that it was a violent period across Europe, beset by raiding, conquest and plunder, led by people from Scandinavia. But is this really an accurate take on some 300 years of history? In this video James Carson talks through the Viking Age, bringing in expert opinion from a range of History Hit podcasts and documentaries to explain the more complex reality. What actually is the definition of a Viking? Did they really wear horned helmets? What was the legacy of the Norse on Europe, both in terms of colonisation and trade? You can find out more about the Vikings in the following links

History Hit

The Viking Age Explained

38 minSociety