Most consider the Israelite Exodus out of Egypt an act of Divine intervention. Whether inspired by God or not, the Exodus is not merely a migration of slaves, but a military maneuver by a group of combat-hardened mercenaries. An enraged Pharaoh releases his army to hunt the Israelites down after they sack an Egyptian town as they make their exit. But Moses's sharp military mind and intimate knowledge of the terrain prove more than the massive, heavily armed Egyptian army can handle. While the Israelites perform a complicated night water crossing, Moses lures the Egyptians to a watery grave in the Sea of Reeds.

In this bloody first battle of the conquest of the Promised Land, Joshua's special operations forces secretly infiltrate and destroy Jericho from the inside out. The walls of Jericho are believed to be impenetrable. But Joshua's spies find a defector in Jericho named Rahab. As Joshua's army parades around the walled city for six days, the Israelites sneak special ops forces into Rahab's house. Once they amass forty soldiers inside, Joshua and his army outside the city blow their horns and attack. The forty troops inside catch the city completely unaware, and the city falls. Only Rahab is spared from the massive bloodletting that is the taking of Jericho.

It's 1000 BC and the Israelites are battling the Philistines. After wresting control of the throne of Israel in a bloody civil war, David moves quickly to destroy those who challenge his right to the throne, and then turns his sword on his political enemies. Finally, David sets his sites on a new target--the beautiful Bathsheba, but she is already married. For someone like David this is a minor impediment. He sends her husband to his death in battle, a battle that eventually propels Israel into becoming an empire.

After years of perceived disrespect, a gravely offended Persian army sets sail to teach the insolent Athenians a lesson. The massive Persian fleet seems predestined to overpower the small Athenian army, abandoned by their allies the Spartans. But a brilliant defensive strategy, the extreme mettle of Greek troops, and a runner whose route would go down in history, all combine to drive the Persians back across the Aegean defeated, dripping in their own blood. The Battle of Marathon sets up one of the most famous battles between Greece and Persia... the Battle of the 300.

What begins as a dispute over a buffer zone escalates quickly into a struggle for regional dominance as two of the great Empires of the Ancient world trade blows. the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses is baited into overextending his armies, believing the first fighting force to arrive at the contested city of Kadesh will be victorious. But Ramses has been deceived... the Hittite Army lies in wait. They strike when he is at his weakest, and his troops exhausted. Ramses suffers desertion and heavy losses. His weakened force is surrounded on three sides. Amazingly, the pure fighting ability of the Egyptian soldiers is enough to enable them to battle their way out of their corner and escape.

It's 52 BC and the great Roman Commander Julius Caesar is butchering is way through Gaul. Thanks in large part to the iron will of Caesar, the Romans complete their long quest for total Mediterranean dominance, defeating the Gauls in the final battle of the Gallic Wars. For a period of time though, Gallic victory seemed possible. Out-numbering the Romans five to one, they held the high ground, on the hilltop fortress city of Alesia. Caesar besieges Alesia, however, and builds a wall around the city cutting it off from all possible supply lines. When Gallic reinforcements arrive to break the blockade, Caesar puts a startling twist on his strategy by constructing a second wall between his army and the reinforcements. It is siege upon siege, but Caesar knows the Romans, although fewer in numbers, are better supplied.

In 327 BC, Greece goes head-to-head with India in Alexander the Great's final campaign. As Alexander leads his armies into India, he faces one of the most difficult tactical challenges any ground commander can confront--a forced river-crossing, a raging thunder storm and a vicious enemy. Alexander is able to deceive the Indian General Porus into believing that they would not attempt a crossing, instead he maneuvers his infantry across the river at night--catching the Indian Legions unaware. Victory is at hand thanks to this strategic brilliance.

Hannibal's merciless attacks on Roman soil dealt a near fatal blow to the soon-to-be Empire. Sworn by his father to a blood oath against the Romans, Hannibal of Carthage does the unthinkable... he marches 40 war elephants and a massive army over the Alps to gain an element of surprise. In three key battles--Hannibal uses terrain, intimidation and his iron will to annihilate the Roman Legions, killing every Roman soldier that he possibly can.