Dan Carlin's Hardcore History – Show 73: Mania for Subjugation III

Release Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Dan Carlin

Overview

In this deeply researched and dramatically narrated episode, Dan Carlin returns for part three of his epic analysis of Alexander the Great's rise, motivations, and the times that created him. The narrative picks up after the destruction of Thebes, exploring Alexander’s preparations to invade the Persian Empire, the intricate web of Macedonian politics, the economic and logistical challenges the Macedonian army faced, and the epochal clash at the Battle of the Granicus. Woven throughout are big questions about agency versus historical inevitability, the blurred lines between monster and hero, and how ancient propaganda and myth still color our perceptions of the ancient world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Time of Monsters: Old World Dying, New World Born

• Carlin opens with a memorable quote attributed to Antonio Gramsci:

  “The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” [02:15]

• He ties this idea to the rise of Alexander: a young king at just 21, positioned in an age ripe for outsized individuals — “monsters” or “founding fathers” depending on perspective.

2. Youth and Power: How Exceptional is Alexander?

• Carlin compares Alexander’s age and background to other rulers.
• At 21, Alexander was an outlier, inheriting not just kingship but the "greatest army of the age" due to his father's reforms, making him a sort of “military nepo baby.”
• Discussion of other figures (Napoleon, Frederick the Great, etc.) who rose to power young, but none as young or in such advantageous circumstances.

3. Counterfactuals and Historical Inertia

• Engaging in “what ifs,” Carlin poses: Would someone else with Alexander’s army and context have done the same?
• “If I put you in charge of that army in this time period, you could win with it… The entire officer corps, the junior officer corps—it’s an amazing army and it operates almost on autopilot at this time period. You could win with it.” [15:45]
• But Alexander is “different” in his “appetites” and relentless push for more, never satisfied—driven by Homeric ideals and a hunger for glory.

4. The Macedonian Machine and the Problem of Paying for It

• Discussion moves to military economics:
  • Alexander inherited his father Philip’s immense debts, manageable only by conquest and plunder.
  • Philip’s “pyramid of credit cards” would be paid off by defeating Persia, but now Alexander faced the burn rate.
• F.S. Knyden is quoted on the army's annual cost (7,000–10,000 talents):

  “This sum was 80 or 100 times what Athens spent to build the fleet that defeated the Persians in 480. It far exceeded Philip’s annual revenue.” [57:20]

• Alexander funded the war (partly) by enslaving the citizens of Thebes and selling off royal lands.

5. Leadership Dynamics: Generals and the Puppet King Trope

• Carlin explores the dynamic between Alexander and his father’s veteran generals (Parmenio, Antipater), “hard-bitten guys” who are advising a teenage king.
• Debates the theory that Alexander was merely the front-man, dominated by these older men—ultimately rejects it, stressing Alexander’s distinct will and vision.

6. Motivations: Glory, Arete, and Divine Destiny

• Alexander’s relentless ambition is dissected—more than material gain, he chases honor, “zero-sum” glory, and immortality in the Greek heroic tradition of arete.
• Examines the role of Alexander’s belief in his own divinity—possibly fostered by his mother Olympias—and his urge to live up to the achievements of Achilles, believed to be his ancestor.
• Implies that this quasi-divine self-image gave Alexander “liquid luck” confidence and willingness to take huge risks.

7. Understanding and Re-examining the Persian Empire

• The threat facing Alexander: the massive, multicultural Persian Empire, likened by Carlin to a "corporation"—“Persia Corps.”
• Pushes back on the traditional narrative of Persian decline and decadence as Greek propaganda.

  “I do not buy this idea that they were in this inevitable, long-term decline… when the Persian Empire gets good leadership, you see upturns in almost any category.” [1:47:32]

• Paints a nuanced picture of Persian administration, tolerance, court intrigue, and the recurring problem of unstable succession.

8. Persian Military: Size, Quality, and Greek Mercenaries

• Explains how ancient sources wildly exaggerated the size of Persian armies (sometimes claiming millions), which modern analysis contradicts.
• Underlines the effectiveness of Persian armies and the widespread use of Greek mercenaries as a counter to Macedonian phalangites.
• Carlin, quoting Goldsworthy:

  “The Great King can just—and did—buy all the mercenaries up in a given region, like toilet paper runs during a hurricane.” [2:20:50]

9. The Tale of Memnon and the Strategic Debate [2:43:00]

• Memnon of Rhodes, the Greek mercenary general advising the Persians, recommends a scorched earth campaign and avoiding battle—advice rejected by Persian satraps who wished to defend their own lands.
• Carlin explores how later histories elevate Memnon (the Greek) over his Persian counterparts, reflecting biases.

10. Crossing into Asia: Myth, Propaganda, and Motivation [3:05:00]

• Detailing Alexander’s landing at the Hellespont—reenacting Homer's heroic narratives, visiting Troy, taking purported "Achilles' armor."
• “Has there ever been in real history a more cinematic moment than this?” [3:33:41]
• Carlin analyzes the multi-layered symbolism: propaganda for Greek cities, Alexander’s own beliefs, and his effort to “incorporate the ghosts of the past” into his campaign.

11. Religious and Psychological Dimensions

• The importance of sacrifices, omens, and ancestral myth in Alexander’s planning and psyche.
• Carlin speculates whether Alexander is cynically exploiting religious norms or truly convinced he’s the instrument of the gods.

