The Sky Assault, Alexander's encounter with the unknown.

Welcome back to brief encounters, where history's oddest moments aren't buried, they're brought to light. I'm your

host Nick. Today we're going to war. It's the 4th century BC. Alexander the great, one of the

most formidable military minds in human history, is expanding his empire across the known world, but in the midst of his campaign, something happens, something that doesn't fit the script of conquest, something that doesn't belong to this world, or even this time.

Alexander's army, marching eastward, finds itself under aerial assault,

not from birds, not from arrows,

but from what ancient writers describe as flying shields.

What exactly did this army of tens of thousand see? What forced Alexander to alter his battle plans,

not because of an enemy force,

but because of something above.

Let's walk with the conqueror and look up.

First, let's get one thing straight.

Alexander the Great wasn't just a general. He was a phenomenon.

By the age of 30, he had conquered most of the known world. From Greece to Egypt to Persia,

and into India, his campaign shaped geopolitics for centuries, and his military precision was legendary.

So when he was thrown off by something unexpected, people paid attention.

But where do these UFO stories come from?

They're mentioned in several ancient and medieval sources.

Some early Christian writers, Persian chroniclers, and even Renaissance historians reference

the tale of strange objects in the sky interfering with Alexander's military plans,

most notably during his Siege of Tyre in 332 BC, and later during his march through

the Indus Valley. And the descriptions are consistent, large shining silver shields in the sky,

...