  “If you have the greatest army the world has ever seen, you have nothing to fear… What trumps that? Only a wild card. The gods are a wild card.” [3:53:17]

12. Setting the Stage for War: Forces and Logistics [4:00:00+]

• Alexander’s invading force: 45,000–58,500, including many noncombatants and specialists.
• Persian numbers are highly uncertain, but modern estimates suggest perhaps 60,000–70,000—still formidable.
• Importance of cavalry, Greek mercenaries, and the role of regional satraps in organizing resistance.

13. Battle of the Granicus: Tactics, Chaos, and Near-Fatality [4:45:10]

• Detailed blow-by-blow of Alexander’s first major battle with Persia:
  • The decision to cross the river immediately (against Parmenio’s advice), attacking the Persians head-on.
  • The confusion over differing ancient accounts (Arrian vs. Diodorus), and the tantalizing gaps in what happened.
  • The concept of the “pawn sacrifice,” with Alexander personally leading the aggressive push across the river.
• Spectacularly personal nature of the fighting:

  “At a certain point in the fighting, Alexander’s spear was shattered… Alexander rode out ahead of the line, struck Mithridates… then Rosakes rides at Alexander and strikes him on the head with a scimitar… Alexander hurls this man to the ground…” [5:14:28]

• Carlin continually emphasizes the danger of Alexander’s style—his life was the linchpin for the entire enterprise.

14. Aftermath: Massacre of Greek Mercenaries and the Propaganda Problem

• Alexander massacres thousands of Greek mercenaries after the battle, despite casting himself as the liberator of Greeks from Persian oppression.
• Victor Davis Hanson and others point out the irony:

  “Alexander may have exterminated between 15,000 and 18,000 Greeks … killing more Hellenes in a single day than the entire number that had fallen to the Persians at Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea combined.” [5:38:45]

• Highlights the complex reality behind the mythmaking and the high stakes at play—now, with local satrapies and treasuries falling into Macedonian hands, the Persian Empire must respond quickly.

15. Monsters or Heroes? Reflections on Historical Judgment

• Carlin cycles back to his opening theme:

  “One man’s monster is another’s founding father… some of these monsters are on the currencies of modern nations today…” [7:15]

• Raises questions about the moral cost of glory and whether relentless ambition excuses atrocities.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On comparing Alexander to other world leaders (youth vs. experience):

  "How many of these guys are, you know, 21 years old?" [07:45]

• Persian empire as a corporation:

  “At this point, Persia Corps is a monopoly. They’ve been going for more than two centuries. No real challengers... And all of a sudden you have this disruptive technology: Macadon attack.” [41:10]

• On Alexander's motives:

  “He’s trying to get in the Guinness Book of World Records here. He’s trying to be the best, as we talked about earlier, that Greek concept of arete…” [1:09:10]

• On Alexander’s risk-taking (divinity and belief):

  “If I truly believed I was the son of a god and I had some sort of destiny here, that might impact my willingness to take risks, my willingness to keep going, my willingness to sort of trust in fate…” [1:32:00]

• Crossing into Asia with mythic undertones:

  “He’s Alexander, and he’s always been scrupulous about the religious sacrifices and responsibilities…” [3:33:20]

• On Greek bias and Ancient Propaganda:

  “…if the only sources you really have for a lot of this stuff are on the Greek side and they’re turning every Greek fighter in the story into Captain America, right? … well, then it distorts a lot of the story.” [1:55:32]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening: Gramsci quote, monsters as heroes – [02:15]
• Comparing Alexander’s youthful rise – [07:00]
• Counterfactual: If Alexander died early – [17:00]
• Military economics, debt, and plunder – [50:30]
• Relationship with veteran generals – [1:05:00]
• Alexander’s supernatural confidence (divinity) – [1:30:00]
• Persian Empire: Structure, propaganda, and decline debate – [1:45:00]
• Persian military: Army quality and mercenaries – [2:20:00]
• Memnon’s advice, strategic council – [2:43:00]
• Alexander “reenacts” Homer at Troy, propaganda and motives – [3:05:00]
• Deep dive: Panhellenism and Alexander’s invasion – [3:35:00]
• Forces: Macedonian and Persian numbers and logistics – [4:00:00]
• Battle of Granicus, narrative walk-through – [4:45:10]
• Massacre of Greek mercenaries, aftermath – [5:38:45]

Additional Highlights

• Carlin’s “movie director” mode: Repeatedly highlights scenes as if he’s planning an Alexander biopic, noting which moments demand to be filmed.
• Frequent emphasis on the limits of our knowledge—ancient sources, their biases, uncertain numbers, the loss of primary accounts, and conflicts between historians.
• Analogy-heavy: From comparing the Persians to “Persia Corps” to Alexander’s campaign run as “Startup vs. Big Old Corporation,” reinforcing how ancient history can be contemplated in modern economic/military/psychological terms.
• Throughout, Carlin maintains his immersive, speculative tone, balancing awe with skepticism—he relishes the drama, but never loses sight of the need to see through both the propaganda of Alexander’s time and its impact on how we perceive history today.

Bottom Line

This episode is classic Hardcore History: grand in scope, intensely detailed in narrative, and constantly probing the difference between “what happened” and “what we think happened.” Carlin synthesizes scholarship, myth, and drama to reveal Alexander as both beneficiary and creator of historical forces—someone who pushed the limits of his age, but whose legend, shaped by ancient and modern storytellers, still defies absolute judgment.